The most reliable way to use borderless fullscreen is to select Borderless, Borderless Windowed, or Windowed Fullscreen in the game’s own display settings. If that option is missing, run the game in windowed mode at your monitor’s native resolution, then use a borderless-window utility such as Borderless Gaming.
Borderless fullscreen keeps the game in a window but removes its title bar and borders so it covers the display. It generally makes Alt+Tab, overlays, desktop access, and multi-monitor use easier than exclusive fullscreen, although it is not guaranteed to work with every game or to outperform exclusive fullscreen.
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What borderless fullscreen actually means
Windows games commonly offer three display modes:
- Windowed: A normal window with a title bar and borders.
- Borderless windowed: A window with its decorations removed and its size set to cover the display.
- Exclusive fullscreen: The traditional mode in which the game takes greater control of the display and may change its resolution or refresh settings.
Windowed Fullscreen and Fullscreen Windowed are usually alternate labels for borderless fullscreen. Technically, borderless mode remains a window managed by Windows’ Desktop Window Manager, while exclusive fullscreen gives the game more direct control of the display. Microsoft discusses the distinction and modern fullscreen behavior in its fullscreen optimization guidance.
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Borderless mode often makes switching applications faster and avoids display-mode changes, but performance and latency depend on the game, graphics API, driver, overlays, monitor, and Windows configuration. It is not automatically faster than exclusive fullscreen.
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First, use the game’s built-in borderless setting
- Launch the game.
- Open Settings, Options, or Video, Graphics, or Display.
- Find Display Mode or a similarly named setting.
- Select Borderless, Borderless Windowed, Windowed Fullscreen, or Fullscreen Windowed.
- Choose your monitor’s native resolution where possible.
- Apply the change and restart the game if it requests a restart.
Older games may put the setting under Advanced Video or use different terminology. Microsoft’s PC game guidance covers fullscreen-windowed and windowed display modes and recommends native resolution where practical: Window display modes.
If the game only offers Windowed and Fullscreen
Set windowed mode to the monitor’s resolution
- Select Windowed mode in the game.
- Set its resolution to the display’s desktop resolution, such as 1920×1080 or 2560×1440.
- Apply the setting.
- Use the game’s maximize control if it provides one.
This may fill most of the screen, but matching the resolution does not automatically remove the title bar. If borders remain, use a borderless-window utility.
Try Alt+Enter
Press Alt+Enter while the game is focused. Some older games use this shortcut to switch between windowed and fullscreen modes. It is only a game-specific convention: it may produce exclusive fullscreen, ordinary windowed mode, or do nothing. It does not guarantee borderless fullscreen.
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Use Steam launch options when supported
For a Steam game, open Library, right-click the game, choose Properties, and enter launch options in the relevant field. Steam documents options including:
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-windowed
-sw
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-h 1080A combined example is:
-windowed -w 1920 -h 1080These options are documented by Steam Support, but they are engine- and game-dependent. They request a windowed mode and resolution; they do not themselves remove the title bar or create borderless fullscreen.
For a game with broken video settings, Steam also documents -safe for certain Valve/Source video problems. It can launch supported games with minimal video settings and a 640×480 window: Steam video troubleshooting options.
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Borderless Gaming is designed to remove the frame from an ordinary game window and resize it to the display. The project is open source under GPLv2. Its release page is the appropriate place to check the current version; version numbers can change.
- Start the game in ordinary Windowed mode.
- Launch Borderless Gaming from its official project or release page.
- Find the actual game window in the detected-window list.
- Add it to favorites if you want the same behavior next time.
- Apply the borderless or fullscreen action.
- Return to the game and check the title bar, monitor, resolution, and aspect ratio.
If a launcher and game appear separately, target the game after loading into gameplay rather than the launcher. Some games recreate their window after changing resolution, so applying the action again may be necessary.
The utility changes the game window; it cannot repair a renderer that cannot draw at the target resolution, a broken aspect-ratio implementation, or a game that loses focus when its window style changes. It may also behave poorly with protected windows, unusual renderers, launchers, or anti-cheat systems.
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Windows 11 settings for compatible borderless games
Windows 11 includes Optimizations for windowed games. It is intended for compatible DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 games already running in windowed or borderless-windowed mode. It does not convert a game that lacks a borderless option.
Enable it globally
- Open Start → Settings.
- Go to System → Display → Graphics.
- Under the default settings, enable Optimizations for windowed games.
- Restart the game.
Change it for one game
- Open Settings → System → Display → Graphics.
- Select the game in the custom app list.
- Choose Options.
- Adjust the graphics preference or turn off windowed-game optimizations for that title.
- Save and restart the game.
Microsoft says the feature can move compatible games toward the flip presentation model and can enable features such as Auto HDR and variable refresh rate on supported systems. See the official Windows 11 documentation.
If Auto HDR is enabled, Microsoft says windowed-game optimizations are enabled automatically. Disabling the optimization may therefore require disabling Auto HDR first.
Should you use Lossless Scaling?
Lossless Scaling is primarily a scaling and frame-generation tool, not simply a title-bar remover. It supports windowed and borderless fullscreen use and can be useful if you also want to upscale an older game, generate frames, or save per-game profiles.
The Steam listing observed on August 16, 2026 showed a price of US$6.99; regional pricing, taxes, discounts, and sales can change the amount. The listing specifies Windows 10 version 2004 or newer and warns that scaling and frame generation require available GPU resources.
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For removing borders alone, Borderless Gaming is the more direct fit. Lossless Scaling makes more sense when scaling or frame generation is also part of the goal. Its Steam listing does not guarantee compatibility with every anti-cheat system, so use particular caution with competitive online games.
Borderless versus exclusive fullscreen
| Feature | Borderless | Exclusive fullscreen |
|---|---|---|
| Alt+Tab convenience | Usually better | Can be slower or disruptive |
| Title bars | None | None |
| Resolution switching | Usually avoided | More likely |
| Multi-monitor use | Usually easier | Can be awkward |
| Cursor confinement | Game-dependent | Often more reliable |
| Performance | Often comparable on modern systems | Can still win in specific games |
| HDR, VRR, and overlays | Depends on the game and Windows | Depends on the game and driver |
Microsoft recommends considering modern flip-model borderless presentation because it can improve Alt+Tab behavior and integration with display features: DXGI flip model guidance. That does not make every borderless implementation equivalent to a modern flip-model game.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Fix common borderless-mode problems
Black screen after changing modes
- Press Alt+Enter.
- Press Alt+Tab, then return to the game.
- Use the game’s safe or windowed launch option.
- For supported Steam games, try
-windowed -w 1280 -h 720. - Remove the launch option after recovery if it is no longer needed.
The title bar is still visible
Confirm that the game, not its launcher, was selected. The game may still be in ordinary windowed mode, may have recreated its window, or may have changed its style after a focus or resolution change. Start gameplay, select the actual game window, and apply the borderless action again.
The game opens on the wrong monitor
- Move the game to the intended monitor before applying borderless mode.
- Temporarily make that monitor the primary display.
- Check Windows’ display arrangement.
- Reapply the borderless action after the game has focus.
Games store monitor settings in different locations, including configuration files under %APPDATA%, %LOCALAPPDATA%, Documents, or the installation folder, so there is no universal configuration path.
The picture is stretched, cropped, or surrounded by bars
Check the game resolution, desktop resolution, monitor aspect ratio, GPU scaling, and the utility’s scaling behavior. A 4:3 game on a 16:9 monitor may show side bars when its geometry is preserved. Stretching fills the display but distorts the image. Filling the screen and preserving the original aspect ratio are different goals.
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Performance is worse
Test Windows 11’s windowed-game optimization if the title uses compatible DirectX 10 or DirectX 11. If performance worsens, disable it for that game and restart. Also test without recording software, browser video, Steam or Discord overlays, HDR, and third-party scaling. Multiple monitors and an uncapped frame rate can add GPU load.
The mouse escapes to another monitor
Enable an in-game cursor-lock or confinement option if available. If reliable confinement is essential, especially in competitive play, exclusive fullscreen may be preferable. A third-party cursor-lock tool can help in some cases, but compatibility is game-specific.
HDR, VRR, or overlays stop working
Support depends on the game, graphics API, driver, monitor, and Windows settings. Test the game without overlays, confirm Windows HDR and the monitor’s VRR range, and restart after changing graphics settings. If necessary, compare native borderless and exclusive fullscreen.
The game refuses to stay borderless
The title may force exclusive fullscreen, recreate or protect its window, use a custom renderer, rely on an incompatible launcher, or break when focus changes. Very old DirectDraw, DOS, and emulated games can require specialized wrappers rather than a general borderless utility. No method guarantees borderless mode for every Windows game.
Quick Recap
The shortest recommendation
- Modern game: Use its built-in Borderless Windowed or Windowed Fullscreen option.
- Older game with Windowed mode only: Try native-resolution windowed mode, then use Borderless Gaming.
- Need upscaling or frame generation too: Consider Lossless Scaling.
- Competitive game or anti-cheat concerns: Prefer the built-in mode and check the publisher’s current policy before using external software.
- Cursor or performance problems: Compare borderless with exclusive fullscreen rather than assuming one is universally better.
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