STREAM FRAME
Your captures, easier to find.
- Find captures faster with readable local dates, newest-first sorting, and lightweight cached thumbnails.
- Download screenshots or videos from Steam Frame, with verified transfers and support for older recordings.
WHAT’S NEW
Changelog.
New features, fixes, and improvements for Stream Frame on Mac, Windows PC, Linux, iPhone, iPad, and Android.
Download for macOS
Download for Windows
Windows on ARM? Download the ARM build ↗
Install for Linux / Steam FrameWindows 10 22H2+ · x64 & ARM · v2.2.0
macOS 14+ · Apple Silicon & Intel · v2.2.0
Linux / SteamOS · ARM64 & Intel/AMD · v2.2.0
Quick controls. A view that stays with you.
- App icon quick actions for streaming, recording, and screenshots, with live status on supported platforms.
- Native Picture in Picture on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android, plus Siri and Shortcuts actions on Apple platforms. Mac Picture in Picture opens only when you choose it.
- Stream Frame Overlay in SteamVR: stream and recording controls, recording details, a 3–2–1 screenshot countdown, camera flash, and last-capture thumbnail. Game input stays with the game; optional in-game overlay control expires automatically.
- Cleaner Mac fullscreen controls with Record, Screenshot, and End; collapsible Windows settings and live taskbar icons; accurate Linux streaming and capture status.
Zero-latency streaming.
Apply zero-latency encoder tuning whenever streaming is enabled, including while recording.
Trusted keys that keep your terminal working.
Mac and Windows now allow interactive SSH terminals for newly enrolled Stream Frame keys. Linux preserves existing authorized keys even when their last line has no newline, and safely coordinates enrollment. Existing key policies, preferences, and recordings are preserved.
If an older Stream Frame key already causes PTY allocation request failed, updating alone will not rewrite it. Connect without a terminal using ssh -T steamos@frame.local, back up ~/.ssh/authorized_keys, and change only the affected StreamFrame entry from restrict to restrict,pty. This restores terminal allocation while retaining its other restrictions.
Your stream, now a webcam.
Experimental virtual webcam support lets you use your stream as a video source in apps such as Discord or share video on the web. Open Video settings, enable Surface Virtual Webcam, then choose Stream Frame Camera in your video app. It is off on launch and shares video only.
macOS uses a Camera Extension and requests access when you first enable it. After approving a new or updated extension, you may need to quit and reopen Stream Frame. Windows uses the modern virtual camera API on Windows 11; the option is hidden on Windows 10. Linux uses V4L2 Loopback with exclusive capabilities for Chromium and Discord compatibility, and may request administrator approval to set up the camera. Install your distribution’s v4l2loopback module first.
Install on your headset. One click from your desktop.
Choose Install App on Steam Frame in the Mac, Windows, or Linux client to install the native Linux app on your connected headset over SSH or USB ADB. Stream Frame adds its signed Flatpak source and installs the app and required desktop runtime if needed. Existing installations stay in place, and Discover handles future updates.
Installation runs in the background with progress feedback. A confirmation tells you when the app is ready; if something fails, an error dialog shows the reason. Open Stream Frame from the headset’s KDE Launcher to record directly on the device without SSH or a second computer.
The Linux package now includes small launcher icons from 16px through 256px, alongside the 512px icon, and the installer refreshes KDE’s launcher cache with the Flatpak application and icon paths.
All three desktop clients now share version 2.0.0. Install Stream Frame for Linux / Steam Frame, or add the Flatpak source in Discover.
2.0.1 refinement: On Mac, Install App on Steam Frame and Setup Guide now sit below Advanced RTMP in the sidebar, and the full RTMP heading opens its settings. Windows and Linux gain coordinated Stream, End, Record, and Screenshot icons, clearer spacing, and native button feedback, with antialiased Windows icons at every display scale. Linux also adds collapsible Audio, Video, and Advanced RTMP settings with left-aligned, full-width clickable headings, and enables live preview by default on Steam Frame. Its launcher icons now use RGBA PNGs, fixing the missing mini icon in SteamOS’s Launch Program menu.
Native Linux. Record right on Steam Frame.
Stream Frame comes to Linux with a native Qt desktop app for ARM64 and Intel/AMD computers. Watch live previews, record MP4 clips with optional game and microphone audio, save screenshots, browse and download recordings, and use experimental RTMP streaming. Connect to your headset over your local network or USB.
Running on Steam Frame itself? The app detects the headset and defaults to This Steam Frame with Recording only enabled. Press Record to capture directly on the device, then Stop Recording to save your MP4 in /home/steamos/Videos/StreamFrame. No SSH setup, password, or second computer is needed. Turn off Recording only when you want a live preview.
Install Stream Frame for Linux or Steam Frame through Discover using the Stream Frame Flatpak source, then open it from the KDE Launcher. Discover also handles updates.
Windows 10. Experimental RTMP streaming.
The Windows client now supports Windows 10 22H2 and later, alongside Windows 11, with signed x64 and ARM64X downloads.
On Mac and Windows, open Advanced to enter an RTMP or RTMPS destination and video bitrate. Broadcast directly from your headset while keeping the desktop preview, using H.264 video, AAC audio, FLV, and two-second keyframes for common streaming providers. With headset audio off, the broadcast includes a silent audio track.
RTMP support is experimental. The destination and stream key are kept only for the session. Starting or stopping headset recording briefly reconnects the broadcast; use local recording for uninterrupted publishing. RTMP requires the headset to reach your provider and is unavailable in recording-only mode.
Your headset. Now on your PC.
Stream Frame comes to Windows 11 with native x64 and ARM64X builds. Watch your headset live, record MP4 clips with optional headset audio, save screenshots, and choose your video quality with a clear CRF readout.
Connect over your local network or USB, record directly on the headset, or use recording-only mode. Your settings stay with you between sessions.
Installers and app binaries are signed by Boxtree, Inc. Windows updates use WinSparkle with signed downloads and publisher verification. Check for updates or enable automatic checks in Settings.
Start with video. Add audio when you need it.
Record audio now defaults to off for new Mac settings. Turn it on before connecting when you want game audio or your headset microphone in the recording. Your saved choice is preserved.
The complete release history now has its own page, with downloads for Mac, Windows PC, iPhone, iPad, and Android.
A fix for opening the Mac download.
Fixes a packaging issue that could cause macOS to block the app after unzipping it. If version 1.1.8 will not open, download the latest release and replace the older app in Applications. Automatic updates remain enabled.
Stay up to date automatically.
- Stable Mac updates download securely in the background and install when you quit. Manage updates in Settings, or check from the Stream Frame menu.
- Support development with a direct purchase link in Settings and the app menu.
- Using an older version? Download this release once to enable automatic updates.
Easier connections. Lighter audio recording.
Check Trust this Machine in the Mac password dialog to connect again without re-entering your headset password. After a successful login, Stream Frame adds this Mac’s public key to the headset, preserving existing keys. The private key stays protected on your Mac; your password is never saved. The checkbox is optional and off by default.
Audio settings on Mac now offer Low, Balanced, and High quality. Low is the default: 24 kHz mono audio at 64 kbps with faster AAC encoding. Balanced keeps 48 kHz stereo at 128 kbps with faster encoding; High restores the previous 48 kHz stereo, 192 kbps quality.
Your choice is remembered between launches and applies to headset recordings and recordings from the received stream. Existing source toggles and your game/microphone mix stay the same. For the least audio processing, turn Record audio off.
Record without the preview.
Enable Recording only before connecting to save directly on your Steam Frame without sending a live preview. Connect, press Record, then stop to download the original securely. The preview area shows when recording is active and explains why no video is streaming.
This option is off by default and remembered between sessions. Your audio mix and video quality settings still apply. Screenshots require normal streaming mode. Originals stay in /home/steamos/Videos/StreamFrame, with download retry available if the connection drops.
- macOS 1.1.5 — Recording-only mode over network or USB.
- iOS 1.0.4 — Recording-only mode and clearer download status.
- Android 1.0.4 — Recording-only mode with secure downloads to Captures.
More room for your view.
Full-screen streaming keeps the video, Record, Screenshot, and Exit Full Screen controls in view. Press Escape to return to your window.
Audio and video settings now live in a collapsible sidebar. It opens by default, collapses when streaming starts, and stays hidden in full screen. Reopen it anytime in windowed mode.
Save the original. Skip the network drops.
Record on headset is enabled by default. The original MP4 is saved on your Steam Frame before video crosses the network, then transferred securely with file-integrity verification when you finish. Game and microphone audio use your saved mix settings.
Originals remain in /home/steamos/Videos/StreamFrame until you delete them. On iPhone, iPad, and Android, Captures lets you reconnect, download missed recordings, and delete headset files after confirmation. On Mac, retry a failed download from the app. Turn the option off to record the received stream instead; your choice is remembered.
- macOS 1.1.3 — Headset recording over network or USB, verified downloads, and retry.
- iOS 1.0.3 — Headset recording and remote Captures.
- Android 1.0.3 — Headset recording and remote Captures.
Your connection. Your quality.
Connect using frame.local, a DNS alias, or an IP address. Advanced Video settings offer native, 720p, and 480p resolution; 15, 20, and 30 fps; encoder presets; and CRF quality control. Settings are remembered, with 20 fps as the default.
On Mac, select USB (ADB) to stream and record directly over a USB cable. An authorized headset and Android SDK Platform-Tools are required. No Wi-Fi or SSH password is needed for USB mode.
- macOS 1.1.2 — USB, hostnames, and video controls.
- iOS 1.0.2 — Hostnames and video controls.
- Android 1.0.2 — Hostnames, local discovery, and video controls.
Keep the sound with the moment.
Record game audio and your Steam Frame microphone with your video. Both sources default on, with a 35% game / 65% mic mix. A single toggle turns recording audio off, and advanced settings let you choose each source and adjust the balance. Your choices are remembered between launches.
Choose audio settings before starting a stream. Live preview stays silent; listen back in your saved MP4. The mobile sample remains video-only.
- macOS 1.1.1 — Available now as a signed, notarized download.
- iOS 1.0.1 — Available now on the App Store.
- Android 1.0.1 — Available now on Google Play.