How to right-click on a Steam Deck in Desktop mode

One of the beautiful things about the Steam Deck versus the Nintendo Switch is that it’s truly a portable PC. You can switch to a Desktop mode, and with the right dock, effectively turn it into a complete desktop system. But short of hooking up a mouse, how do you right-click on a Steam Deck?

How to right-click on a Steam Deck in Desktop mode

There are actually two ways of right-clicking, usually just depending on what feels most convenient from moment to moment.

Perhaps the most comment method is to tap the left trackpad. Valve refers to this as a “secondary click,” as opposed to tapping the right trackpad, which (confusingly enough) is your primary click. If you tap the left trackpad on an app icon for instance, you’ll trigger a right-click pop-up menu instead of selecting the app or launching it.

Alternately you can use the L2 button (the left trigger). This is best when your hands are busy with the analog sticks and/or D-pad, since reaching over to the trackpads could be awkward.

If need be, you can reassign right-click controls when they don’t feel natural to you. Follow these steps:

• In Desktop mode, open the Steam app.
• Open the Steam menu in the top-left corner and select Settings.
• Select Controller in the pop-up window’s sidebar.
• In the main pane of the window, select Desktop Configuration.
• Use onscreen options to reassign right-click.