SteamOS/Read-only Filesystem

SteamOS by default ships with a read-only file system. This helps prevent users from messing up their system configuration. However, a user might want to install packages that are not available as flatpaks in Discover, for example by using a package manager such as pacman. In that case, the read-only file system must first be disabled.

Note that any changes made to the read-only file system may be reverted by system updates.

Disabling the read-only file system

1. Open konsole.
2. Set a sudo password.

   $ passwd
   

3. Disable read-only mode.

   $ sudo steamos-readonly disable
   

   Alternatively, power users may prefer to use this.

   $ sudo btrfs property set -ts / ro false
   

4. Initialize the pacman keyring.

   $ sudo pacman-key --init
   

5. Populate the pacman keyring with the default Arch Linux keys.

   $ sudo pacman-key --populate archlinux
   

6. Try installing a package.

   $ sudo pacman -S vi
   

References

• "Install Arch packages on your Steam Deck". Reddit. 2022-03-06. Retrieved 2023-03-20.