Decky Loader Install Guide: Steam Deck & Bazzite

Short answer: To install Decky Loader on a Steam Deck, switch to Desktop Mode, download decky_installer.desktop from the project’s GitHub, run it, choose “Latest Release,” then return to Gaming Mode. Decky’s plugin menu then appears in the Quick Access Menu. On Bazzite, run ujust setup-decky in a terminal instead. If Decky disappears after a SteamOS update, the project’s fix is to re-run the installer and reinstall the stable version. The current stable release is v3.2.9, published September 15, 2026. Decky is free and open source (GPL-2.0), and plugins run with real access to your system, so only install them from the built-in store.

What Decky Loader is

Decky Loader is a homebrew plugin launcher for the Steam Deck, made by the Steam Deck Homebrew team. Its README says plugins can restyle menus, change system sounds, adjust screen saturation, change extra system settings and more. After you install it, a plug icon appears in the Quick Access Menu, and your plugins live there.

The README lists these features:

Loading of multiple plugins.
“Stays installed between system updates and reboots.” In practice, the same README says Decky sometimes disappears after SteamOS updates. See the fixes below.
Plugins that can run Python functions from a React interface.

What Decky isn’t: it isn’t made or supported by Valve. The Decky wiki also says the project doesn’t support HoloISO out of the box and has “no plans for Windows support via core contributors.”

Before you install

A keyboard and mouse help. The README suggests USB-C or Bluetooth. Otherwise, use the right trackpad as a mouse and press Steam + X for the on-screen keyboard.
No admin password needed. The installer works without a sudo password set. If you haven’t set one, it can temporarily set it to Decky! and removes it when the install finishes.
Free up two ports. Decky needs port 8080, and the README says any software using port 1337 or 8080 must be moved or removed. Syncthing may use 8080 on the Steam Deck. The project recommends moving Syncthing to port 8384.

How to install Decky Loader on Steam Deck (SteamOS)

These steps follow the project’s README and wiki:

Press the Steam button, open the Power menu and choose Switch to Desktop.
Open a browser and go to github.com/SteamDeckHomebrew/decky-loader.
Download the installer file, decky_installer.desktop. In Firefox it saves as decky_installer.desktop.download. Rename it to decky_installer.desktop before running it.
Drag the file onto your desktop and double-click it.
Type your admin password, or let Decky set the temporary password described above.
Choose the version. Latest Release is “intended for most users.” Latest Pre-Release is “intended for plugin developers” and is “unlikely to be fully stable.”
Open the Return to Gaming Mode shortcut on your desktop. The plug icon now appears in the Quick Access Menu.

Terminal method. If you’re comfortable with Konsole, the README gives a one-line install:

curl -L https://github.com/SteamDeckHomebrew/decky-installer/releases/latest/download/install_release.sh | sh

This downloads a script from the project’s GitHub and runs it. The script is public, so you can read it on GitHub before you run it.

Manual install. The wiki describes a manual method that should “only be done if the cli and gui installers above do not work.” It involves turning on CEF debugging, placing the PluginLoader binary from GitHub releases in ~/homebrew/services and creating a startup service. Most people never need it.

Check the download

The current stable Decky Loader is v3.2.9, published September 15, 2026. Its release on GitHub has one asset, PluginLoader (26,081,976 bytes), with the SHA-256 digest 0a5246db98f2df93a6685ac8230e0acfbfa6e91d99b41b8dbbf1f94c308dedce. A pre-release, v3.2.10-pre1, was published on September 26, 2026.

The small decky_installer.desktop file comes from a separate repository, SteamDeckHomebrew/decky-installer, last released as v1.9.0 in July 2024. GitHub shows no digest for it, so check that the address you download from begins with github.com/SteamDeckHomebrew/. Hashes and links are also on our Decky Loader download page.

Installing Decky on Bazzite

Bazzite, a Fedora-based gaming OS, documents its own route. Its Handheld Wiki says to open a host terminal and run:

ujust setup-decky

Decky then appears in the Quick Access Menu in Steam Gaming Mode or Steam Big Picture Mode. Bazzite’s README also offers Decky as an option during installation, and thanks a Decky developer for “getting Decky Loader working with SELinux,” Bazzite’s security layer.

Three Bazzite notes to know:

Bazzite’s docs say, “Decky may break or be uninstalled after an update.”
If you have major issues with Decky, Bazzite recommends uninstalling it before reporting Bazzite bugs.
Some plugins are built only for SteamOS or the Steam Deck. Bazzite gives DeckMTP as an example that only works on Steam Deck models.

For how Bazzite differs from SteamOS, see Bazzite vs SteamOS.

Decky not working after a SteamOS update

This is the most common problem, and the project documents it. The README says: “Sometimes Decky will disappear on SteamOS updates. This can easily be fixed by just re-running the installer and installing the stable branch again.”

The documented order of fixes:

Re-run the installer in Desktop Mode and choose Latest Release.
If that doesn’t work, install the pre-release the same way. Pre-releases often carry fixes for new Steam client changes first. For example, v3.2.9’s release notes list “fixes for beta september 2026” and a fix to “restore fullscreen pages on newer Steam clients.”
If that doesn’t work either, check the project’s GitHub issues and open a new one if your problem isn’t listed.

Using the plugin store

Open the Quick Access Menu, select the plug icon, then the store icon at the top. Select a plugin and choose Install. You can preview the same catalog on the web at plugins.deckbrew.xyz.

The wiki says store plugins are “reviewed then approved by a member of our development staff.” That review is the main reason to stay inside the store. The README says you can pick older plugin versions from a dropdown, “but this is not recommended.”

To update, uninstall or reload plugins, open the Decky menu and select the gear icon. The README warns that uninstalling a plugin “will only remove its plugin files, not any other files it may have created.”

Risks: what Decky and its plugins can do

Decky’s own wiki is direct about this. You can install plugins from a URL in Decky’s settings, but the wiki’s “Word of Warning” says a plugin can request root access in its plugin.json and then “have access to your entire system with no limitations.” A malicious plugin “could do any number of things.”

Stick to the store. The README says: “We do not recommend installing plugins from untrusted sources.”
Get the installer from GitHub only. The official links are github.com/SteamDeckHomebrew, the wiki at wiki.deckbrew.xyz and decky.xyz. Our fake download sites guide covers impostor pages in general.
Expect breakage after updates. Both Decky and Bazzite say updates can remove or break it.
Plugins are separate projects. The README says each plugin “is maintained by a different developer.”

We don’t know of any published Valve policy on Decky Loader, and Valve doesn’t support it.

How to uninstall Decky Loader

Switch to Desktop Mode.
Run decky_installer.desktop again and choose uninstall decky loader.

The Konsole equivalent from the README:

curl -L https://github.com/SteamDeckHomebrew/decky-installer/releases/latest/download/uninstall.sh | sh

Questions

Is Decky Loader safe?

The loader is open source and store plugins are reviewed by its staff. Plugins installed from a URL can request root access, and the wiki warns they could be malicious.

Does Decky Loader void the Steam Deck warranty?

Neither Valve nor the Decky project says anything about warranties on the pages we checked, so we can’t answer that.

Why did Decky disappear after an update?

The README says SteamOS updates sometimes remove it. Re-run the installer and install the stable version, then try the pre-release if needed.

Do I need a sudo password to install Decky?

No. The installer can temporarily set the password to Decky! and removes it afterwards.

Should I install the pre-release?

The project says the pre-release is for plugin developers. Use it if the stable version doesn’t work after an update.

How do I install Decky Loader on Bazzite?

Run ujust setup-decky in a host terminal.

Does Decky Loader work on Windows?

No. The wiki says there are no plans for Windows support from core contributors.

Why won’t Decky load with Syncthing installed?

Syncthing may use port 8080, which Decky needs. Move Syncthing to port 8384.

Does uninstalling a plugin remove everything?

No. It removes the plugin’s files, not other files the plugin created.

Is Decky Loader free?

Yes. It’s licensed under the GPL-2.0. The team takes donations through Open Collective.

Sources

SteamDeckHomebrew/decky-loader README (installation, common issues, plugins), GitHub
Decky Loader v3.2.9 release, GitHub, September 15, 2026
decky-installer releases, GitHub
Decky Loader user guide (HoloISO and Windows notes), Deckbrew Wiki
Loader Installation (manual installation), Deckbrew Wiki
Plugin Store, Deckbrew Wiki
Settings Page (manual plugin install warning), Deckbrew Wiki
Handheld Wiki (Decky setup, TDP plugins), Bazzite Documentation
Steam Gaming Mode Quirks (Decky plugins), Bazzite Documentation
ublue-os/bazzite README, GitHub

Decky Loader Install Guide: Steam Deck, SteamOS, Bazzite and Fixes After Updates