Want to use your Steam Deck with a big screen? This information-packed guide walks you through the necessary steps.

My career has taken me through an eclectic assortment of fields, and connected me with people from all walks of life. This experience includes construction, professional cooking, podcasting, and, of course, writing. I’ve been typing up geeky takes since 2009, ultimately landing a freelancing position at PCMag. This blossomed into a full-time tech analyst position in 2021, where I lend my personal insight on the matters of web hosting, streaming music, mobile apps, and video games. 

Connecting your Steam Deck to a television or monitor has never been easier, thanks to the many docking stations that appeared on the scene shortly after the handheld PC's release. They let you play on a big screen using a wired or wireless controller, or transform your Steam Deck into a workstation. Even better, some of these diminutive docks, such as the popular Jsaux Upgraded Docking Station ($49.99) or official Valve Steam Docking Station ($89), accept firmware updates, so you can enjoy an optimized, big-screen experience. They're must-have devices if you don't want to work or play using the Steam Deck's 7-inch display.

Most Steam Deck docks share similar features, though some of the more expensive versions come with a few extras. They all have a USB-C port to accept a charger, an HDMI port to connect to a display, and a USB-C dongle to connect to the Steam Deck. Most also come with additional USB 3.0 or 3.1 ports. Your HDMI port can vary, with some featuring the HDMI 1.4 (4K at 30Hz) or HDMI 2.0 (4K at 60Hz) spec.

Ethernet ports also vary by manufacturer, though it is a common feature among the many docks. Keep in mind, however, that the Steam Deck and its many docks are all fairly new, so there are a few display-related bugs still being squashed.

Thankfully, connecting a Steam Deck to a dock is a fairly plug-and-play affair. Minimal fiddling is needed once you get your desired cables inserted where they need to be. Here's how to do it.

Connect an HDMI cable from your dock to the monitor or TV.

Connect the USB-C charger to a power source, and to the dock's rear USB-C port. You want to use the USB-C charger that came with your Steam Deck, unless the manufacturer states otherwise. Note that Valve’s official Docking Station comes with its own USB-C charger.

Place the Steam Deck on the dock, and connect the USB-C dongle to the port on the top of the Steam Deck. 

You should be good to go at this point. Switch your monitor or TV inputs, give the display about 10 seconds to detect the signal, and enjoy the Steam Deck feed on the large display.

If you want to run a dual-display setup with your dock, you must switch the Steam Deck to Desktop mode. We highly recommend connecting a keyboard and mouse for PC-like navigation. It makes setting up two screens much easier. Here's how to do it.

Connect your monitors to your Steam Deck dock.

Hit the Steam Deck's physical Steam button, or the Steam button icon in the screen's lower-left corner.

Select Switch to Desktop. From here on out, you must navigate via touch screen, or with a connected mouse. 

Click the white KDE icon in the screen's bottom-left corner. 

Scroll down, and select the screen display setting that works for your setup.

Despite the relatively smoothness of the overall setup process, it's entirely possible that your TV doesn’t detect or display a signal. If your setup isn't displaying correctly, your dock may be in need of a firmware update.

Several docks feature hardware that can be improved with firmware updates. Valve's Docking Station accepts firmware updates directly through the Steam Deck. Others need to be connected to a computer to receive updates. Jsaux's various Steam Deck docks, for example, can be connected to a Windows PC via USB-C for firmware updates. In this particular example, the update improves compatibility with certain LG TVs. You can read more about it here(Opens in a new window) .

If your device is up to date, but you still have signal trouble, try cycling between sleep modes once or twice to clear things up. The Steam Deck has a curious quirk that flubs the screen display when docked. If, after about 10 seconds, the TV or monitor isn’t displaying correctly, try this simple trick to get the picture working.

With the Steam Deck connected to the dock, put the system in Sleep mode by tapping the power button. 

Once the system is in Sleep mode (give it a few seconds), tap the button again to wake it up. Wait 10 seconds to see if the display receives a signal.

If your TV does not display a signal, repeat the previous two steps.

Valve’s Steam Deck is a thing of beauty, capable of intriguing even the most jaded of gamers. Keep your Deck in perfect working order by staying on top of firmware updates. To get even more out of your Steam Deck, check out our ever-expanding list of Steam Deck verified games.

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My career has taken me through an eclectic assortment of fields, and connected me with people from all walks of life. This experience includes construction, professional cooking, podcasting, and, of course, writing. I’ve been typing up geeky takes since 2009, ultimately landing a freelancing position at PCMag. This blossomed into a full-time tech analyst position in 2021, where I lend my personal insight on the matters of web hosting, streaming music, mobile apps, and video games. 

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