Yes, it's true. Windows 7 can run natively on Valve's (usually Linux-based) Steam Deck, the world's most popular handheld gaming PC. Why? Well, it comes back to that age-old question that hobbyists and tech tinkerers usually fire back at skeptics: "Why not?"
I mean, fair enough, but even as a nostalgia-driven Windows sentimentalist, I was surprised to hear that anyone would go through the effort in the first place. I know Windows 7 was popular (possibly the most beloved version in Microsoft's history), but I'm not rushing to replicate what tech fanatic Bob Pony recently shared on Bluesky and other social platforms (via Tom's Hardware).
Windows 7 natively running on Steam Deck.
— @bobpony.com (@bobpony.com.bsky.social) 2025-07-15T15:26:09.344Z
Those with a keen eye will notice the most glaring issue with running Windows 7 on Valve's handheld: it's stuck in portrait mode. Anyone who has delved into some of the Steam Deck's technical specifications might know that its "sideways" screen is by design.
Without any code to rotate the visuals, the panels in these gaming handheld PCs are built with portrait-oriented devices in mind, but there's nothing stopping a manufacturer from digitally spinning the resulting image by 90 degrees.
So, does Windows 7 even work on a Steam Deck with regular device drivers for the custom-made "Van Gogh" AMD Zen 2 APU? At a glance, we can certainly see that Bob's efforts managed to get them to the desktop, but would anyone be able to, you know, play games on this thing as Valve intended?
The CPU is just a regular x86_64 CPU, but the drivers won't install under Windows 7 as it's integrated graphics is basically custom made and drivers for it only work under 10/11.July 13, 2025
The answer is "probably not". Then again, that could change if some equally fixated Windows 7 connoisseur took it upon themselves to further customize the already-unique AMD graphics driver for the Steam Deck's integrated GPU. I'd say that's unlikely, but who knows at this point? Would it even be worth it? Who am I to say? I'm just here because someone mentioned Windows 7.
Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
The Internet, probably
This isn't Bob's first foray into installing previous versions of Windows onto Valve's Steam Deck, by the way. In fact, they uploaded a video of Windows 8.1 on the Steam Deck on YouTube back in 2022, so this isn't some strange new avenue for them — more of a continued curiosity that I strangely can't look away from. Again, I wouldn't do this myself, especially not since ASUS' Windows 11-based ROG Ally took over as my go-to handheld, but it's fun to observe from a safe distance.
To be clear: Windows 7 isn't officially supported by Microsoft (and by extension, neither is Windows 8.1), so I don't recommend installing it on your Steam Deck. Frankly, just because you can install Windows 11 on a Steam Deck, I don't recommend that either — there's a reason SteamOS is so popular, spurring on the "Year of the Linux Desktop" crowd to believe harder than ever. Stick with the Arch Linux spinoff for your Deck.
If nothing else, it's a neat hobby project that keeps the spirit of older Windows builds alive, and perhaps even a small amount of extra fuel for the hot topic of Windows 10's impending end-of-life status in October this year. Some people just flat-out prefer these older versions of Microsoft's dominant operating system, even if they technically aren't functional or safe to use. My favorite flavor was Windows XP, paired with the "secret" Royale Noir theme — but which of the modern versions was really the best?
