Steam Keyboard Shortcuts (Overlay, Screenshots, Chat + More)

Steam shortcuts help you do common gaming tasks faster—like opening the Steam Overlay, taking screenshots, and jumping to friends/chat without alt-tabbing.

One important thing: Steam shortcuts can be customized, and sometimes they behave differently depending on your game, your keyboard layout, and whether other overlays are running (Discord, NVIDIA, Xbox Game Bar, etc.).

This guide shows the default Steam shortcuts that are actually documented, plus exact steps to change them and what to do when they don’t work.

Table of Contents

1-Minute Cheat Sheet (fastest answers)

Open Steam Overlay (in-game): Shift + Tab
Take a Steam screenshot (in-game): F12

Change your Steam shortcuts (Overlay + Screenshot):
Steam menu → Settings → In-Game (look for the overlay and screenshot hotkey fields)

If it doesn’t work, check these first (30 seconds):

Steam is running (not fully closed to tray)
Overlay is enabled: Steam → Settings → In-Game → Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game
The game is blocking/overriding the hotkey (try a different overlay key)
Another overlay is “stealing” the shortcut (Discord/NVIDIA/AMD/Xbox Game Bar)

Quick Reference Table (Defaults + where they work)

Action (plain English)	Default shortcut (Windows)	Default shortcut (Mac)	Where it works	Can you change it?
Open Steam Overlay	Shift + Tab	Shift + Tab	In-game (Steam Overlay)	Yes (Steam Settings → In-Game)
Take a Steam screenshot	F12	F12 (often Fn + F12* on Mac keyboards)*	In-game	Yes (Steam Settings → In-Game)
View/manage screenshots (open screenshots area)	No default / varies	No default / varies	Steam client (menus/pages)	No (use Steam menus)
Open Friends/Chat (one-key shortcut)	No default / varies	No default / varies	Use Overlay or Steam client button	N/A
Push-to-talk (Steam-wide default)	No default / varies	No default / varies	Varies by voice setup/game	Varies

Why some rows say “No default / varies”: Steam doesn’t document a universal default hotkey for everything (like “open Friends list” with one key). When it’s not verifiable, this guide won’t guess.

Steam Overlay Shortcuts (main section)

What is the Steam Overlay?

The Steam Overlay is the in-game Steam panel that lets you do things like:

message friends
view guides/community content
use Steam features without leaving the game

The default Steam Overlay shortcut

Shift + Tab opens the Steam Overlay by default.

How to change the Overlay hotkey (beginner steps)

Open Steam (the desktop app).
Click Steam (top-left on Windows) or Steam (menu bar on Mac).
Click Settings (on Mac it may say Preferences).
Click In-Game.
Find the Overlay shortcut key field.
Click in the box, then press your new key combo (example: Ctrl + Tab, Alt + O, etc.).
Close Settings (Steam saves it).

Steam documents changing the overlay hotkey from the In-Game settings area.

Common Overlay conflicts (very common for gamers)

If Shift + Tab does nothing, these are the usual reasons:

Discord Overlay hotkey conflict
NVIDIA GeForce Experience overlay conflict
AMD overlay conflict
Xbox Game Bar conflict
The game itself uses Shift + Tab for something

Fast fix: change Steam’s overlay hotkey to something your game never uses (example: Alt + ` or Ctrl + Shift + O).

Screenshots in Steam (practical + beginner friendly)

Default Steam screenshot key

The commonly documented default is F12.

Mac tip (important): on many Mac keyboards, F-keys control brightness/volume by default—so you may need Fn + F12 to send a real F12 keypress.

How to change the screenshot key

Open Steam.
Go to Steam → Settings → In-Game.
Find Screenshot shortcut key.
Click the box and press your new key.
Close Settings.

Steam’s screenshot key is managed in the same In-Game settings area.

Where Steam saves screenshots (and the easiest way to find them)

Steam has changed some menu labels over time, so the most reliable beginner method is:

Open Steam (desktop app)
Use the View menu
Open Recordings & Screenshots (or a Screenshots/Screenshot Manager option, depending on your version)
From there, you can view your screenshots and open the folder from inside Steam

If you can’t find “Recordings & Screenshots”: look in the top menu for View and check for Screenshots instead (older wording).

Screenshot key doesn’t work? Try this checklist

Try the key outside the game first: open a different Steam game and test
Change the screenshot key to something simple (example: F10) and test again
Disable other overlays temporarily (Discord/NVIDIA/AMD/Xbox Game Bar)
Some games run in modes where overlays/screenshots behave strangely (try fullscreen vs borderless)

Chat, Friends, and Communication

What you can do quickly

Open a chat with a friend
See who’s online
Reply while staying in your game

What’s the shortcut to open Friends/Chat?

Steam doesn’t document one universal default “open chat” keyboard shortcut the way it documents Shift+Tab for the Overlay.

So here are the fastest reliable methods instead:

Fast method (in-game):

Press Shift + Tab (open Overlay)
Click Friends / Chat inside the Overlay

Fast method (Steam client, not in-game):

Click the Friends & Chat button in the Steam client (usually bottom-right area in the desktop app).

Tip: if you want this to feel “one-tap,” your best move is to change the Overlay hotkey to something easy to hit, then chat from inside the Overlay.

Steam Client Navigation (keep tight + only reliable stuff)

Steam doesn’t have a widely-documented, consistent set of “Ctrl + something” shortcuts for Library/Store like Microsoft apps do.

So instead, use these fast navigation habits (they work regardless of Steam version):

Use the search bar in Steam to jump to a game instantly (typing is often faster than clicking through Library lists)
Use View → Recordings & Screenshots when you need your media quickly
Pin the things you use most in Steam (Favorites/collections) so you click less

If you’re looking for “one-key to jump to Library/Store,” it’s usually faster to keep Steam open and use the search field.

Big Picture / Full-Screen Steam UI (and how to exit)

What “Big Picture” is today (plain English)

Big Picture is Steam’s full-screen, controller-friendly interface. You might use it on a TV, on a couch setup, or when you’re using a controller.

How to enter Big Picture

Steam Support says you can:

click the Enter Big Picture Mode button in the top-right of the Steam client, or
press the Home button on your controller while Steam is running

How to exit Big Picture

Steam Support’s documented method is:

open the Menu, go to Power, then choose Exit Big Picture

Is there a default keyboard shortcut to enter/exit Big Picture?

This has varied across versions, and Steam doesn’t consistently document a single keyboard shortcut as the “default.”

If you want it fast and reliable: use the on-screen button (enter) and the Menu → Power → Exit path (exit).

Controller shortcuts (only what’s verifiable)

Steam Deck screenshot shortcut

On Steam Deck, widely-cited guides agree:

Steam button + R1 takes a screenshot

Steam Deck: where to find screenshots fast

Steam’s own UI has a Media area, and Valve also documents media access paths (your labels may differ slightly by update).

(If you want, I can turn the Steam Deck shortcuts into a separate mini table—but I’m keeping this page focused on PC keyboard shortcuts first.)

Troubleshooting (save this section)

1) Steam Overlay won’t open

Try these in order:

Enable it globally: Steam → Settings → In-Game → Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game
Change the hotkey: set Overlay to a key combo your game never uses (test again)
Disable other overlays temporarily (Discord/NVIDIA/AMD/Xbox Game Bar)
Try another game (some games block overlays or behave differently)
Restart Steam (fully exit and reopen)

2) Shortcut works in one game but not another

That usually means:

the game uses the same key combo
the game blocks overlays in certain modes
the game is running in a display mode that causes overlay issues

Fix: change the overlay/screenshot hotkeys and retest.

3) Steam Deck / controller not responding

Confirm your controller is detected in Steam
For Steam Deck: try the built-in shortcut again (Steam + R1) and check your Media/Screenshots area

4) Keyboard layout issues (US vs UK, laptop Fn keys)

Your F12 might require Fn + F12 (common on laptops and many Macs)
Some keyboards place keys differently (UK vs US). If your hotkey feels awkward, change it in Steam Settings.

5) “I changed the shortcut and forgot it”

Go back to:
Steam → Settings → In-Game
…and look at your current Overlay shortcut key and Screenshot shortcut key fields.

FAQ (quick answers)

What is the Steam Overlay shortcut?

Default: Shift + Tab

How do I change the Steam Overlay hotkey?

Steam → Settings → In-Game → change the Overlay shortcut key

What is the screenshot key on Steam?

Common default: F12

How do I change the Steam screenshot key?

Steam → Settings → In-Game → change the Screenshot shortcut key

Where does Steam save screenshots?

The easiest way is to open Steam’s screenshots/recordings area from the View menu and open the folder from there.

Why won’t Steam Overlay open in-game?

Most common causes: overlay disabled, hotkey conflict, or another overlay taking over.

Does Steam have keyboard shortcuts for Library/Store?

Steam doesn’t document a consistent “Windows-style” shortcut list for every section. Use Steam search + the View menu for the fastest results.

Do Steam shortcuts work on Mac/Linux?

Overlay and screenshot hotkeys can work, but F-keys often require Fn on laptops/Mac keyboards, and some behavior varies by setup.

How do I exit Big Picture mode?

Open Menu → Power → Exit Big Picture

How do I enter Big Picture mode?

Click the Enter Big Picture Mode button (top-right) or press the Home button on your controller while Steam is open.

Quick recap

Overlay: Shift + Tab (and you can change it)
Screenshots: F12 (and you can change it)
Change hotkeys: Steam → Settings → In-Game
If shortcuts fail: check overlay enabled + hotkey conflicts + other overlays