I’m looking to upgrade the SSD on my Steam Deck because the 256GB model isn’t cutting it anymore. Once I get the new SSD, do I have to delete all my games and redownload them? What will happen to my files on desktop mode? I’m a bit new to this modding stuff, so any tips would be appreciated!
4 Answers
Cloning is doable but can be a pain. I upgraded to a 2TB drive and it wasn’t too hard using an M.2 adapter. There are guides available out there, and using free software makes the process simpler than trying to set everything up from scratch.
When you swap out the SSD, all your data, including games and personal files, will be on the old drive. You’ll need to reinstall the operating system on the new SSD, so make sure to back up anything important to a flash drive or cloud service before starting the upgrade.
You won’t have to delete games, but your files will remain on the old SSD. I recommend using a cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox for any important desktop files. Just a heads up, backing up games can be tricky since you need to track down the save files, and it’s not the easiest to navigate.
If you’re feeling adventurous, you could clone your old drive to the new one, but it requires getting a USB M.2 adapter and some software. Many find it’s easier to simply back up files and do a fresh install of SteamOS on the new SSD instead.
