steamos-session-select
Switch SteamOS between gaming and desktop
TLDR
Switch to desktop mode
$ steamos-session-select plasma
Switch to gamemode$ steamos-session-select
Switch to Wayland desktop$ steamos-session-select plasma-wayland
Persistent Wayland desktop (boot default)$ steamos-session-select plasma-wayland-persistent
Persistent X11 desktop (boot default)$ steamos-session-select plasma-x11-persistent
SYNOPSIS
steamos-session-select [SESSION]
DESCRIPTION
steamos-session-select switches between SteamOS sessions, allowing users to change from the gaming interface to the KDE Plasma desktop environment and back. Sessions with `-persistent` suffix make the device boot to that session by default.This is the command-line equivalent of the session switching available in the Steam Deck's power menu.
SESSIONS
plasma
KDE Plasma desktop modeplasma-wayland
KDE Plasma desktop on Waylandplasma-x11-persistent
X11 desktop, set as boot defaultplasma-wayland-persistent
Wayland desktop, set as boot default(no argument)
Return to gamemode (removes persistent desktop selection)
INSTALL
yay -S steamos-session-select
CAVEATS
Session changes take effect after the current session ends. Persistent sessions change the boot default until changed again. Gamemode is the default session on fresh installations.
HISTORY
steamos-session-select is part of the SteamOS utilities developed by Valve. The dual-session design allows the Steam Deck to function as both a gaming console and a full Linux desktop.