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Open the game’s Settings, Graphics, Display, or Video menu and set Display Mode to Borderless, Borderless Windowed, Windowed Fullscreen, or Fullscreen Windowed. Apply the change and restart the game if it asks you to. If the option is missing, try Alt+Enter, but remember that this shortcut may switch to ordinary windowed mode rather than true borderless windowed mode.
Borderless windowed mode is normally controlled by the game itself. There is no universal Windows command that converts every fullscreen game to borderless mode.
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What borderless windowed mode means
Borderless windowed mode displays a game in a window without the usual title bar and window borders. It can look like fullscreen while allowing the operating system to treat the game as a window.
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The exact behavior depends on the game, renderer, operating system, GPU driver, display, and launcher. Borderless, exclusive fullscreen, and ordinary windowed mode can differ in latency, HDR, variable refresh rate, screen capture, resolution handling, and how quickly the game loses focus when you switch applications.
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Not every game offers a borderless mode. Some titles provide only Fullscreen and Windowed, while others use a different label for the same general arrangement.
Method 1: Select borderless mode in the game
- Launch the game.
- Open Settings, Options, or Preferences.
- Open Graphics, Display, or Video.
- Find Display Mode, Window Mode, or a similarly named setting.
- Choose one of the available borderless labels:
- Borderless
- Borderless Windowed
- Windowed Fullscreen
- Fullscreen Windowed
- Windowed Fullscreen Borderless
- Choose Apply, Save Changes, or the equivalent button.
- Restart the game if it prompts you to do so.
If the game has separate settings for monitor, display, or screen, select the monitor you want to use. If the picture does not fill the screen, set the game’s resolution to the target monitor’s native resolution where the game provides a render-resolution control.
Method 2: Try Alt+Enter
With the game focused, press Alt+Enter. Windows documents this shortcut as a way to switch between windowed and fullscreen modes, and it is also used as a display-mode toggle in some games.
This is a useful fallback, but it does not guarantee borderless windowed mode. The result may be:
- Borderless windowed mode;
- ordinary windowed mode with a visible frame; or
- fullscreen mode, depending on the game.
If the game becomes a normal framed window, return to its display settings and look for a dedicated borderless option. If there is no such option, the game may not support the mode natively.
Steam launch options: what works and what does not
For a Steam game, launch options are found by opening Library, right-clicking the game, selecting Properties, and entering a parameter in General → Launch Options.
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Valve documents -windowed and -sw for forcing windowed mode, and -fullscreen for forcing fullscreen mode. However, these common options are documented for GoldSrc and Source engine games. They do not apply universally to third-party games.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesMore importantly, -windowed means windowed mode—not necessarily borderless windowed mode. Do not assume that an undocumented -borderless parameter will work. A particular game may support its own engine-specific option, but verify that argument in the game developer’s or publisher’s documentation first.
Remove conflicting Steam options
Launch options can override or interfere with settings saved inside the game. If the game starts in the wrong mode, displays incorrectly, or stops launching:
- Open the game’s Steam properties.
- Check the Launch Options field.
- Remove old or conflicting display parameters.
- Start the game and change the display mode from its own settings menu.
Do not combine several fullscreen and windowed parameters unless the game’s documentation specifically instructs you to do so.
Epic Games Launcher command-line options
Epic Games Launcher provides an Additional Command Line field for a selected game under Launcher Settings. This field can pass launch parameters to a game, but the field itself does not mean that every game supports a borderless command.
Use it only with an argument documented by the game’s publisher or developer. Steam’s -windowed, -sw, and Source-engine options should not be assumed to work in an Epic installation. If the game does not document a borderless parameter, its in-game display menu remains the most reliable option.
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Linux: use gamescope as a borderless wrapper
On Linux systems using X11 or Wayland, Valve’s open-source gamescope project can run a game inside a compositor or wrapper. Its documented -b option creates a borderless window.
For a Steam game, a representative launch option is:
gamescope -b -- %command%The %command% placeholder tells Steam to insert the game’s normal launch command. Gamescope must already be installed, and compatibility can vary with the Linux distribution, desktop environment, display server, GPU driver, Steam configuration, and gamescope version.
To run the game at one resolution while presenting it at another, gamescope documents separate game and output dimensions. For example:
gamescope -w 1920 -h 1080 -W 3440 -H 1440 -b -- %command%In this example, -w 1920 -h 1080 specifies the game dimensions, while -W 3440 -H 1440 specifies the output dimensions. Use scaling arguments only when you need them; start with -b by itself to reduce the number of variables.
Gamescope is a Linux-specific troubleshooting path, not a Windows solution and not a guaranteed fix. Some desktop, driver, Steam, and version combinations have been reported to produce invisible windows or fullscreen problems. If the game fails to appear or behaves incorrectly, remove the gamescope launch option and return to the game’s native display settings.
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Enable Windows 11’s windowed-game optimization after switching modes
Windows 11 includes Optimizations for windowed games under Settings → System → Display → Graphics. Microsoft describes this feature as improving presentation for compatible DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 games running in windowed and borderless windowed modes. It can help supported games use a newer flip-model presentation path and may reduce frame latency or enable features such as Auto HDR and variable refresh rate on compatible displays.
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This setting does not convert a fullscreen game into borderless windowed mode. Enable it only after the game is already using a supported windowed mode.
Turn it on globally
- Open Settings in Windows 11.
- Go to System → Display → Graphics.
- Turn on Optimizations for windowed games.
- Restart the game.
Change it for one game
- Open Settings → System → Display → Graphics.
- Add the game executable if it is not already listed, or select it from the app list.
- Open the game’s Options.
- Change the windowed-games optimization setting.
- Save the change and restart the game.
Microsoft notes that Auto HDR can automatically enable this optimization. If you want to disable the optimization while Auto HDR is active, turn off Auto HDR first.
Fix black bars, blurry graphics, or the wrong monitor
Black bars or an image that does not fill the screen
- Open the game’s display settings.
- Set the game resolution to the target display’s native resolution, if the game exposes a render-resolution setting.
- Check for separate aspect-ratio, scaling, or display-mode settings.
- Confirm that the game is using the intended monitor.
Borderless mode generally follows the desktop or selected output area, but games handle resolutions and aspect ratios differently. A 16:9 game image on an ultrawide display may retain black bars unless the game or wrapper provides a suitable scaling configuration.
The game is blurry
Check whether the game has separate display resolution, render resolution, or resolution scale controls. Borderless mode itself does not guarantee that the game is rendering at the monitor’s native resolution. A low internal render resolution can make the image soft even when the borderless window matches the desktop.
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- Check the game’s own Monitor, Display, or Output setting.
- Make the intended display the Windows primary display temporarily, if the game has no monitor selector.
- Review the game’s per-app options under Settings → System → Display → Graphics in Windows 11.
- On Linux, use gamescope’s output dimensions and display configuration only if the native game settings cannot select the correct screen.
The game has borderless fullscreen but no render-resolution control
Some games expose only a borderless fullscreen mode and do not provide an independent render-resolution control. In supported Windows scenarios, changing the Windows display resolution or configuring the game’s Windows graphics settings may be necessary for features such as Auto SR. Make a note of the original Windows resolution so you can restore it afterward.
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Recommended troubleshooting order
Use the least invasive solution first:
- Check the game’s own Graphics, Display, or Video menu. This is the highest-confidence method.
- Try Alt+Enter. It may switch the game to a supported windowed state.
- Remove incompatible launch options. Old Steam, Epic, or third-party parameters can override internal settings.
- Verify launcher-specific support. A launch-argument field only passes parameters that the game recognizes; Steam’s common flags are not universal.
- Use Windows 11’s windowed-game optimization. Treat it as a performance and presentation adjustment, not a mode converter.
- Use gamescope on Linux. Start with
gamescope -b -- %command%, then add resolution parameters only if necessary. - Remove wrappers and undocumented arguments if the problem continues. Consult the game’s official support documentation for that title and platform.
When borderless windowed mode is unavailable
If the game offers no borderless option, Alt+Enter produces only an ordinary framed window, and documented launcher parameters do not provide the feature, there may be no supported way to force true borderless mode on that installation.
A third-party wrapper may work for some games, but it can also introduce problems with focus, overlays, HDR, capture software, anti-cheat systems, or updates. Prefer the game’s built-in setting or an officially documented launch parameter. Avoid downloading an unverified executable merely because it claims to force borderless mode.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is borderless windowed mode better than fullscreen?
Neither mode is universally better. Borderless mode can make switching between the game and other windows more convenient, while fullscreen behavior may differ in latency, HDR, variable refresh rate, capture, and performance depending on the game and system. Choose the mode that works best for your particular title and display.
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Not reliably. Alt+Enter toggles between windowed and fullscreen states in supported games, but it may produce an ordinary framed window or fullscreen mode instead of borderless windowed mode.
Will Steam’s -windowed option force borderless mode?
No. Valve documents -windowed and -sw as windowed-mode options for supported GoldSrc and Source engine games. They do not universally apply to third-party games and do not necessarily create a borderless window.
Can Windows 11 force a game to become borderless?
No. Windows 11’s Optimizations for windowed games setting improves compatible games that are already running in windowed or borderless windowed mode. It does not create a missing borderless option.
What is the Linux gamescope command for borderless mode?
For a Steam game, use the documented pattern gamescope -b -- %command% in the game’s launch options, provided gamescope is installed and compatible with your Linux setup.
The Bottom Line
Start in the game’s own Graphics or Display menu and choose Borderless, Borderless Windowed, or Windowed Fullscreen. Try Alt+Enter if the setting is unavailable. Do not treat -windowed or an assumed -borderless flag as universal; on Linux, gamescope -b -- %command% is the documented wrapper approach. Windows 11’s windowed-game optimization can improve a compatible borderless game, but it cannot create the mode.
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