Like any piece of new hardware, the Steam Deck has launched to much praise, but also many complaints regarding certain glaring issues. The most damning issue of them all, however, occurs when you realize your Steam Deck isn’t charging. Don’t worry though, because we’ve got a few ways you can fix it.
If you can’t charge your Steam Deck we recommend the following 7 ways to fix the issue:
- Reboot or Restart your Steam Deck.
- Attempt charging your Steam Deck for longer
- Check your Charger and Steam Deck for damage
- Use the Official Steam Deck Charger
- Clean your Steam Deck’s Charging Port
- Set your device to Shipment Mode when Charging
- Contact relevant Steam Deck Support Staff
We understand how frustrating it can be when your Steam Deck won’t charge, and if left to its own devices can become a useless piece of hardware. Nonetheless, we hope to go into the details of each of the methods we’ve mentioned, so we can ensure that your issue can get resolved.
Related: How to Install and Use Proton GE on Steam Deck (Easy Guide)
Why Is My Steam Deck Not Charging?
Although there is no singular definitive answer to this question, there do exist several theories and reasons why any hardware device, and the Steam Deck more specifically, might stop charging. The first of which we will like to discuss and provide a Public Service Awareness message is the use of USB Hub Dongles.
Various people have come forth to discuss this issue online. In this particular issue, it seems that using a USB Hub Dongle of particular brands causes the Steam Deck’s internal hardware to malfunction.
As a result, when you attempt to charge your Steam Deck after it has been connected to a Dongle for a while, it cannot seem to charge properly at all. In extreme cases, the Steam Deck refuses to charge at all, and instead rapidly drains its battery when you attempt to turn it on.
A Youtube Channel by the name of Games Revealed made a video regarding this particular topic:
There are, however, a few other things that might be causing your Steam Deck to not be able to charge. Perhaps one of the most obvious, but often overlooked, might be that your charging cable is damaged, unclean, or is not the right type. Either of these things can be damning as it means the charger won’t work.
If your Steam Deck remains a blank screen entirely, regardless of how many times you try and turn it on, then there could be an issue with the Steam Deck itself. Either the device has sustained blunt damage, which has wrecked internal circuits. Or the device has had sections of its charger port damaged.
Finally, we have reason to believe that certain software glitches and unintended bugs might also exist within the SteamOS that are exacerbating the no-charging issue. We could potentially be provided new patches of the SteamOS that directly address this problem in the future.
For now, we do what we can to fix the problem as much as possible from our end before seeking other forms of help and aid. So let us look at the 7 ways to fix our Steam Deck that is not charging.
How to Fix a Steam Deck That’s Not Charging?
The Steam Deck is still a relatively new piece of hardware, so we do not have a lot of details when it comes to how we can fix faulty functions. However, we’re grateful for a host of users on Reddit, Youtube, and other sites that have gone through the process of trial and error to provide us with some reliable fixes.
With that said, we believe that it is important that before we attempt any other method that we first do a primary check of all your systems and make sure that they are themselves working properly. This means that you should attempt to check whether the socket you’re using for charging is relaying electricity or not.
Moreover, you should also check whether you’re correctly inserting the charger cord into the Steam Deck when attempting to charge the device. If you’ve got it placed into the wrong section then we’re sorry to say that none of these fixes will help you.
Finally, always try to power cycle your device before attempting any other fix. We think that it’s the simplest, and perhaps most effective way to get your device up and working again. Especially if there are no greater hardware problems that exist within the device itself.
Now lets move on to the best ways to fix the problem of your steam Deck not charging.
1. Reboot or Restart Your Steam Deck
The simplest and most effective troubleshooting method is always to try and restart your device. Often there are several programs, software, and files that are actively engaged within our device that cannot work properly.
It is because of this reason that your device requires a restart, so it can remove those programs, software, and files from its memory, and function again.
It can also be helpful to reboot your device because allowing your device to start from scratch allows for the software to fix any of the errors that might have occurred due to the last boot-up process.
Whatever the case might be, however, the process of a force restart to remove any software glitches is quite a simple and effective one. Just follow these steps:
- Press and Hold the Power Button on the Steam Deck
- Hold the Power Button own for 10 to12 seconds at least.
- Release the Power Button
- Press the Power Button once more to power the device back on
- Connect your charger with the Steam Deck immediately
- Check to see if it begins to charge
Related: How to Install Roblox on Steam Deck (Easy Guide)
2. Attempt charging your Steam Deck for longer
If running normally, the Steam Deck should have various indicators that would let you know that the system needs to be charged. This could be messages that pop up onto the screen or the power button blinking. In either case, you will know when you need to continue charging your device.
However, what if the device was so drained of its battery that it could no longer adequately notify you about just how much charge it needed? If it wasn’t able to tell you that the device needed more charge then you would assume the device is sufficiently charged, but it wouldn’t be, and take it off charging again.
This can be quite a problem because it could prove to be the reason why your device is constantly in this limbo wherein you attempt to charge it, but it doesn’t gain enough battery power to notify you that it needs more charging or needs to be charged for longer.
There is an answer to this problem though. Simply follow these steps.
- Charge your Steam Deck Power Adapter (this comes with the console)
- Allow for your Steam Deck to remain on charge for 1 to 2 Hours.
We believe by allowing sufficient charging time, all of the systems of the Steam Deck should get power, and you should be able to get through any system notifications that might be causing you trouble right now.
3. Check your Charger and Steam Deck for damage
If the previous solution did not work for you then it might be time to check up on the fidelity of your Steam Deck or your Charger. As you know both the Power Adapter, and even the Steam Deck for that matter, are tough, sturdy devices, but not impenetrable.
What that means is that there could be various points of damage to either of the two devices, and that could be the reason why you’re not being able to charge your Steam Deck properly. Any faulty hardware can bleed more and more issues, and if either your Steam Deck or power adapter is compromised then that’s a big issue.
So what are the telltale signs that you need to look out for? Well, when it comes to your power adapter it is important to Check for Bent pins that can be inside the USB-C plug. If they are ben then that can mean that they are not good for electrical conduction and have poor electrical contact.
Poor electrical contact means that the wire isn’t obtaining the necessary power required to fuel the charging process as a whole. So no matter how long you put up the device for charging it won’t make a difference.
We’d also suggest that you measure the length of your cable. A very short cable can be problematic as it will be far more prone to being cut or cracking under the tension within the wire. Bends can also be particularly harmful to these sorts of wires, as they pierce through insulation and bleed out power.
Finally looking over the device as a whole and making sure that there were no spots where a live wire, or a small wire in general was sticking out from the insulation can be important.
All of these steps and methods are ways to identify what is faulty in your hardware and then it is merely a matter of changing them accordingly.
4. Use the Official Steam Deck Charger
If you’re going to be charging the Steam Deck then it only makes sense that you charge the device with the Steam Deck’s official charger. I mean it’s not hard to get one of these devices, because they come along with the Steam Deck itself, so you should always have one.
But even if you didn’t get one with your Steam Deck device then we suggest that you go out and buy it because it can be expressly helpful in dealing with issues such as this. This is because the Steam Deck, like many Steam products, is charged using a non-standard protocol.
To simplify it means that if you’re using a third-party device to achieve the same result then that can result in your Steam Deck not charging at all. It is often better to pay a little extra for the official charger that was designed to charge the Steam Deck.
Several unreasonably priced, costly, or downright inappropriate devices say that they have the same sort of charge power as a normal adapter by Steam themself. However, in our experience, this has not been the case and often it is worse o use these third-party tools to charge your Steam Deck.
So take our advice for this and make sure that you just use your own, original S, Steam Deck chargers.
5. Clean your Steam Deck’s Charging Port
A common reason that many people experience that their chargers are not working is that there are dust, dirt, or particles stuck in their charging ports. This makes it difficult for the system to deliver the charge from the electrical wall socket. And that compounds in the system not being able to charge at all.
If you haven’t cleaned out your charger since you got it or haven’t been maintaining a clean dust-free environment to put your Steam Deck then there is a chance that your device has had dust settle into the charger ports.
These spaces can usually be extremely tiny, and very difficult to reach with a regular cloth wipe. It is because of this reason that people suggest using other different methods to make sure that you clean out all the necessary parts of the Steam Deck, such as the Charging port.
The steps to do o is simple enough as well and does not require a complicated explanation. You need to be careful when cleaning ports. Use what we would call a cotton bud, and attempt to reach all of the hard-to-fit places. Furthermore, make sure that whoever does the cleaning, does not also take care of the ports.
In this way the USB-C port can be cleaned and there will be a higher likelihood that it will work. Also, I need not remind you guys, but making sure that there are no special sharp weapons that enter the charging port of the Steam Deck is also important.
This is because even the smallest of contacts can be extremely detrimental to you, but also especially detrimental to your Steam Deck’s ability to charge. Move on to the next fix, however, if this one doesn’t describe your issue.
Related: Best Mods In Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands That Make Your Life Easier
6. Set your device to Shipment Mode when Charging
You usually will not find this solution listed by most other sites. This is because while other solutions are generally basic, this one requires far more involvement on your end to make it work. This was taken from Reddit, wherein several posters made their problem known.
Moreover, different techniques were examined for their validity. But what truly caught the attention from everyone was the fact that this method almost always fixed the issue. We can’t guarantee that this will be the case for you, however, since your issue might be wholly unique.
The process requires you to put your Steam Deck in Shipment mode. In order to do that, here is what you need to do. You can enter the Shipment mode in a few ways, but by far the most consistent one that I hae come across is this:
- First, shut down your Steam Deck completely.
- Next, hold the volume up button and press the Power Button simultaneously.
- Once your boot up your device it should open a Selection screen
- Go to the Lower Right-hand side where it reads Setup Utility.
- Navigate to the Power section of this additional menu.
- Once you do so, there will be a Battery Storage Mode.
- Select Battery Storage Mode and then hit enter.
- Once you’re done you can safely resume the bootup process.
Once you’re done putting your device in Shipment mode, you will be required to plug your device into the charger and attempt to keep the device on charging. Follow the above-mentioned steps if you follow this then there is a high chance that your issue should be resolved.
7. Contact relevant Steam Deck Support Staff
If not one of the solutions that we’ve mentioned above is working then there is a high chance that you simply have a defective Steam Deck, to begin with. And it is best in these circumstances to either get a new Steam Deck or to cash in your warranty.
But before you do all that it is important to contact Steam Deck support. To alert them of this issue. You can contact them on the numbers provided by the company itself. Or you can contact them on their website through this link.
Whatever method you employ to talk to Steam Deck support, we know from various accounts online that the team is extremely responsive and able to quickly resolve issues that you might be facing.
However, be warned some of their response times might vary depending on how far you live from their main factory in both the UK and America.
That’s all folks. These were our 7 ways in which you can fix your Steam Deck that’s not charging. We hope that this has been helpful to at least someone other there facing this issue. And that you try some of these fixes and that it eventually helps you out. Till next time! Ciao.