A lot of game lovers like to play windowed mode. Yes, and at work, in order to hide from the boss that you are playing - many people prefer to play in the window, so that in which case they can quickly switch to another window with the mouse. Or old games are much more convenient to play in a window due to the not too high maximum resolution. I suggest ways to switch to windowed mode. Try it, don't be shy. One just for you:
So, the ways to switch to windowed mode:
1. The most primitive way- start the game, and then press ALT and Enter together. Some games just react to this combination as a call to switch to windowed mode.
2. The method is more complicated. Create a shortcut on the desktop of the game, if it doesn't already exist.
Click on the label right click mouse and call "Properties" or "Properties"
For example: it was - “C:\Program Files (x86)\snowball.ru\MassEffectGold\MassEffect.exe”
became “”C:\Program Files (x86)\snowball.ru\MassEffectGold\MassEffectLauncher.exe” -window
Apply and exit properties. Launch the game using this shortcut.
The pitfall here is this: some games, even if you remove “-window”, will still run in a window. To fix this, replace "-window" with "-full screen".
3. Built-in way. There is no need to invent anything here. Many games, especially modern ones, already support running games in windowed mode by default. It is enough to find the desired item in the settings and check the box.
4. If nothing helped. Well, here you need to search on a special game forum or just on the Internet to see if a particular game starts. Usually, if a windowed mode is built into the game, then the developer trumpets about it everywhere - especially on the game's website.
5. If the game began to slow down in windowed mode - go to full screen mode. It means that either your computer can’t cope with the game (it’s not strange - resources may be required even more for playing in the window) or the game can’t cope with the computer (the developer simply didn’t optimize or maybe didn’t even test the game in windowed mode).
Running the game in window mode is relevant in cases where old games are installed on new operating systems. That's when the resolution issue comes in, as apps released a few years ago run at full deployment in terrible quality. Another reason why the game is often switched to windowed mode is conspiracy. Quickly switch between windows if you are suddenly distracted from work in the office - there is nothing easier. Let's take a closer look at how to run the game in windowed mode, what methods exist for this today and for which applications they can be used.
Keyboard Shortcuts for Windowed Mode
The most simple and accessible way for most games is to launch using the Alt + Enter key combination. But few other games recognize different keyboard shortcuts. You can find out about them in the "Game Settings" section.
If the game does not respond to the specified key combination, and no others are specified in the settings, then use the following method.
Right-click on the application's shortcut. In the line with the address, write "-window". For your changes to take effect, you must save them. Some games may not respond to the changed address - then add the object "-w" in the cell.
Through the settings, you can find out the hot keys that will allow you to minimize the game to a window. They can also contain special fields, by checking which you will minimize the game.
Third party programs and emulators
If none of the above methods allow you to minimize the game to a window, then you can resort to help additional programs, specially designed to minimize the application without delay. Among the most effective are the Chinese development of D3DWindower. To use it to force minimize the application, do the following:
- Download the distribution kit, follow all installation instructions.
- By clicking on the plus and selecting the file with the game, you thereby add it to the program.
- On the name of the program, click LMB, then click on the closed folder - and the settings will open.
- Specify the width and height of the window yourself in the settings.
- In the lower right corner, click on the button and select the folder with the D3DHook.dll file.
- Save your settings and click on the third button in the corner of the window.
In the event that all operations were performed correctly, the program will immediately launch the game in windowed mode on its own.
Another option that will allow you to run the game in windowed mode can be an emulator. But specified method is not suitable for everyone, since emulator programs put forward serious requirements for the capabilities of your PC and operating system.
Surely many of you at least once used the launch options when using personal Windows applications, for example, when you needed to run some application in a window. In the appropriate settings for windowed mode, you could write the "-window" options, and the application would run in a window. Even though there were no convenient settings in the program itself, launch options could be changed through the shortcut properties. To do this, it was necessary to right-click on the program shortcut, select "Properties", and then write in the appropriate line required parameters. Steam launch options work in a similar way. In order to apply any launch options on Steam, you need to find your game library. This is done through Top Menu Steam client.
After you go to the game library, click on the application you want to set options for. After that, select "Properties".
In the window that appears, select "Set Launch Options".
A line for entering launch parameters will appear. Parameters must be entered in the following format:
In the example above, 2 launch parameters are entered: noborder and low. The first parameter is responsible for launching the application in windowed mode, and the second parameter switches the application's priority. Other parameters are entered in a similar way: first you need to enter a hyphen, after that enter the name of the parameter. If you need to enter several parameters at once, they are separated by a space. It is worth considering that not all parameters work in all games. Some options will only work in certain games. Almost all known parameters work in Valve games: Dota 2, CS:GO, Left 4 Dead. Here is a list of the most commonly used options:
Full - full screen game mode;
-window - windowed game mode;
-noborder - mode in a window without a border;
-low - set a low priority for the application (if you are running something else on the computer);
-high - set a high priority for the application (improves game performance);
-refresh 80 - Set the monitor refresh rate in Hz. In this example, 80 Hz is set;
-nosound - mute the sound in the game;
-nosync - turn off vertical sync. Allows you to reduce the input lag, but the picture may not be smooth;
-console - enable the console in the game, with which you can enter various commands;
-safe - enable safe mode. May help if the game does not start;
-w 800 -h 600 launches the application at 800 by 600 pixels. You can specify the values you need;
-language Russian - install the Russian language in the game, if available.
Many users prefer to play in windowed mode. This way you can quickly minimize the application and go to work, or run the game at a lower resolution if you have weak computer. In any case, this feature will be extremely useful to everyone, and knowledge of how to turn it on will be useful to any PC user. Let's figure out how to run the game in windowed mode on different platforms.
All ways
All options for launching games in the window can be divided into the following categories:
- Using key combinations;
- Using the command in the properties of the executable file;
- Using the functionality of the game;
- Through third party software.
We will analyze all the methods in the form of step-by-step instructions.
Standard Combinations
Consider the keyboard shortcuts that are used in operating system Windows and macOS. The most common and standard option is to press the Alt + Enter keys. You must start the game and go to its window. Then press the Alt + Enter combination, after which the application will go into windowed mode.
Also in the operating room Windows system there are other keyboard shortcuts. You can press F11 or Ctrl+F to enable windowed mode in games on Windows 7, 8 or 10.
On MacOS, a different combination is used, since the mentioned keys are not on the Apple layout. Here, just press command + M. After that, any application will switch to windowed mode.
However, all of these key combinations may not help in some cases. The fact is that in most modern games the standard switching to the window does not work. Let's figure out how to run the game in windowed mode using third-party methods.
Entering parameters
It should be noted right away that this option works with old games in most cases. To do this, you will need an application shortcut and its properties. Right-click on the icon and go to the "Properties" section in the menu.
Open the Shortcut tab and find the Target field. Here you need to enter the -window command. Some games accept the -w or -win options. You can only find out which of them is applicable to your application by experiment. If the command does not match, then the game will also start in full screen mode.
Another option on how to run the game in windowed mode is to work with the compatibility settings. In the same window with the shortcut settings, go to the "Compatibility" tab. In the tab, find the item "Disable optimization in full screen" and check the box next to it.
Switching in the game settings
If all the above options did not help, then you should look at the list of settings in the application itself. Most games have the ability to switch to windowed mode at any supported resolution.
Usually this setting is located in the graphics or gameplay settings section. Before starting the game in windowed mode, select an appropriate screen resolution. Once you've set your preferences, don't forget to apply and save your changes so that the application launches with your settings next time.
But what to do if there are no such settings in the parameters inside the game, or they are not activated / do not work correctly? In this case, you can try setting the parameters in the configuration files.
Almost all games store a list of settings in separate configuration files. They can be found in the folder with files or in the directory with saves. Often they are called config or similar words. They must be opened using the standard Windows Notepad and make changes.
Before opening the game in windowed mode in this way, do backups saves and configuration files so that you can return all settings to their original state. Then open the configuration and look for lines called windowed or similar. After the = sign, you need to set 1 instead of 0. If you find the fullscreen parameter, then you need to change 1 to 0 here. One turns on one of the modes, and zero turns it off. After that, try running the application in a window again.
Third party software
If you do not know how to open the game in windowed mode using the above methods, then try the functionality third party programs. One of these is the Chinese utility D3DWindower. You can download it for free on the Internet. Run the program and do the following:
- Click on the + icon.
- In the window, select the folder with the right game, after which it will appear in the list.
- Click on the closed folder icon to go to settings.
- Next, specify the width and height of the window.
- Check the box.
- Click on the button in the lower right corner and select the D3DHook.dll file.
- Save changes and restart the game.
Now the application should be forced to open in windowed mode, even if such a setting is not provided by the developers.
However, if this method did not help you, then you should search the Internet for a solution for a particular game. Often projects are released with their own features, modes and bugs. If you are going to play some game, you should be aware of all the key bugs and features. There you will also read about windowed mode and whether it can be configured. Try all the methods from our instructions before looking for other methods on the Internet. Now you know how to make a windowed mode in the game with keys, programs and using options.