How to Fix the Steam Deck Freezing when Launching the Keyboard in Desktop Mode?
There are a few things that can help to prevent the keyboard from locking up on the Steam Deck.
Written Tutorial
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If you've noticed the Steam Deck keyboard is freezing when you try to bring it up in Desktop Mode, then I have a few suggestions that should be able to fix it for you.
#steamdeck #steamdeckoled #steamos
So, last week I tried to install the NVIDIA GeForce Now streaming service on my Steam Deck. This required me to reboot the Steam Deck from Gaming Mode and over to Desktop Mode.
As soon as I booted into Desktop Mode, I attempted to visit the official NVIDIA landing page for the GeForce Now website.
But when I tried typing in the web address, the entire software stack on the Steam Deck would just freeze up.
The buttons refused to do anything when I pressed them.
The trackpad did not control the mouse in any way.
I was unable to do anything except press and hold the Power button until the device powered off.
Multiple reboots did not fix anything either.
As each attempt to bring up the keyboard while in Desktop Mode resulted in my OLED Steam Deck freezing up.
So after doing a bit of research, I found multiple suggestions for what helped various people solve this very issue.
And that's what I'll be going over in today's video.
Uninstall DeckyLoader
The first thing I found on Reddit has the OP claiming they needed to uninstall Decky Loader before the frozen keyboard issue was solved on their Steam Deck.
However, that didn't seem likely as Decky Loader shouldn't be running after you boot the device into Desktop Mode.
In any case, there were multiple people suggesting it was related to Decky Loader so you could also switch from the stable to the preview build. . .or vise versa. . .if you're having this issue.
Launching Steam
In the comments section of that thread, someone else on Reddit said they were able to fix it by opening the Steam client after you booted into Desktop Mode.
This has helped a lot of people as it seems there's a bug that bogs down the Steam Deck while it's in Desktop Mode. When this bug is active on your system, launching the keyboard while the software is lagging will result in the entire operating system becoming frozen and locking up.
Some even said that they just left their Steam Deck in Desktop Mode after launching Steam. Just to let the entire OS "catch up" so to speak. After a while, they noticed the Steam client opening and closing really quick as it went through the process and caught up.
After that, they confirmed the keyboard no longer froze up the system.
Some have said they chose not to wait through it all, and instead they killed the Steam client through the System Monitor application. If you do this before trying to launch the keyboard, you should be able to load up Steam again and then the keyboard should work again.
Changing Keyboards
When researching this issue, another person ended up switching keyboards to fix the issue.
They launched the Discover Store from the taskbar down here. Then searched for the Core keyboard.
And whatever bug that's causing the stock Steam Deck keyboard to freeze does not impact 3rd-party keyboards
Switching Builds
Personally, I thought the bug was related to me being on the Beta build of Steam OS. So I rebooted the Steam Deck into Gaming Mode and then launched into the Settings menu.
From here, I went from the Beta channel of Steam OS to the Stable build.
After changing this, you'll be instructed to reboot the Steam Deck and then it will complete the switch.
I have since switched back to the Beta/Stable build since the transition itself seems to have fixed the bugged out keyboard on my Steam Deck.
It's clear there are a number of ways we can solve this frozen keyboard issue. . .but it's left me curious as to how many different ways this bug can be triggered. It's possible that one of these methods will only work for a particular method that's triggering the bug.
That's why I included all 4 solutions into this single video.
Hopefully it will be helpful to the majority of those experiencing this bug.
But please let me know if you still need help.
There are some more advanced things we can try to fix it. But those may be best suited for dedicated videos instead.
Either way, use the comments section below to let me know.
My Steam Deck Accessories (affiliate links below)
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Glass Screen Protector - https://amzn.to/410QlNU
TPU Case - https://amzn.to/3T5kV6R
Carrying Case - https://amzn.to/3Gk3MyZ
Portable Power Bank - https://amzn.to/3GpYe66
Summary
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