What is the Steam Deck?
The Steam Deck is a new handheld gaming device from Valve, the creators of the popular Steam gaming platform. It allows you to play your Steam games on the go by defaulting to internal SSD storage. However, with its microSD card slot, you can expand the storage and even set the card as the main drive.
Should I make the microSD card the primary storage?
Making the microSD card the primary storage can be beneficial for several reasons:
More Storage Space
The base Steam Deck model comes with 64GB of internal storage. While you can upgrade to 256GB or 512GB, microSD cards give you a more affordable way to instantly add large amounts of storage. High capacity cards up to 1TB are available.
Keeps Internal SSD Fast
Steam Deck’s internal SSD provides very fast load times. However, constantly installing/uninstalling games to manage space will fragment the SSD over time, gradually reducing this speed advantage. Using a microSD card as the main storage avoids this.
Data Portability
With your games stored on the microSD card, you can easily take them with you to play on another Steam Deck or device. This isn’t possible with the internal SSD.
What you need to use a microSD card as primary storage
To set a microSD card as the default installation location for games and apps, you’ll need:
Compatible microSD Card
Steam Deck supports microSD, microSDHC, and microSDXC cards. Aim for A2/U3 rated cards for optimal performance – these have faster minimum sequential write speeds. Popular options include:
- SanDisk Extreme
- Samsung EVO Select
- Lexar Play
- Kingston Canvas Select Plus
Capacity depends on your needs, but 512GB or 1TB cards offer the most flexibility.
microSD Card Reader
To transfer the card to your PC for file management, a USB card reader is handy. Many PC laptops have built-in readers. If not, compact external readers are inexpensive.
Steam Deck Formatted Card
For proper functionality, the microSD card must be formatted to the Linux-compatible EXT4 file system. More details on this process below.
How to format and set up a microSD card for Steam Deck
On Steam Deck
The easiest way to format and set up a microSD card for Steam Deck is to do it directly on the device:
- Insert microSD card into Steam Deck
- Go to Settings > System > Storage
- Select your microSD card and choose “Format as Storage”
- Follow prompts to format card to EXT4
- After formatting, select “Install here” to make microSD the default install location
This will format the card, create the required Linux partitions, and set it as the primary storage all in one simple process.
On Windows PC
To format on Windows:
- Insert card into PC card reader
- Open Disk Management utility
- Right-click on the card and select Format
- Choose EXT4 file system and name the volume
- Leave other settings as default and format card
After formatting to EXT4 on Windows, you’ll need to insert the card into your Steam Deck and go to Settings > System > Storage > your microSD card and select “Use as Storage” to finalize setup.
On Mac
The process is similar on Mac:
- Insert card into Mac card reader
- Open Disk Utility
- Select your card and click Erase
- Choose “MS-DOS (FAT)” format and Scheme “Master Boot Record”
- Give the card a name and click Erase
- With card still selected, click Partition
- Change the Volume Format dropdown to “exFAT”
- Name the partition and click Apply
As with Windows, you’ll need to insert the reformatted card into your Steam Deck and finalize setup there afterwards.
How to transfer games to a microSD card
With your card formatted and set as the primary storage, any new game installations will automatically download to the microSD card. But to move existing games over from internal storage:
On Your Steam Deck
- Go to Library and find the game you want to move
- Select the Menu button (3 dots) > Manage > Move
- Pick your microSD card as the destination
- Select Move – the game will transfer in the background
Repeat for any other games you want to relocate. Save files will remain on internal storage.
On PC via USB
You can also move Steam games using a USB connection:
- Plug Steam Deck into PC using a USB-C cable
- On Steam Deck, go to Settings > System > Developer and enable Debug Mode
- On PC, open File Explorer and locate Steam Deck as removable drive
- Navigate to the steamapps/common folder
- Copy the game folder you want to move to the microSD card
- Safely eject Steam Deck and insert microSD card into PC
- Paste game folder onto the microSD card steamapps/common
This method gives you more control and flexibility when transferring files or entire game folders over to your card.
How to move save games and settings to a microSD card
Game saves and settings default to the internal SSD for reliability. To shift these to your microSD card:
Save Games
- Insert card into your PC
- Navigate to microSD:\steam\userdata\
- Copy the numbered folder for the user account with the saves
- Go to internal SSD steam\userdata\ and paste the folder
- Delete leftover folder on SSD
This migrates the saves while retaining the proper folder structure.
Settings
- Go to microSD:\steam\config\
- Copy the numbered folder with settings configs
- Paste to SSD steam\config\ and merge/replace
With saves and settings relocated, you can safely store games on the microSD card without losing progress or customization.
Tips for using a microSD card as extended storage
Here are some tips for seamless use of your microSD card as primary Steam Deck storage:
- Get the fastest card your budget allows – A2/U3 minimum rating
- Stick to well-known, reliable brands for stability
- Use a USB card reader for easy file management on PC
- Occasionally check for corruption – validate files in Steam
- Store your biggest games on the card to conserve SSD space
Properly setting up and optimizing your microSD storage will allow you to get the most out of your Steam Deck.
Potential downsides of using microSD as main storage
Although useful, there are some trade-offs to weigh when utilizing a microSD card for primary Steam Deck storage:
- Slower access speeds compared to internal SSD
- Increased risk of corruption/errors compared to SSD
- Small performance impact on certain games
- Requires careful file management between devices
- Not as seamless a setup process as internal storage
For most users the benefits will outweigh the downsides, but it’s worth understanding the limitations to set proper expectations.
Conclusion
Adding a high quality microSD card and making it your primary Steam Deck storage is a great way to increase your space for games while preserving the internal SSD’s speed. Carefully formatting the card, transferring games/files over to it, and optimizing its usage will provide a storage boost. Just be aware of the potential limitations compared to built-in SSDs. With some informed management of your setup, a microSD card can take your Steam Deck to the next level.