How to run Steam not in big picture mode on steamOS?

[Ser Eonn]

I want to change some of the grid Images and add a couple non steam games but You cant do that from the big picture mode :( How can I run steam on steamOS NOT in big picture?

[Hitsuji]

install steam-launcher package and then run steam from the desktop environment (not the link on the desktop that says return to steam but the one in the application menu)

[Ser Eonn]

Originally posted by Hitsuji:

install steam-launcher package and then run steam from the desktop environment (not the link on the desktop that says return to steam but the one in the application menu)

Sorry, im new to linux. is the launcher package already on the system or do I have to download it? And what is the install comand? would I do something like

dpkg --install (insert what i need to install here... steam-launcher.deb???)

[Hitsuji]

sudo apt-get install steam-launcher

[Ser Eonn]

Originally posted by Hitsuji:

sudo apt-get install steam-launcher

hmm. it is already installed... if I run the steam app from applications it takes me right back to BigPicture. And if i run 'steam' in terminal it downloads steam but doesnt run becuase I already have an instance of it open.... idk

[Hitsuji]

Hmm, that's a little odd. Unfortunately that's not what I get when I run it. You will certainly need to kill the steam user account so try either:

sudo killall -u steam

or

sudo pkill -KILL -u steam

to kill the steam user before launching steam

I'm not sure how lightdm handles the auto login in this case, it may attempt to re-login the steam account in which case you may need to disable the auto login.

[Ser Eonn]

Originally posted by Hitsuji:

Hmm, that's a little odd. Unfortunately that's not what I get when I run it. You will certainly need to kill the steam user account so try either:

sudo killall -u steam

or

sudo pkill -KILL -u steam

to kill the steam user before launching steam

I'm not sure how lightdm handles the auto login in this case, it may attempt to re-login the steam account in which case you may need to disable the auto login.

Yah it just auto launches steamOS big picture mode again.... Really all I need to do is add non-steam games to steam :/ odd that big picture mode does not have that integrated. And you cant change the grid icon from big picture???

[Hitsuji]

If you wish to stop the autologin temporarily you can set the desktop user as an auto login user:

sudo /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/lightdm/lightdm-set-defaults -a desktop -s gnome
sudo service lightdm restart

and later reenable the stem auto login with:

sudo /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/lightdm/lightdm-set-defaults -a steam -s steamos
sudo service lightdm restart

OR

You can comment out the autologin-user in /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf then restart lightdm as above to disable auto login altogether. you can then uncomment it later and restart lightdm to reenable the autologin.

[Ser Eonn]

Originally posted by Hitsuji:

If you wish to stop the autologin temporarily you can set the desktop user as an auto login user:

sudo /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/lightdm/lightdm-set-defaults -a desktop -s gnome
sudo service lightdm restart

and later reenable the stem auto login with:

sudo /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/lightdm/lightdm-set-defaults -a steam -s steamos
sudo service lightdm restart

OR

You can comment out the autologin-user in /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf then restart lightdm as above to disable auto login altogether. you can then uncomment it later and restart lightdm to reenable the autologin.

yaahhh so that just sets the screen to black. It goes to restart steam but doesnt cause I just turned off auto restart :/ i just used ctrl-alt-f2 toopen up terminal again and undo what I did. So idk. you are able to get into normal steam? I tried signing out of steamos desktop account cause the gnome account could run normal steam... but it wont let me change accounts or sign out of this one :/

[SimicEngineer]

I'd like to know a solid method for this too. I found a way to do it, but it's really ugly (involves a reboot into recovery mode) and probably not entirely safe (involves an abnormal shutdown of Steam).

[SimicEngineer]

Originally posted by Hitsuji:

You can comment out the autologin-user in /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf then restart lightdm as above to disable auto login altogether. you can then uncomment it later and restart lightdm to reenable the autologin.

I just tested this method (subsequently logging in as "steam" using a GNOME session and firing up the client from there). Seems to work fine.

[Ser Eonn]

Originally posted by SimicEngineer:

I just tested this method (subsequently logging in as "steam" using a GNOME session and firing up the client from there). Seems to work fine.

What exactly did you do? I un-Commented it and restarted lightdm. It sends me to a black screen so I hit Carl-alt-f2 to bring up cmd but I am not sure what to do here. I am still logged I to desktop@steamos and I need to log into a gnome session?

[SimicEngineer]

Did you restart lightdm from a Desktop Mode session? I think I was logged in to a text VT when I restarted lightdm. What happens if you hit Ctrl+Alt+F7 when you're on the black screen?

[Ser Eonn]

Ctrl alt f7 does nothing...

[SimicEngineer]

I wonder if we're talking about two different lines in lightdm.conf? There's one near the top that looks like this normally:

#autologin-user=

That's not the one to change. You want to change the one farther down that normally looks like this:

autologin-user=steam

Change it to:

#autologin-user=steam

and restart lightdm. That should bring back the greeter on vt7.

[Ser Eonn]

Ahhhh that was it -.- I'm so dumb XD thank you!
EDIT: welll... i cant sign out of the steam account and get back into the desktop one :(