Windowed games. How to run the game in windowed mode: all methods

Many applications can run in multiple window modes. These include compact windowed mode with window resizing support, full screen mode, and full screen mode. As a rule, it is more convenient to watch movies and play games in full-screen mode, to work with documents in full-screen mode, and it is more convenient to run small applications in windowed mode with the ability to resize the window. The transition from one type of program interface display to another varies in different types of applications.

You will need

• Computer running operating system

Instructions

Games, if there is none. If there is one, you will operate with it. Right-click on the shortcut and select “Properties” from the drop-down menu. Add “-window” to the game line. For example:
It was – “D:\Games\Data\Gothic.exe”;

It became “D:\Games\Data\Gothic.exe -window”.

Click on the “Apply” button and exit. Now run the game using the edited . It's worth noting that some games continue to launch even if you remove "-window". Here you need to enter another inscription, namely “full screen”.

The third method is built-in. The fact is that many modern games provide windowed . You just need to activate the appropriate option in the game settings and that’s it.

Video on the topic

note

If your game starts to slow down in windowed mode, switch to full-screen mode. Apparently your computer simply cannot cope with windowed mode. After all, oddly enough, the game consumes more resources in windowed mode than in full screen. The second reason for the game to slow down in a window is the inability of the game itself to handle your PC. The developer may not optimize or test the game in windowed mode.

In some cases it may be convenient to run game in the window mode. For example, if you want to quickly switch between windows or play old games, most of which do not support the high resolution of modern monitors. There are several ways to switch to windowed mode in the Windows operating system.

Instructions

Before trying different ways to start windowed mode, check if the game has a similar setting. To do this, launch the game and go to the “Settings” menu. Select "Video" and find the appropriate function. If it is missing, then you can try other options.

Launch the game. Once it has fully loaded, press the Alt and Enter keys on your keyboard at the same time. As a rule, many games then switch to windowed mode. If this method does not help, then you will need to try more complex options.

Find your game's shortcut on your desktop. If it is not there, then open the game folder and find the file to launch it. Right-click it and drag it to the desktop. A menu will appear in which you need to select the “Create shortcut” command. You can also simply right-click on the file and select “Create shortcut”, and then move it to the desired location.

Call the Properties menu for the game shortcut. Find the “Object” item, which indicates the path to the game, select it and add window at the end. For example, there was a value: C:/Games/Counter-Strike 1.6 Condition-Zero/hl.exe, but it will become: C:/Games/Counter-Strike 1.6 Condition-Zero/hl.exe – window.

The Windows operating system is a complex multi-component structure, all the options of which are not known to all “advanced” PC and laptop users. These are all kinds of Easter eggs, jokes from the creators and, of course, hotkeys. The last one is probably the most useful and the most mysterious. Even programmers don't know all the keyboard shortcuts that can be used to control the entire operating system without using a mouse. However, in order to learn all the combinations, you need to train for more than one month, because there are a lot of them. It is worth noting right away that this is a long and difficult task. Not everyone has the patience to learn all the keys. Therefore, a very limited circle of the most persistent people know about the hidden capabilities of this operating system.

We will look at the most useful key combinations that can come in handy in everyday work. Having learned them, you will be able to amaze even “experienced” programmers with your speed of work.

Why do you need to know this?

First of all, you need it yourself. This knowledge will broaden your horizons and help you work on the computer faster and more productively. After all, many key combinations lead to functions that are deeply hidden in the depths of the Control Panel. Searching for them and clicking the mouse takes much longer than holding down a couple of keys. By the way, there is also a full-screen mode key in Windows. And we will talk about it, since this issue is of great interest to many users. In less than a month you will feel that controlling a PC or laptop using hot keys is much more convenient than using a mouse. This is why you need to know their combinations.

Opinion of "experts" about hot keys

Many computer "gurus" and pseudo-programmers deny the effectiveness of this method of managing the operating system. But this is only because they are terribly afraid to admit their incompetence in this matter. However, anyone who professionally processes photographs in Adobe Photoshop will not underestimate the effectiveness of hotkeys, because they increase productivity and speed up work.

Don't forget about those who love games. For them, playing in windowed mode is pure torture. Therefore, it is vital for them to learn key combinations that allow them to enable full-screen mode in the game without unnecessary hassles. However, most advanced users simply ignore operating system and program hotkeys, considering them a useless addition. They are fundamentally wrong. It's worth studying them. And this is what we will do now.

Keys in various applications

Each program has its own hot keys. Including the keyboard shortcut to enter full screen mode. Needless to say, some programs do not support this very mode. For example, utilities such as Microsoft Office. They just don't need this regime. In the Daum PotPlayer, the full-screen mode key is Enter. In the browser - Alt plus F12 buttons. But not all applications have similar parameters. Therefore, you should study the documentation for a particular program. They will show you how to make full-screen mode using keys.

It is worth noting that in some programs you can assign the desired combination to a particular action yourself. Such utilities include audio and video players, graphic editors, file managers, specialized video and some other products. It's quite convenient. Therefore, the developers provided users with this opportunity. For which honor and praise be given to them.

Full screen mode in games

Here, hotkeys will not help you set full-screen mode. You'll have to go to the graphics settings and check the appropriate box there. This is where things get a little tricky because these settings are in different places in different games. So you just have to search here. However, the vast majority of games have quite adequate Russian translations, so there shouldn’t be any problems with this. However, some novice users cannot even cope with this task. Then you should try to simply expand the game window to full screen. Enough for the first time. How to switch to full screen mode? The keyboard shortcut Alt plus F2 will expand the window to full screen. But this is not 100% full screen mode.

Full Screen Mode in Photoshop

This software product, designed for professional photo processing, has many interesting features. Including full screen mode. The keys in Windows 8 (and in any other OS) are Shift plus F. This will expand the program to full screen with a menu bar on which the necessary tools will be located. However, the capabilities of this software product in this mode are very limited. To exit full screen mode, just press the Esc button. In general, a separate article could be written about keyboard shortcuts in Photoshop. But this is not part of our plans now.

When working in Photoshop, you can't live without hotkeys. All professionals working in this field know this very well. Keyboard shortcuts significantly improve productivity. Indeed, it is easier to press the Ctrl-Alt-Z combination in order to roll back the changes made than to look for the “Back” tool. Other combinations are also effective. Although those who have specifically studied the techniques of working in Photoshop are already well aware of the wonderful properties of hot keys.

Full screen mode in Google Chrome browser

This internet browser is considered one of the best in terms of speed and performance. Millions of people use it. Therefore, there is nothing surprising in the huge number of requests on the topic of how to make full-screen mode using keys in Chrome. People can be understood. Constantly going through the browser settings just to switch the view is a complete pain. So, in order to expand Chrome to full screen, just press the F11 button. Then the browser will appear before you in all its glory. To exit full screen mode, you need to press the same key again. Then the browser window will return to its normal form.

In general, Chrome has a huge number of hotkeys. It’s just that not everyone knows about them. For example, you can go to the previous page using the Backspace button. To enable a particular add-on, you need to press the Alt key and some number. Any addition will start. The main thing is to remember what number everything is on. And so on. Hotkeys unleash the full potential of this Internet browser. So it’s definitely worth studying them.

What if I have a laptop?

There may be some nuances here, because the laptop keyboard has a special function key that includes hot keys provided by the manufacturer. Therefore, key combinations for laptops may differ from those used on personal computers. However, keyboard shortcuts for laptops can be determined by eye. The fact is that each functional button has an inscription or image in a color different from the main one. That is, the image shows what will happen if you press this key in combination with a function key.

Thus, laptops look much more convenient in this regard, since they already have their own hotkey system. The user just needs to carefully study the device's keyboard and practice a little. After this, controlling the laptop using hot keys will seem as simple as using a mouse. You just need to make sure that these commands will not conflict with standard keyboard shortcuts in Windows. Otherwise, not a single command (neither “laptop” nor “system”) will work.

Conclusion

So, we understand what full-screen mode key is in the Windows operating system itself and in various software products. If everything is more or less clear with the system and there is at least some stability, then with utilities everything is not so simple. Each program has its own set of hotkeys. Therefore, the key combinations that enable full-screen mode can be completely different. There is only one way out: study the documentation that comes with the software product. You can, of course, try the “scientific poking method,” but nothing good will come of it. So stock up on the necessary literature and patience.

Many game lovers love to play in windowed mode. And at work, in order to hide from the boss that you are playing, many people prefer to play in a window, so that if something happens they can quickly switch to another window with the mouse. Or older games are much more convenient to play in a window because the maximum resolution is not too high. I suggest ways to switch to windowed mode. Try it, don't be shy. One just for you:

So, ways to switch to windowed mode:

1. The most primitive method– launch the game, and then press ALT and Enter together. Some games react to this combination as if they were calling to switch to windowed mode.

2. A more complicated method. Create a shortcut on the game desktop, unless of course it already exists.

Right-click on the shortcut 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, instead of “-window” write “-full screen”.

3. Built-in method. There is no need to invent anything here. Many games, especially modern ones, already support running games in windowed mode by default. Just find the desired item in the settings and check the box.

4. If all else fails. Well, here you need to search on a special game forum or just on the Internet to see if a particular game runs. Usually, if a windowed mode is built into a game, the developer trumpets it everywhere – especially on the game’s website.

5. If the game starts to slow down in windowed mode - go to full screen mode. This means either your computer can’t handle the game (strangely enough, games in a window may require even more resources) or the game can’t handle the computer (the developer simply didn’t optimize or perhaps didn’t even test the game in windowed mode).

In this article, I will show you how you can expand a window to full screen and what keyboard shortcuts to use for this on Windows 7, 10 and MAC. The widespread introduction of the computer mouse into everyday use was a revolutionary innovation that greatly simplified the use of a personal computer. Today, most users use this device to navigate the system and enter simple commands. However, all common operating systems allow you to perform these essential tasks without using a mouse.

As practice shows, knowing certain key combinations allows you to expand a window to full screen at a faster rate, which has a positive effect on overall productivity. Once you get used to it, performing common tasks using short keyboard shortcuts will seem more convenient than moving the mouse.

The transition to using a keyboard to perform routine operations is most common among programmers, webmasters and representatives of other professions whose work requires entering a large amount of information. Among the significant advantages of this approach, it is worth highlighting the following.

When you use hotkeys to maximize a window to fill the entire monitor, you don't have to focus on the mouse, which makes the task much easier, especially in the long run. The point is that entering text or commands using the keyboard requires the use of a certain part of the brain. Using a mouse involves slightly different areas because it works fundamentally differently. Therefore, there is not only a waste of time physically moving the hand to the side, but also a switching of attention to another area of ​​activity. From the point of view of an ordinary user, this is not critical, but for a professional who spends hours at the computer, it can be quite significant.

How to minimize/maximize an application window

As an example of such keyboard manipulations, consider minimizing/maximizing an application from windowed mode to full screen and back. Moreover, due to the peculiarities of the functioning of a particular operating system, the key combinations will be slightly different, while the principle itself will be approximately the same.

Open on Windows 7 and Windows 10

Windows 7 and 10 OS are the most common versions of the operating system, and therefore it is worth starting to consider the issue with them. So, in order to minimize or maximize the window of any running application, you need to simultaneously press the “ Win"(with an image of the system logo, it is located closer to the lower left corner of the keyboard) and up/down arrows. The application will change its display from windowed to full screen.

The same effect can be achieved in another way. It is somewhat longer, but some may find it more convenient. You must simultaneously press Alt+Space, in the context window that appears, use the arrows to select the required action, and then confirm it with the key Enter.

Maximizing the window in MAC OS

On the Apple operating system, the algorithm of actions will be approximately the same. You must press the keys simultaneously Command+Power. Depending on the situation, the combination will either minimize the active application to windowed mode or expand it to a full-screen display version.

Using the “hot keys” described above, you can significantly simplify expanding a window to full screen, as well as increase the efficiency and speed of actions performed. By the way, there are quite a lot of similar combinations, so there is always room for improvement.