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How to Take a Game Out of Full-Screen Mode

Try the game’s full-screen shortcut first, then use its display settings if needed. Steam Big Picture and Windows Xbox mode have separate exit controls.
Length2 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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On Windows, try Alt+Enter; on a Mac, try Option+Return if the game supports it. If nothing changes, open the game’s display or graphics settings and choose Windowed or Borderless Windowed, if offered. First check whether the screen belongs to the game itself, Steam Big Picture, or Windows Xbox mode: each has a different way out.

First identify which full-screen mode you want to leave

A game can fill the screen using its own display mode, but a full-screen launcher or operating-system interface can look similar. Use the control for the interface you are actually seeing:

  • The game itself: Try the game’s shortcut, then check its display settings.
  • Steam Big Picture: Use Steam’s Big Picture exit controls.
  • Windows Xbox mode: Use the Windows mode’s exit controls; the game’s display setting may not be involved.

Switch the game to a window

Try the keyboard shortcut

On Windows, press Alt+Enter. On a Mac, Bethesda Support documents Option+Return for its game client. Before trying either shortcut, make sure a text field or in-game menu is not selected. These shortcuts are not universal: individual games may disable or change them. Bethesda Support’s instructions explain the shortcut and prerequisite.

Change the game’s display setting

If the shortcut does nothing, open the game’s graphics or display settings and look for a setting named Window Mode, Display Mode, or Screen Type. Choose Windowed or Borderless Windowed if available. The exact labels and options vary by game.

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There are game-specific exceptions. Rockstar Games Customer Support says Alt+Enter is disabled in Red Dead Redemption on PC; its recommended route is to change the Screen Type setting. Rockstar’s support instructions cover that case.

Exit Steam Big Picture mode

If the full-screen interface is Steam Big Picture rather than the game’s own display mode, select Menu > Power > Exit Big Picture Mode. Steam also documents Alt+Enter as a way to toggle Big Picture’s full-screen mode. Steam Support explains the available controls.

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Exit Windows Xbox mode

Microsoft documents returning to the desktop from Windows Xbox mode through Game Bar settings or Task View, or by pressing Win+F11. These instructions apply to Windows 11 version 24H2 or later; Microsoft says the mode is available only in supported markets. See Microsoft’s Windows Gaming: Full screen experience guidance for the applicable controls.

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Switch away without closing the game

If your goal is to see the desktop or another app while leaving the game open, use a window-switching or desktop shortcut rather than closing the active app. Microsoft documents Win+D to display or hide the desktop. Alt+F4 closes the active item or exits the active app, so it is not the right first choice when you want to keep playing. These Windows shortcuts do not guarantee that a game will change its display mode. Microsoft’s Windows keyboard-shortcut list describes their behavior.

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