You can now install Windows on Steam Deck OLED thanks to new official drivers

Valve's Steam Deck OLED handheld console ships with a custom operating system, but the hardware inside is capable of running Windows 10 and 11. Therefore, some users want to try the console with an alternative operating system to run unsupported games or emulators or just have some fun. To make life easier for this kind of user, Valve provides official Steam Deck drivers for Windows, and the Steam Deck OLED, the latest version of the console, has just received those.

Steam Deck's official account on X announced the availability of Windows drivers for the OLED version of the device. They include APU, Audio, SD card reader, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Valve also says that installing Windows requires the latest BIOS, which is part of SteamOS version 3.6.9 or newer, so update your device before switching its operating system.

You can download Windows drivers for Steam Deck OLED on the official support website (there are also drivers for the regular LCD variant). Keep in mind that you will have to activate Windows with a genuine license key to get the best experience possible.

Another thing worth mentioning is that Valve does not provide support for Steam Deck consoles running Windows, so prepare to troubleshoot your device on your own. Fortunately, the Steam Deck has a pretty active community, so you should be able to find helpful information quite easily. And in case things go sideways, check out this page about recovering the device's software and going back to the original Steam Deck OS.