What Applications Are Included in Steam Deck Tools for Windows?

Steam Deck Tools for Windows bundles four applications: Fan Control, Performance Overlay, Power Control, and Steam Controller. Each addresses a different part of running Windows on a Steam Deck — cooling, on-screen stats, power/display tuning, and controller input. The catch is that some features depend on kernel-level drivers, which the project itself flags as a risk for online games with anti-cheat.

The four applications at a glance

Fan Control

Controls the fan while running Windows. With kernel drivers enabled you get the optimized SteamOS-style fan curve; with them disabled, the app falls back to the default fan behavior. If you play online games, the project recommends the "Use Default FAN" setting as the safe option.

Performance Overlay

An on-screen display for FPS and other statistics. The full version — CPU % and MHz, GPU MHz, and APU wattage — requires kernel drivers. With drivers disabled you still get an OSD, but those detailed CPU/GPU/APU readings are missing.

Power Control

Used to change TDP or refresh rate. This is the application most affected by the kernel-driver trade-off: without kernel drivers, you lose the ability to change TDP and CPU settings. If TDP tuning is your main reason for installing the tools, you'll need kernel features enabled — and should weigh that against the anti-cheat warning below.

Steam Controller

Lets you use the Steam Deck's controls with Game Pass. The README also points to a separate page documenting default controller shortcuts.

The kernel-driver trade-off you should decide on first

The project states that by default the application does not use any kernel-level features, and that requesting a change which might trigger anti-cheat detection requires you to acknowledge it. Kernel manipulation happens via inpoutx64.dll, which the README says can trigger antivirus and anti-cheat software — with the possibility of interference, suspension, or a ban in games that use anti-cheat.

The project's own "safe settings" for online play are:

• Fan Control: Use Default FAN
• Performance Overlay: OSD
• Kernel Drivers: DISABLED

So the practical decision is: if you play online or anti-cheat-protected games, plan to run with kernel drivers off and accept the reduced Fan Control curve and missing CPU/GPU/APU stats. If you only play offline and want full TDP control and detailed overlay data, kernel features are what unlock them.

Installation and dependencies

Install by downloading and running the latest SteamDeckTools--setup.exe from the project's GitHub Releases. The tools require these dependencies, which must be installed manually if you use the portable archive instead of the installer:

• Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable
• Rivatuner Statistics Server
• ViGEmBus

The README also strongly advises uninstalling or disabling SWICD, GlosSI, and HidHide before use, since they can conflict with the tools.

Other things worth knowing before installing

• Stability risk: the project says it is provided on a best-effort basis and "can break your SteamDeck," and that kernel manipulation "might result in unstable system."
• Privacy: the software can connect to a remote server to check for auto-updates or track errors.
• Beta builds: the latest beta version is published in GitHub Releases.
• Support: help and chat are available in the #windows channel of the Steam Deck Discord.

If your goal is simply FPS monitoring and controller support for Game Pass, the overlay and Steam Controller apps cover that without kernel drivers. If you specifically want TDP and refresh-rate control or the optimized fan curve, treat kernel drivers as a deliberate opt-in with the anti-cheat caveat in mind.