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To make a compatible Steam game start in a window, open Library → right-click the game → Properties → General → Launch Options, enter -windowed, close Properties, and start the game. If that command has no effect, try -sw. These are game-dependent options, not universal Steam commands: Steam provides the field, but the game determines which parameters it recognizes.
Set a game to start in windowed mode
- Open Steam and select Library.
- Right-click the game you want to change and select Properties.
- On the General tab, locate the Launch Options field.
- Enter
-windowedusing a normal hyphen-minus, with no quotation marks. - Close the Properties window and launch the game.
Some Steam client versions or platforms may show slightly different labels; older instructions may call the control “Set launch options…”. This is the game’s launch-options field, not a setting for starting the Steam client itself. Valve advises checking the individual game’s documentation for supported options: Steam launch options and Steam’s game launch-options instructions.
Which launch option should you try?
Try one change at a time, launch the game, and check the result before adding another option. Separate multiple options with spaces.
| Purpose | Option to try | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Start in windowed mode | -windowed |
A common option, but only works when the game recognizes it. |
| Alternative windowed-mode switch | -sw |
Recognized by some games, including Garry’s Mod; it is not a Steam-wide standard. See Facepunch’s startup troubleshooting. |
| Set a smaller window, if supported | -windowed -w 1280 -h 720 |
-w and -h are game- or engine-dependent. A community guide lists examples at Steam Community; that does not make them valid for every title. |
Other example dimensions include -windowed -w 1600 -h 900 and -windowed -w 1920 -h 1080, if the game supports those switches. A lower resolution can help you reach the game’s display menu, but may make the image softer or text harder to read. Once you can access the menu, choose a suitable resolution there.
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If the game still opens fullscreen or ignores the option
- Check the text. Use the regular hyphen in
-windowed, not a long dash copied from formatted text. Remove accidental quotation marks or extra characters. - Try the fallback by itself. Replace the field with
-swand test again. Do not assume it is an interchangeable command for every game. - Test a resolution only if needed. Try
-windowed -w 1280 -h 720; if unsupported, remove it rather than piling on more unverified switches. - Remove conflicting options. Clear other display-related parameters and test with just one option. A saved game setting or configuration file may override startup parameters.
- Check the game’s own instructions. Consult its developer support page, manual, or documented launch-parameter list. Do not assume a command used by one engine or game works in another.
- Check any separate launcher. A third-party launcher may discard or handle Steam parameters differently. Look for display settings or startup arguments in that launcher as well.
- Use a documented reset procedure if necessary. If a graphics configuration appears to be forcing an unusable mode, follow the developer’s reset instructions. Avoid deleting unidentified files; back up configuration data or saves when the game’s guidance calls for it.
If a command makes the game fail to start, return to Properties → General → Launch Options, remove the added text, and try launching again. Some individual games document special recovery parameters—for example, Facepunch discusses -autoconfig for Garry’s Mod—but that is not a universal Steam fix.
Windowed, borderless, and fullscreen are different modes
- Windowed: The game appears in a desktop window, usually with borders, that can be moved and sometimes resized. The desktop or taskbar may remain visible.
- Borderless windowed: The game fills the monitor but behaves more like a window for switching between apps. The game must support this mode;
-windoweddoes not automatically enable it. - Exclusive fullscreen: The game takes control of the display mode, which can be involved in resolution, flickering, or black-screen problems.
- Windowed fullscreen: A game-specific label that may still fill the screen rather than behave like an ordinary bordered window. Developers can distinguish it from other display modes; see this Black Mesa announcement.
Some games use options such as -noborder or -popupwindow for particular display behaviors, but their meaning and availability vary. Do not add them unless the game’s documentation supports them. If the game starts but appears to fill the screen, check its display menu for separate Windowed, Borderless, and Fullscreen choices. A game-specific example of such command discussion appears in this Steam Community thread.
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When to use launch options—and when to change the game settings
A startup switch is useful when fullscreen prevents you from reaching the menu, the saved resolution is unusable, or the game flickers or crashes while opening in fullscreen. If the game launches normally, prefer its own display settings: those may expose resolution, refresh rate, monitor selection, and borderless mode more clearly. Steam’s Steam Link troubleshooting guidance likewise recommends changing the display setting inside the game when possible.
After recovering access, remove temporary switches from Launch Options and set the desired display mode in the game. This avoids leaving startup parameters in place that may conflict with later preferences.
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Steam Deck, Linux, and other launchers
The steps above describe the Steam desktop client; the visible Properties interface differs between Steam Deck Gaming Mode and Desktop Mode. On Linux or Steam Deck, Proton and the game can also affect whether a Windows-oriented switch is recognized. Consult the title’s platform-specific documentation rather than assuming the Windows behavior applies unchanged. If a game starts through another launcher, check that launcher’s graphics settings and documented argument handling too.
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