The Steam Deck’s dual trackpads are one of its most distinctive features, setting it apart from other handheld gaming PCs. Nestled below the thumbsticks, these precision touch surfaces unlock mouse-like control for genres that traditionally demand a keyboard and mouse. However, not every game benefits from trackpad input, and accidental brushes can disrupt your gameplay. Whether you want to harness their full potential or simply turn them off, this guide walks you through everything you need to know about using and disabling the Steam Deck trackpads.
Understanding the Steam Deck Trackpads
The trackpads are square, thumb-sized touchpads positioned symmetrically below the analog sticks. They use capacitive touch sensing combined with haptic feedback motors to simulate physical clicks, trackball movement, and other tactile responses. Out of the box, the right trackpad often acts as a mouse or joystick, while the left can serve as a scroll wheel or directional pad. Both support multi‑touch gestures and pressure‑sensitive input, though most games leverage them as single-touch surfaces. Thanks to Steam Input, every aspect of their behaviour is configurable per game, making them adaptable to any control scheme.
How to Use the Trackpads Effectively
Mastering the trackpads starts with understanding their modes and tuning them to your preferences. Properly set up, they offer precision that thumbsticks can’t match, especially in cursor‑heavy games and desktop navigation.
Accessing Trackpad Settings
To configure the trackpads for a specific game, open the game’s library page and select the controller icon (or press the Steam button while in‑game and choose Controller Settings). You’ll see the current layout. Select ‘Edit Layout’, then choose ‘Trackpads’ to expose options for the right and left pads. Here you can assign behaviours, adjust sensitivity, and tweak haptic feedback.
Choosing the Right Trackpad Mode
Steam Input offers several core modes for the trackpads:
- Mouse: Moves an on‑screen cursor. Ideal for strategy games, point‑and‑click adventures, and desktop mode. Enables trackball physics for flick scrolling.
- Joystick: Emulates an analog stick. Use when a game doesn’t support simultaneous mouse and gamepad input, or when you prefer stick‑like behaviour.
- Scroll Wheel: Simulates a mouse scroll wheel with circular or vertical swipes. Perfect for zooming in RTS games or browsing web pages.
- Radial Menu: Displays a customisable on‑screen menu when touched. Useful for quick item selection or hotkeys.
- Directional Pad: Maps the pad surface into digital directions. Handy for weapon switching or menu navigation.
- Button Pad: Turns the pad into a grid of virtual buttons, each triggering a different key.
Experiment with these modes per game. For first‑person shooters, many players pair a mouse‑like right trackpad with gyro aiming for near‑PC precision.
Fine‑Tuning Sensitivity and Haptics
Each mode comes with its own adjustments. In Mouse mode, you can set sensitivity, enable trackball friction (so the cursor coasts naturally), and adjust vertical/horizontal scale. Haptic feedback intensity can be dialled up or down, and you can choose between different buzz patterns. For Joystick mode, dead zones and response curves help mimic a thumbstick feel.
Combining Trackpads with Gyro
One of the Steam Deck’s secret weapons is gyro‑assisted aiming. Set the right trackpad to Mouse for broad sweeps and engage the gyro on touch‑activation (or always‑on) for fine aim adjustments. This synergy is transformative in games like Doom Eternal or Counter‑Strike 2.
Using Trackpads for Desktop Navigation
In Desktop Mode, the right trackpad moves the mouse, and the left scrolls vertically and horizontally. A click on the right pad is a left‑mouse click, while left pad click is right‑mouse. These defaults can be customised in the Steam Controller settings under the Desktop Configuration.
How to Disable the Trackpads
There is no physical switch to turn off the trackpads, but you can effectively disable them by assigning a null behaviour. This prevents any input from the pad while leaving the rest of the controller functional. You might do this in games where you only use the thumbsticks or to stop accidental touches during intense action.
Per‑Game Disabling
The easiest method is to disable the trackpads for a specific title:
- Navigate to the game in your library and select the controller icon, or press the Steam button while the game is running and choose Controller Settings.
- Select ‘Edit Layout’, then go to the ‘Trackpads’ section.
- Click on either ‘Right Trackpad’ or ‘Left Trackpad’.
- Set its behaviour to ‘None’. Repeat for the other pad if desired.
- Apply the layout. The change takes effect immediately and will be saved per game.
To revert, simply return to the layout and change the behaviour back to your preferred mode.
Creating a Disabled Template for Multiple Games
If you want to disable trackpads across several games without editing each individually, create a custom template. From any controller layout screen, design your preferred layout with trackpads set to None, then export it as a new template. You can then apply this template to other titles from the controller settings overview.
What About Haptic Feedback?
Even when set to None, the trackpads stop sending input, but haptic buzzes can still occur if configured globally. To silence them entirely, go to Steam Settings -> Controller -> Calibration & Advanced Settings and toggle off haptics, or disable them in the per‑game layout under the haptics submenu.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I disable just one trackpad and keep the other active?
Yes. When editing a layout, you can set the left or right trackpad to ‘None’ independently. This is useful if you want to use only the right pad for mouse input while the left stays inactive.
Will disabling the trackpads improve battery life?
Negligibly. The trackpads consume very little power, especially when not registering touches. Disabling their behaviour via software may save a tiny amount of energy, but the impact on overall battery life is almost unnoticeable.
Do I need to disable trackpads to prevent accidental touches in certain games?
Not necessarily. You can also adjust the trackpad activation force or add a small delay to reject brief brushes. However, setting them to None is the surest way to avoid interference.
How do I re‑enable the trackpads after disabling them?
Follow the same steps to edit the layout, then change the behaviour from ‘None’ back to your desired mode. The settings are saved per game, so you only need to do it once.
Can I use the trackpads for typing?
Absolutely. By default, the Steam Deck’s on‑screen keyboard uses both trackpads: left pad selects a character group, right pad hovers over individual keys. Many users find this faster than the touchscreen or thumbsticks.
Are the trackpads pressure‑sensitive?
They do not sense pressure directly; instead, the Steam Deck uses haptic feedback and click simulation. A light touch moves the cursor, while a deeper press (sensed by the internal accelerometer) triggers a click if that option is enabled.
My trackpad feels too sensitive. How do I adjust it?
In the layout editor under the trackpad behaviour, look for sensitivity sliders. For Mouse mode, reduce the sensitivity and increase trackball friction to slow the cursor. You can also adjust the minimum movement threshold to ignore very small swipes.
Can I turn off the haptic feedback alone?
Yes. In the per‑game layout, select the trackpad and find the haptics settings. You can turn them off completely or lower the intensity. Global haptic settings are also available under Steam Settings -> Controller -> Calibration & Advanced Settings.
With these options at your disposal, the Steam Deck trackpads become a versatile tool rather than a nuisance. Take a few minutes to configure them to your liking, and you’ll wonder how you ever gamed without them.
