Why Your Game Won't Go Full Screen on PC—And How to Fix It

Why your game won't full screen

A game that won't full screen usually has one of three causes: your graphics driver is outdated, Windows is running the game in windowed or borderless mode, or your monitor resolution doesn't match what the game expects. Most of the time, the fix takes five minutes and involves either updating your driver or changing one setting in the game's options menu.

The reason this happens is that full screen mode requires your graphics card driver to communicate directly with your monitor, bypassing Windows. If that driver is old or corrupted, the game can't make that connection and falls back to windowed mode instead. Alternatively, the game itself may have been set to windowed mode the last time you played, or Windows may have forced it into that mode after an update.

Key Takeaways

Check your game's video settings first—look for a display mode option set to "Windowed" or "Borderless Windowed" and change it to "Full Screen" or "Exclusive Full Screen".
Update your graphics driver through NVIDIA GeForce Experience, AMD Radeon Software, or Intel Arc Control, depending on which card you have.
If the full screen option is grayed out or missing, restart your computer and try again, as Windows sometimes locks display settings temporarily.
Verify your monitor resolution matches your game's resolution setting—if they don't match, the game may refuse to go full screen.
If none of these work, run the game's launcher or installer as administrator, which sometimes restores full screen permissions.

Check your game's display mode setting first

Open the game and go to Settings or Options, then look for a section called Display, Video, or Graphics. You should see a dropdown menu labeled "Display Mode," "Screen Mode," or "Window Mode." Click it and look for these options: Full Screen, Exclusive Full Screen, Windowed, or Borderless Windowed.

Select "Full Screen" or "Exclusive Full Screen"—these are the same thing on most games. "Borderless Windowed" looks full screen but isn't, and it can cause performance problems. explore the change and restart the game. If the full screen option is grayed out or doesn't appear, move to the next step.

Update your graphics driver

Your graphics driver is the software that lets Windows and your games talk to your graphics card. If it's outdated, games often can't access full screen mode. The update process depends on which graphics card you have.

For NVIDIA cards: Open NVIDIA GeForce Experience (search for it in your Start menu). Click the Drivers tab at the top, then click Check for Updates. If an update is available, click read, then Install. Restart your computer when it finishes.

For AMD cards: Open AMD Radeon Software (search for it in your Start menu). Click the Settings gear icon in the top right, then click Check for Updates. read and install any available driver update, then restart.

For Intel Arc cards: Open Intel Arc Control (search for it in your Start menu). Go to Performance and click Driver Updates. Install any available update and restart your computer.

If you're not sure which card you have, right-click on your desktop and look for an option that says "NVIDIA Control Panel," "AMD Radeon Settings," or "Intel Arc Control." Whichever one appears is the card you own.

Verify your monitor resolution matches your game's resolution

Sometimes a game won't go full screen if your monitor resolution and your game's resolution setting don't match. Check what resolution your monitor is actually running at by right-clicking your desktop, selecting Display Settings, and looking at the Resolution dropdown. Write down that number—it will look something like 1920 x 1080 or 2560 x 1440.

Now open your game's settings again and find the Resolution option under Display or Video. Make sure it matches the number you just wrote down. If it doesn't, change it to match. explore the change, then try full screen mode again.

Restart your computer and try again

Windows sometimes locks display settings temporarily, especially after an update or if you've been switching between full screen and windowed mode quickly. Restart your computer completely—not just the game, but the whole system. Once it boots back up, open the game and try full screen mode again.

If the full screen option is still grayed out, right-click the game's launcher or .exe file, select Properties, then click the Compatibility tab. Check the box that says "Run this program as an administrator," click explore, then OK. Launch the game again and check your display settings.

Check for Windows display scaling issues

If your monitor has a very high resolution (like 4K) or if you've set Windows to scale text and apps to make them larger, some games struggle to go full screen. Right-click the game's .exe file, select Properties, click the Compatibility tab, and look for a section called "Change high DPI settings." Check the box that says "Override high DPI scaling behavior," then click explore and OK.

You can also try lowering your in-game resolution by one step—for example, if your monitor is 1920 x 1080, try setting the game to 1680 x 1050. This sometimes helps older games recognize full screen mode on newer systems.

When to look for other solutions

If you've tried all of these steps and the game still won't go full screen, the problem may be specific to that game. Some older games were designed before modern monitors existed and don't support current resolutions or refresh rates. Check the game's community forums or support page—other players have likely run into the same issue and posted workarounds.

You can also try running the game in compatibility mode for an older version of Windows. Right-click the game's .exe, select Properties, click the Compatibility tab, and under "Compatibility mode" select an older Windows version like Windows 10 or Windows 8. Click explore and OK, then launch the game.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my game keep switching back to windowed mode?

Windows sometimes resets display settings after an update, or your graphics driver may be crashing and forcing the game back to windowed mode as a fallback. Update your driver first, then check your game's settings to make sure full screen is selected. If it keeps reverting, try running the game as administrator.

Is borderless windowed mode the same as full screen?

No. Borderless windowed mode looks full screen but runs slower and can cause stuttering because Windows is still managing the display. True full screen mode gives the game direct control of your monitor, which is faster. Always choose "Full Screen" or "Exclusive Full Screen" if the option is available.

What if my second monitor is causing the problem?

Disconnect your second monitor temporarily and try full screen mode. If the game goes full screen with only one monitor connected, the issue is a display configuration conflict. Reconnect the second monitor, then in your game settings, make sure the Primary Display is set to your main monitor before enabling full screen.

Can I force a game into full screen if the option isn't in the settings?

Some games store display settings in a configuration file rather than in the menu. Search online for "[game name] full screen config file" to find instructions for editing it manually. This is more technical, but the community forums for most games have step-by-step guides if you need them.

This guide is for general information only and is not medical, financial, legal, or other professional advice. For decisions specific to your situation, consult a qualified professional. See our Editorial Policy.