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There is no Windows command that forces every PC game into windowed mode. Start with Alt + Enter, then use the game’s own Display or Graphics menu. If the game will not reach that menu, use a launch option documented for that specific game or engine—Steam’s -windowed switch is not universal.
Windowed, borderless, and exclusive fullscreen
| Mode | What you see | Best use | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windowed | A movable desktop window with borders and a title bar | Keeping a browser, chat, guide, or monitor visible beside the game | May not resize freely; borders are visible; performance and frame pacing vary by game |
| Borderless windowed | Looks fullscreen but remains a desktop window | Fast Alt + Tab switching, multiple monitors, streaming and recording | Uses desktop composition and inherits some desktop scaling behavior; latency and performance vary |
| Exclusive fullscreen | The game takes direct control of the display mode or resolution | A stable title where performance, HDR, VRR or input behavior is best in exclusive mode | More vulnerable to black screens, incompatible resolutions and awkward task switching |
No mode is always faster. Results depend on the game, graphics API, Windows version, drivers and hardware.
Try Alt + Enter first
- Launch the game and click inside it so the game has keyboard focus.
- Press Alt + Enter once.
- Wait for the display to redraw. The game may switch to ordinary windowed or borderless mode.
- If nothing changes, press Alt + Tab, return to the game and try once more.
Microsoft documents Alt + Enter for supported applications, and games such as Rocket League recommend it, but the shortcut is not guaranteed in every title or keyboard layout. Some games use F11, expose no runtime toggle, or intercept the key through an overlay. See Microsoft’s shortcut guidance at its Alt + Enter documentation and general keyboard-shortcut guidance.
Change the game’s display setting
When the game reaches its menus, this is the most reliable and lasting fix:
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- Open Settings, Options, or Video/Graphics.
- Find Display Mode, Window Mode, Screen Mode, or Fullscreen Mode.
- Select Windowed or Borderless (also called Windowed Fullscreen or Fullscreen Borderless).
- Choose Apply and exit through the game’s normal quit command so the setting is saved.
Choose ordinary windowed mode for a deliberately smaller, movable window. Choose borderless when you want a fullscreen-looking image and quick switching between applications. Rocket League’s PC support page shows the distinction: its Window Mode selector offers Fullscreen and Borderless, and it also documents Alt + Enter as an alternative access method. View the Rocket League example.
Force the mode before launch with Steam
Steam launch options work only when the game or its engine supports the argument. Being sold through Steam does not make a game a Valve/Source game.
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- Open Steam and go to Library.
- Right-click the game and choose Properties.
- Stay on General and find Launch Options.
- Enter one documented argument, close the window and launch the game.
- After repairing the in-game setting, remove the temporary argument and relaunch.
For Valve, GoldSrc and Source titles, Steam documents these windowed arguments:
-windowed-sw
Steam also lists -startwindowed, -window and -win in certain Valve display-troubleshooting contexts. These are not interchangeable universal switches. Check the exact title’s developer or publisher documentation before using one. Steam’s launch-option instructions are at this support page and its display troubleshooting is at this page.
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If a Source or GoldSrc game also needs a resolution override, Steam documents width syntax such as -w 1280. Resolution flags are engine-specific; do not apply that example blindly to another game.
If the game opens to a black screen or crashes
- With the game focused, try Alt + Enter.
- Use Alt + Tab to switch away, return to the game and retry.
- Apply one officially documented windowed or safe-mode argument through the game’s launcher or Steam.
- For a supported Valve game, try
-safe. Steam describes this as minimal video settings, windowed mode and 640×480 resolution. - Remove conflicting or speculative launch options, restart, and test again.
- Once the game displays correctly, remove the recovery argument and set the mode from the game’s own menu.
-safe is a recovery tool, not a permanent configuration and not a general command for third-party games. If audio plays while the screen remains black, the cause may be an invalid resolution, HDR or HDCP negotiation, a graphics driver, an overlay, or the wrong display output. Rocket League’s troubleshooting guidance treats resolution and HDCP as possible causes; see its black-screen support article.
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When the game keeps reverting to fullscreen
- The display change was not saved because the game was closed improperly.
- A launcher, mod, cloud-sync service or configuration file is overwriting it.
- The launch argument is unsupported, misspelled or entered in the wrong launcher.
- The game has separate controls for fullscreen and borderless.
- The configuration file is read-only or corrupted.
- A shortcut was edited, but a different executable or launcher actually starts the game.
- Remove every launch option except the one you are testing.
- Start the game and select Windowed or Borderless in its display menu.
- Apply the change and quit normally.
- Relaunch without the temporary argument.
- If it still reverts, follow the publisher’s documented configuration-file reset procedure.
Do not delete configuration files casually: that can reset controls, accessibility options, graphics settings and key bindings. Back up the file first when the publisher’s instructions allow it.
Resize, move or recover the game window
- In true windowed mode, drag a border or corner if the game permits resizing.
- Use Windows snapping to place the window beside another application, and Alt + Tab to switch apps. Microsoft’s multitasking instructions are available at this support page.
- If the window is too large, lower the game’s own resolution instead of relying on arbitrary Windows scaling.
- If it opens off-screen, focus it with Alt + Tab and use Windows window-management controls to move it. Temporarily disconnecting a second monitor can identify a monitor-position problem, but is only a diagnostic step.
- If the game remembers an invalid monitor or resolution, use the publisher’s supported display-reset method.
Windows 11: optimize a mode that is already windowed
Optimizations for windowed games does not force fullscreen games into a window. Microsoft says it applies to compatible DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 games already running windowed or borderless, and can enable newer presentation behavior, Auto HDR and variable refresh rate on supported systems.
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Global setting
- Open Settings > System > Display > Graphics.
- Under default graphics settings, check Optimizations for windowed games.
- Restart the game.
Per-game setting
- Go to Settings > System > Display > Graphics.
- Select the game under custom app options and choose Options.
- Adjust windowed-game optimization, GPU preference or Auto HDR.
- Select Save and restart the game.
The feature is limited to Windows 11 and compatible DirectX 10/11 titles; it does not change a game’s display mode by itself. See Microsoft’s current details at Optimizations for windowed games.
When no generic method works
Some games do not support ordinary windowed rendering, ignore generic command-line flags, or require a publisher-specific reset. Search the game’s official support documentation for its exact launch argument, safe mode or configuration-file location. If the title is protected by anti-cheat, an external borderless or windowed wrapper can cause compatibility problems, require administrator access, break overlays or stop working after an update. Treat third-party utilities as a last resort; native settings and documented launcher options normally solve the problem without a purchase.
Quick Recap
A short decision path
- Can you reach the game menu? Choose Windowed or Borderless under Video, Display or Graphics.
- The game is running but stuck fullscreen? Focus it and try Alt + Enter.
- Is it a Valve/Source or GoldSrc title? Test the documented Steam option
-windowedor, for recovery,-safe. - Is it a third-party game? Find that game’s official launch syntax rather than assuming Steam’s flags apply.
- Still broken? Reset the display configuration using the publisher’s instructions and remove temporary launch options after recovery.
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