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How to Fix VALORANT Crashes After Changing Display Settings

If VALORANT crashes after a display change, restore Windows' recommended resolution, test an in-game resolution and use windowed mode if fullscreen fails.

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If VALORANT started crashing or showing a black screen after you changed resolution or display mode, first restore the Windows display to its Recommended resolution, then try a supported resolution in VALORANT. If fullscreen is the point where it fails, test windowed mode. These are reversible checks—not proof that a particular setting caused the crash.

1. Restore the Windows display resolution

  1. Open Settings > System > Display.
  2. If more than one monitor is connected, select the display VALORANT uses.
  3. Under Display resolution, choose the option marked Recommended, then confirm the change if Windows asks.
  4. Restart VALORANT and check whether it launches normally.

Windows resolution and VALORANT’s in-game resolution are separate settings. Microsoft recommends the display option marked Recommended. A lower-than-native resolution may look less sharp or appear small, centered, bordered, or stretched; an unexpected resolution change can also indicate a driver issue. Microsoft’s display settings guide covers Windows 10 and 11. Microsoft says Windows 10 support ended October 14, 2025.

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2. Choose a supported VALORANT resolution

If the game opens, select a supported resolution in its video settings. Riot’s resolution list includes common 16:9 options such as 1920×1080 and 2560×1440, along with other aspect ratios; the list is not exhaustive. Riot recommends 16:9 for an optimal experience, but does not say that every other ratio is unsupported. See Riot’s supported-resolution guidance.

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3. Switch to windowed mode if fullscreen fails

If VALORANT launches but goes black, freezes, or crashes when you enter fullscreen, switch to windowed mode and test again. Riot specifically warns that fullscreen problems may occur at some supported 5:4, 16:10, and 21:9 resolutions, and recommends windowed mode for those cases. This is a compatibility test, not a guarantee that fullscreen is the cause or that every non-16:9 display will have trouble.

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4. Lower video settings if the game stays open

If you can reach the video menu, reduce graphics options and test stability. Riot’s general crash guide suggests starting with low settings; it does not identify these values as a display-specific fix. Where practical, change one option at a time so you can tell whether it affects the symptom.

  • Set material, texture, detail, and UI quality to low.
  • Turn off VSync, anti-aliasing, vignette, bloom, distortion, and first-person shadows.
  • Set anisotropic filtering to 1x.

Riot describes lowering video settings as one troubleshooting option for crashes, not a guaranteed solution. Read Riot’s crash troubleshooting guide.

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5. Check graphics drivers and game-setting overrides

Try this branch if the problem persists after restoring a sensible resolution, or if the display changed unexpectedly. Riot notes that graphics drivers can include bug fixes and optimizations, and that profiles in NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD graphics software can override game settings. Updating the driver or restoring those profiles to defaults may help, but neither is a guaranteed fix.

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  1. Press Win+R, type dxdiag, and press Enter.
  2. Open the Display tab to identify the graphics adapter.
  3. Use the appropriate graphics vendor’s official support route to check for a current driver.
  4. If you have changed settings in NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD graphics software, restore that application’s settings to defaults and test VALORANT again.

Riot’s crash guidance emphasizes driver updates, particularly when installing a new graphics card or using a new computer. You do not need a third-party driver-updater utility for these checks.

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6. Troubleshoot Alt+Tab only if switching apps triggers the problem

If VALORANT freezes, stutters, or behaves unusually specifically after you press Alt+Tab, use Riot’s separate advice for that symptom. Try changing Windows multitasking so Alt+Tab shows only open windows, and test the game’s Disable fullscreen optimizations compatibility option. These are targeted checks for app-switching problems, not default fixes for every crash after a display change. See Riot’s Alt+Tab troubleshooting steps.

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7. Contact Riot support if the crash continues

A crash after a display change does not, by itself, establish the cause. If the steps above do not resolve it, contact Riot support and provide details that help distinguish a launch failure from a fullscreen or app-switching issue:

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  • The exact resolution or display setting you changed, and what it was changed from and to.
  • Whether the game crashes on launch, when entering fullscreen, or only after Alt+Tab.
  • Your Windows version, monitor model and resolution, graphics adapter, and driver version.
  • Any error message or code, and whether the crash began after a driver or Windows update.

Riot’s crash guide also advises checking that the PC meets VALORANT’s minimum requirements.

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