Steam deck won't turn on

[Phatspyder83]

Hi want some advice! Charged my SD over night as normal, but when l went to use is today, it would not turn on. I unplugged it and plugged it back in, Led indicator comes on then dims foe about 10 secs then turns off but I get no response from power button. No sound, fans or screen. I've tried force restart, tried +/- vol keys and power button separate and together but still nothing. Tried different chargers nothing. I know its getting power because Led comes on but as I said it turns off after about 20 secs. Anyone have any ideas?

[ReBoot]

Contact Steam support, may be a case of RMA.

[Phatspyder83]

Unfortunately out of warranty!

[D. Flame]

Try disconnecting it from the dock then holding down the power button for 15 seconds (not less) then release it for 5 seconds then hold the power button down for another 15 seconds or until you see it booting up.

This worked for me.

[Vamp]

Originally posted by D. Flame:

Try disconnecting it from the dock then holding down the power button for 15 seconds (not less) then release it for 5 seconds then hold the power button down for another 15 seconds or until you see it booting up.

This worked for me.

That also fixed mine a couple months ago, seems to be a thing that just happens.

[✪ Sleez]

It happened to me just now and this fixed it. Moving my finger on the left touchpad would make it vibrate but the screen was black

[OxZ]

Most users typically receive this issue after the most recent update. In my case, I had to re-image the Steam OS to solve the problem.

Nonetheless, here's what can help:

1. Force Shutdown Your Steam Deck
2. Fully Recharge Your Deck’s Battery
3. Adjust the Steam Deck’s Boot Priority
4. Reduce Your Deck’s HW Temperatures
5. Access the “Recovery” Manager (BiOS)
6. Remove Any Third-Party Equipment
7. Reinsert the Steam Deck’s Battery

I have also covered the topic in my personal gaming blog (GameScopes.com) that addresses issues with any tech products and games.

Here's a link to the article:

https://gamescopes.com/steam-deck-not-turning-on-after-update-fix-it-now-easily/

Hope this helps!

[Cato]

Originally posted by ✪ Sleez:

It happened to me just now and this fixed it. Moving my finger on the left touchpad would make it vibrate but the screen was black

Did you manage to fix cos I have the same issue

[Phatspyder83]

Able no all advice has been unsuccessful. I have now put a new ssd into my deck and reinstalled the os and it did boot up to Insall os but then when I shut the deck down again now it won't boot back up

[Shinytrashpanda_TTV]

I am also having this issue. I can hear it little sound it makes like it’s going to turn on and the touch pads work but no screen. Some times the fan goes off but that’s it

[phaatdog]

Same here for the second time. First issue was RMA an I got it replaced. Now I have to send it in again. I can connect via external monitor, external bluetooth hardware is working but internal hardware is totally dead. No sound, no screen, no controls only touchscreen and power button works. Battery drain method does not work. It seems the hardware is on power safe because on external screen there is no 3D accellaration and the fans do not start running.

@Valve why is this happening again and again? I am frustrated and angry having an expensive brick.

[D. Flame]

Originally posted by phaatdog:

Same here for the second time. First issue was RMA an I got it replaced. Now I have to send it in again. I can connect via external monitor, external bluetooth hardware is working but internal hardware is totally dead. No sound, no screen, no controls only touchscreen and power button works. Battery drain method does not work. It seems the hardware is on power safe because on external screen there is no 3D accellaration and the fans do not start running.

@Valve why is this happening again and again? I am frustrated and angry having an expensive brick.

DId you go into desktop mode and make sure that it wasn't set to HDMI output only? I got the black screen and no sound issue that you mentioned, and the issue was that in desktop mode, the device had been set to use those outputs only, and it carried over to game mode too.

[sagebrush repair]

This may seem crass, but if anyone in this thread is wanting to get rid of a defective device they are just DONE WITH or something, I'd probably buy one or two just to see if I can figure anything out.

I'd probably disassemble them, inspect, discharge/charge, flash a new BIOS image, check if the FFC/FPC are missing or crimped or oily or whatever from the last service, test signals from button boards and triggers for that one Deck in post #10... that sort of thing.

[phaatdog]

Originally posted by D. Flame:

DId you go into desktop mode and make sure that it wasn't set to HDMI output only? I got the black screen and no sound issue that you mentioned, and the issue was that in desktop mode, the device had been set to use those outputs only, and it carried over to game mode too.

This could be the case of course but the days and months before I didn´t even entered desktop mode and also the controls and fan didn´t work ...

Anyway, I finally got it to run without loosing any data. I had to repeat the process over and over again and it is so frustrating if you do not have any feedback from the device. The good thing is that it´s "only" a software issue. But this shouldn´t happen while the deck is hanging on the charger at night and downloading gigs of great games.

[MIDAS]

I am having the same issue with a steam deck that was just bought in Dec 2024. Will not turn on no matter what I do. I’m hoping they will replace it since it was a Christmas gift.