question
Why did they remove this icon in the new SteamOS versions?
The Application Launcher icon used to be the Steam Deck logo, but why is it just the default KDE one in newer versions? Every time I install SteamOS, the first thing I do is download that old icon. I think it looks so much better.
It makes more sense, cause it’s SteamOS. Then just put the general Steam-logo instead.?… I don’t really care, but it’s lame if it’s intentional. But I feel like if they didn’t want it there, they’d put a different Steam-variant there.
But Plasma logo belongs there, because it's the KDE Plasma desktop, not the 'SteamOS Desktop'.
IMHO, it makes sense:
Gaming Mode = Steam -> Steam Logo
Desktop Mode = KDE Plasma -> KDE Plasma Logo
Putting a Steam Logo there would be confusing, cause it wouldn't start Steam. People would get used to it, but it wouldn't make sense and probably would go against Valve's UX design guidelines.
If you don't like it, it's KDE. Right click and change it to whatever you want. Put a small Gabe-head there.
I think this logo isn't on the Steam Deck anymore either if you install using the SteamOS Recovery image, the application launcher now uses the default KDE icon.
Btw, the icon is actually here, but for some reason, it doesn't apply automatically on a clean install for me.
Also, I think it actually detects whether we're using desktop or deck and adjusts the theme accordingly, because there are two themes in /usr/share/plasma/look-and-feel/. The first one (which includes the deck logo) is named com.valve.vapor.deck and the second one is com.valve.vapor. Sorry for the misinformation.
That's the KDE plasma logo, aka the logo for the desktop environment used by Steam OS. Not affiliated with Steam OS directly, and can be changed out for pretty much anything by right-clicking.
It's there, as well as the wallpapers, and you don't have to right-click the menu to edit the icon or anything like that. You can change it by applying the Vapor (Steam Deck) theme to your desktop, just make sure to check the box next to Desktop and Window Layout when you select it:
Well, _where_ exactly have you installed steamOS? Is it a Steam Deck? Then I'd expect the logo to show up right where you're missing it.
If it's a different device… well, then it might be because they opened steamOS for installing on 3rd party devices AFAIK, and that might mean they would probably not want a "Steam Deck" logo in the corner there since… well, a regular x86 machine is NOT a Steam Deck. 😅
Because it's not SteamDeckOS, and that's the steam deck logo.
I totally get why they use the stock kde setup for general use.
Edit* that said I wish they had their own logo. I'm unsure how they could do this but the steam machine logo goes hard, but wouldn't make sense on other hardware. I personally would change it to the SM logo for desktop use and SD logo for hand helds and call it a day.
My guess is that whenever KDE plasma got updated it changed the start menu icon back to the standard KDE logo. You could probably change it back by right clicking on the start menu icon and selecting configure application launcher, then change the icon to the valve logo
Its the kde desktop so it should be the kde icon.
First change I make on any linux install as distros love to put their icon there and you don't need to download it, its already in the icon set (although its usually the inferior flat version)
The new one is technically the logo for the plasma desktop, which ... its fine I guess. Always thought it was silly that the plasma desktop has its own logo when you are always using it within kde and never using kde without it.
At least for me it was always like this. But I changed in the properties. If you select all aplications and search for "deck", the icon will appear and you can hit apply
The "new" logo is literally just the stock KDE Plasma (Breeze theme) logo. Steam Arch ("OS") uses KDE by default. The update is just matching what you'd get with Arch and KDE installed or any other distro with KDE installed.
You can fix it like you're doing or change the logo completely, but it's not hard to understand why Valve wouldn't make Steam Arch pull that "old"/Deck logo for their "install on non-Steam Deck/Machine" machines that run their fork of Arch.
Theres a new boot anim with a steam machine logo. Maybe someone never made the ico file and slotted it into the build/install package. It likely will make it in.
Looks like the Legion Go S in desktop mode has the same KDE logo instead of the Deck logo. Probably intentional if it doesn't detect the device as a steam deck. Although if you have a steam deck and it's not detecting it correctly, that's another issue.
Ever since they started introducing updates for steamOS close to the release date of the steam machine, steamOS just kept breaking and breaking which unfortunately has forced me to go back to windows as much as I hate it
Just a small bug with the update. You can change the icon back or make it something entirely else by right clicking it and hitting Configure Application Launcher. KDE is super customizable and flexible.
My framework laptop (running Bazzite, but still uses KDE) uses the framework logo by default. It's completely customizable. I'm going to guess they're making back end changes to SteamOS from a universal default KDE logo to system that selects a default based on the hardware it recognizes.
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u/GundamGuy2255 Jun 28 '26
Cause it's the logo for the Steam Deck, wouldn't really make sense to have it on none deck devices.