To try opening a Steam game in a regular window, open Library → right-click the game → Properties → General → Launch Options, enter -windowed, then launch the game. If it has no effect, try -sw. These are game-dependent switches, not commands that Steam guarantees will work for every title.
Set a Steam game to start in windowed mode
- Open Steam and select Library.
- Right-click the game and choose Properties.
- Stay on the General tab and locate the Launch Options field.
- Enter
-windowedusing a regular hyphen-minus, with no quotation marks. - Close the Properties window and start the game.
Some client versions or platforms may label this control differently; older Steam instructions call it “Set launch options…”. This is the field for the selected game, not launch options for the Steam application itself. Steam provides the field, but each game or engine decides which parameters it recognizes. See Valve’s guidance on launch options and its game launch-options instructions.
Which launch option should you try?
Try one change at a time, launching the game after each edit. Separate multiple switches with spaces; do not use a typographic en dash or em dash in place of the ordinary hyphen.
| Purpose | Launch option | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Try ordinary windowed startup | -windowed |
Common option, but only works if the game recognizes it. |
| Alternative windowed startup | -sw |
Recognized by some games, including Garry’s Mod; it is not a universal synonym. |
| Try a smaller window | -windowed -w 1280 -h 720 |
Width and height switches are game-dependent. The game may ignore them or require other syntax. |
| Other window sizes to test | -windowed -w 1600 -h 900-windowed -w 1920 -h 1080 |
Use a size your display can handle; support for -w and -h is not guaranteed. |
Facepunch documents -windowed and -sw for Garry’s Mod in its startup troubleshooting guide. A Steam Community list of startup parameters gives examples such as width and height switches. Treat those as examples for supported games, not a Steam-wide command standard. If the developer publishes startup-parameter documentation, follow that for the specific title.
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Windowed, borderless, and fullscreen are different modes
- Windowed: The game appears in a desktop window, usually with a border, which may be movable or resizable.
- Borderless windowed: The game fills the display without a conventional window border. It can make switching applications easier, but may still behave much like fullscreen and may not fix fullscreen-related problems.
- Exclusive fullscreen: The game takes control of the display mode.
- Windowed fullscreen: A game-specific mode that may fill the screen rather than behave like an ordinary desktop window.
A game can distinguish windowed fullscreen from regular fullscreen in its own settings; see this developer announcement example. Options such as -noborder or -popupwindow appear in game-specific discussions, including this example, but are not universal ways to enable borderless mode. Check the game’s display menu for its own Windowed, Borderless, and Fullscreen choices.
If the game ignores the option or still opens fullscreen
- Check the text. Make sure the field contains
-windowedwith a normal hyphen, no quotes, and no accidental extra characters. - Try the fallback by itself. Replace the field contents with
-sw, then test again rather than stacking several unverified switches. - Try a smaller resolution if supported. Use
-windowed -w 1280 -h 720. The resolution switches are not supported by every game. - Remove conflicts. Clear other launch options temporarily and test only one windowed command. A saved graphics setting or configuration file may also override startup parameters.
- Check how the game starts. A separate launcher may discard Steam’s parameters or pass them to the wrong executable. Check that launcher’s display settings and its documented startup options.
- Consult the game’s own support information. Use the developer’s instructions for supported switches and, if necessary, its documented graphics-settings reset procedure. Do not delete arbitrary configuration files without identifying them and backing up relevant settings or saves.
If the game starts in a window but it is too large, appears off-screen, or fills the monitor, the command may have been accepted while the resolution, window position, display scaling, or selected window mode remains unsuitable. Check the game’s video menu once accessible. For a recoverable fullscreen issue, Valve’s Steam Link troubleshooting flow recommends changing the display setting inside the game when possible.
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Remove the launch option to return to normal startup
- Open Library, right-click the game, then choose Properties → General → Launch Options.
- Delete the switches you added, including
-windowed,-sw, and any-wor-hvalues. - Close Properties and start the game. If it opens, choose fullscreen or borderless from the game’s display settings if desired.
Once you can reach the video menu, removing temporary switches avoids having a startup parameter conflict with the preference you save in-game.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Steam Deck, Linux, and third-party launchers
The steps above describe the Steam desktop client. On Steam Deck, the path to a game’s Properties and launch-options field differs between Gaming Mode and Desktop Mode. Linux and Steam Deck games running through Proton may also handle Windows-oriented parameters differently. In either case, use the game developer’s instructions and test whether the title recognizes the switch.
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