5 Ways to Use Stream Deck Mobile

Stream Deck Mobile connects your phone to Stream Deck app on your computer, turning your screen into a set of fully customizable keys. If you're just getting started, here are five actions worth adding to your first profile.

Before you start, make sure Stream Deck app is installed on your computer and Stream Deck Mobile is connected to it over Wi-Fi. Use Stream Deck for free with Stream Deck Mobile covers setup if you haven't done that yet.

For all five of these, the starting point is the same: open Stream Deck app on your computer and find the action in the actions panel on the right. Then drag it onto an empty key in your profile.

Stop hunting through your taskbar or dock. With the Open Application action, you can launch any app on your computer from a single tap on your phone. No switching windows, no clicking around. It's especially useful for apps you use constantly but don't keep front and center.

To set it up:

1. In the actions panel, find Open Application under the System category
2. Drag it onto an empty key in your profile
3. Select the app you want to launch from the list

Repeat for as many apps as you want: Spotify, Chrome, Slack, Discord, whatever you reach for most.

Stream Deck Mobile works well as a media remote. Instead of switching to your music player or hunting for a keyboard shortcut, you can put play, pause, skip to the previous or next track, mute, and volume controls right on your phone screen. Always one tap away.

To set it up:

1. In the actions panel, find Multimedia under the System category
2. Drag each control (Play/Pause, Previous Track, Next Track, Volume Up, Volume Down, Mute) onto individual keys
3. Arrange them however makes sense for how you work

Once set, they'll appear on your phone and work instantly.

If you find yourself typing the same things over and over (an email signature, a canned response, a disclaimer, a prompt you run in Claude every day) the Text action will save you a surprising amount of time. Tap the key and it pastes directly wherever your cursor is.

To set it up:

1. In the actions panel, find Text under the System category
2. Drag it onto an empty key
3. Type or paste whatever you want the key to output
4. Give the key a label so you know what it does at a glance

You can also add a custom icon to make it easier to recognize. How to customize Stream Deck with icons and icon packs walks through how.

Anything you copy and paste more than a few times a day is worth turning into a key.

For sites you return to constantly (a shared Google Sheet, your inbox, a project board, a streaming dashboard) the Website action cuts out all the in-between steps. No opening a browser, no typing a URL, no digging through bookmarks.

To set it up:

1. In the actions panel, find Website under the System category
2. Drag it onto an empty key
3. Paste in the URL you want it to open

It'll launch directly in your default browser with a single tap from your phone.

Stream Deck Mobile can reach directly into your computer's file system. Instead of navigating manually to something you need constantly, you can assign a key to go straight there. Whether that's a specific document, a video file, or a folder you're always digging through.

To set it up:

1. In the actions panel, find Open under the System category
2. Drag it onto an empty key
3. Click the file path field and browse to the file or folder you want to open

One tap on your phone and it opens instantly on your computer. This works for individual files like PDFs and videos, as well as frequently visited folders like Downloads or Documents.

These five actions are a solid first profile. Once they're in place, explore more plugins and layouts on Elgato Marketplace, or check out Best Stream Deck Plugins for Productivity when you're ready to go deeper.