Settings

Settings is the last tab. Its sections sit in a sidebar under four groups, and the focused section’s cards fill the rest of the screen.

Moving around

• In the sidebar, Up and Down switch the section, and A or Right goes into its cards. B comes back out.
• A acts on the focused row: it flips a switch, runs an action or opens a choice.
• X refreshes a section that reads from the system, such as Downloads or Sound.
• Y turns the focused store or feature on or off, and shows the advanced rows of Game defaults.
• Start opens More, a menu of the same actions.
• LT and RT step through the sections from anywhere.

A number on a sidebar entry counts what waits there, such as the updates on Downloads.

The sections

Games:

• Stores: which stores are on, and signing in.
• Downloads: installs, updates and uninstalls.
• Controller: your controller’s buttons and macros.
• Game defaults: what every game starts from.
• Emulators & Proton: the runners and tools.

Extras:

• Features: the optional features, such as video capture.
• Artwork: every game’s art, and what’s missing.
• Appearance: the look and the startup animation.

System:

• Network: Wi-Fi.
• Bluetooth: controllers and headphones without a cable.
• Sound: where the sound plays.
• Performance: brightness, power limit and the like.
• Storage: what Universe and each game take on disk.

Universe:

• System check: what Universe needs, and how to fix what’s missing.
• About: the version, What’s new and the first-run setup.

Network shows only on a machine with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth with a Bluetooth adapter, and Performance with a control Universe can set. Under Steam’s Game Mode, Sound, Network, Bluetooth and Performance hide.

The Switch 2 and PS5 looks name some sections differently: see Looks.