How to right-click on Steam Deck

Right-clicking on Steam Deck is as easy as the press of a button, yet its placement isn’t as obvious as you might think. So, we’ll walk you through all the methods of how to right-click on your Steam Deck. 

The Steam Deck is as much a gaming handheld as it is a portable PC. Like with any gaming PC, you can right-click on the Steam Deck. Right-clicking on any PC is integral to getting around. Yet, without a gaming mouse in sight, right-clicking with the Valve handheld’s controls isn’t as clear-cut.

Originally, right-clicking on Steam Deck was bound to the left trackpad. This method has since changed through updates, which is why we’ve outlined how to right-click on Steam Deck below.

How to right-click in desktop mode

To right-click on Steam Deck in desktop mode, press the L2 trigger button on the left-hand side of the handheld.

While in desktop mode, pressing the L2 trigger button will bring up the additional drop-down menus and accessibility associated with right-clicking. In desktop mode, you can right-click on the wallpaper. Right-clicking on the screen will bring up customizable options similar to your Windows or Linux-based desktop PC.

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You can also right-click on apps and games in desktop mode. Right-clicking on an app not natively available on Steam will allow you to add a non-Steam game to your Steam game library.

While pressing one button to right-click isn’t difficult, it can be hard to get used to the binding of the buttons. Right-clicking on a gaming mouse typically involves clicking the right mouse button, as the name suggests. However, with the Steam Deck, Valve decided to assign it to the left-hand side of the device, which can confuse some.

How to right-click in gaming mode

To right-click on Steam Deck in gaming mode, press the Steam +  L2 trigger button on the left-hand side of the handheld.

Right-clicking on Steam Deck in gaming mode isn’t as simple. This method involves pressing the ‘Steam’ and ‘L2’ buttons simultaneously, however, their positioning can make that awkward.

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To rectify this, pressing the ‘Options’ button, represented by the button above the right stick, will bring up the same menu options. Likely, you won’t have many instances where you’ll want to right-click in gaming mode, but pressing the ‘options’ button is a simpler method to the key combo.

How to remap right-click

1. Turn on Steam Deck
2. Press ‘Steam’ button
3. Select ‘Settings’
4. Scroll down to ‘Controller’
5. Scroll down to ‘Desktop Layout’’
6. Select ‘Edit’
7. Select ‘Gamepad with Joystick Trackpad’
8. Hover over “R2 Standard Analog Trigger” & press A
9. Navigate to ‘R2 Full Pull’
10. Select ‘Add Command’
11. Switch to ‘Mouse’ tab
12. Select ‘Right Mouse Click

To remap right-click on the Steam Deck, first, you need to access the handheld’s settings. Turn on your Steam Deck and press the ‘Steam’ button, then scroll down to the ‘Settings’ menu option and select it.

From the settings menu, select ‘Controller’, and on the following menu, scroll down until you see the sub-heading ‘Desktop Layout.’ Here, select the small ‘Edit’ button, and you will be taken to the Steam Deck controller settings.

If you haven’t edited the controller settings before, select the default ‘Gamepad with Joystick Trackpad’ option which should be present at the top of the screen. On the following screen, select the same option and you will be presented with an image of the Steam Deck controller layout.

Navigate to and select the ‘R2 Standard Analog Trigger’ option to be taken to a new page. Here, we can assign the R2 trigger button on Steam Deck to right-click. Next to ‘R2 Full Pull’, select ‘Add command.’

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Now, all we need to do is, move over to the ‘Mouse’ tab, and select ‘Right Mouse Click’ to remap the right-click to the R2 trigger button in the Steam Deck.

Looking for more Steam Deck guides? We have you covered with our ultimate starter guide. Check out our How to add Xbox and PC Game Pass games on Steam Deck if you’re looking for even more Steam Deck games to play on the go.