Playing games with a limited screen space does not give that authentic gamer feel like the Full-screen maximized version. You would definitely agree to us that even though you play that way, but it takes some charm away. The following situation mainly arises with the latest Windows 10 update.

No matter how upgraded Windows 10 is, it keeps bringing some of the other silly issues for the users. The “Windows 10 not playing games Full-screen” is one of them. It mainly happens when you update the operating system. However, this is not a big issue and can be fixed quickly in a few minutes. Like most of the Windows 10 fixes we have previously covered, today we have again brought some exclusive fixes for “Windows 10 not playing games Full-screen.”

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What restricts games playing Full-screen on Windows 10?

Reasons that restricts playing games Full-screen on Windows 10:

  • Incorrect registry value.
  • Improper graphic and display setting.
  • Display card driver issues.
  • Improper NVIDIA control panel settings.

Some primary display and font setting changes too can quickly resolve “Windows 10 not playing games full-screen issue”. The working knowledge of the operating system and task manager controlling ability can help you eliminate the problem and play games on Full-screen.

Fixes for Windows 10 not playing games Full-screen

FIX 1- Adjust the screen resolution of Windows 10

The first and quickest fix we recommend you to try is adjusting the Windows 10 display resolution as per the game’s resolution. If your Windows 10 display resolution is 1024×768 and the game’s resolution is 1280×720, then you must match them both to 1280×720.

For changing the display resolution:

  • Right-click anywhere on the screen and click on the “Display settings” option.
  • The next window, by default, will open the display tab. Though if not, you can do so from the left pane on the same screen.
  • Now open the drop-down menu below the “Display resolution” tab and set the resolution same as the game’s setting.

After doing so, you may start playing games to check whether it displays on the full-screen mode. If not, try another method below.

FIX 2- Change Intel Graphic settings

  • Right-click anywhere on the screen and click on the “Intel Graphic Settings” option.
  • On the “Intel HD graphic settings” menu, open the tab “Display.”
  • Now on the next window, select the option “Scale Full-screen.”

FIX 3- Set display scaling up to 100%

Few of the PC games only work Full-screen when the display scaling is set to 100%. You can set the display scaling to 100% from the steps given below:

  • From the Settings window, go to the Display screen. Mostly, it is by default the first screen you may see.
  • Locate the option “Change the size of text, apps, and other items” and set it to 100% from the drop-down menu.

FIX 4- Change the NVIDIA control panel settings

For the NVIDIA Graphic card users, some changes in the NVIDIA control panel can fix the “Windows 10 not playing games full-screen” issue. For doing so:

  • Firstly, open the “NVIDIA Control panel” by right-clicking anywhere on the main screen.
  • Now expand the “3D settings” option and then highlight the “Manage 3D settings.”
  • It will open a menu on the right side of the screen. From here, click on “Global settings.”
  • Now below the “Preferred graphics processor” option, change “Auto-select” to “High-performance NVIDIA processor.”
  • Finally, click on “Apply” to make the changes applicable.

You can now start running the game in full-screen mode. However, for the users who own both “dedicated and integrated graphics,” adjusting the desktop size and position in the NVIDIA control panel may also be required. For doing so, follow the steps given below:

  • On the “NVIDIA control panel,” expand “Display” and then highlight “Adjust desktop size and position.”
  • On the next menu, locate the “Scaling” option.
  • Now click on the “No scaling” option and then select the tab “Apply” to save the changes.

After applying both the changes as mentioned above in the NVIDIA control panel, you would be able to run games on a full-screen mode in Windows 10.

FIX 5- Enable the direct play option on Windows 10

  • Firstly, on the taskbar search unit, type and select “Turn Windows feature on & off.”
  • Once the Windows feature menu opens, expand the option “Legacy component.”
  • Tick the checkbox located before the option “Direct play.”
  • Finally, click on OK to save the changes.

Once you are done modifying the settings, launch the game and try playing it on the full-screen mode to check if the fix works.

FIX 6-Use the compatibility mode

Running games in compatibility mode may help you get the full-screen access while playing them. Compatibility mode is a feature that lets you run old software on your computer. You might have to keep trying various compatibility modes before finding one that works well with your system.

However, keep in mind that the Compatibility mode is designed especially for old Windows and won’t work fully compatible with Windows 10.

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For using this mode, follow the steps given below:

  • Right-click on the problematic application and select the option “Properties.”
  • Now open the “Compatibility” tab and tick the checkbox located before the option “Run this program in compatibility mode for.”
  • From the drop-down menu, select the desired version of Windows and click on “Apply & OK” to save changes.

FIX 7- Change resolution in the Catalyst control center.

  • Firstly, open the “Catalyst control center” and locate the “Graphics/desktop and display”
  • On the Big screen model section, tap on the “Triangle” button, and click on “Properties.”
  • Now set the resolution to the lower one. Click on Save to confirm the changes.
  • Then go to the “Graphics/desktop and display” option and click on the small laptop triangle icon from the bottom left.
  • Lastly, form the various options available click on “Fullscreen” and then Save changes.

FIX 8- Modify Registry

Modifying registry on Windows 10 is one of the workable solutions when you are not able to play full-screen games on Windows 10.

  • Firstly, open the Run dialogue box by pressing Windows + R key altogether.
  • On the blank space, type “Regedit” and click on “OK.”
  • Follow the path “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\GraphicsDrivers\Configuration” to expand the keys.
  • Now on the Configuration tab, right-click and select Find.
  • On the new box type Scaling and click on “Find Next.”
  • On the right-side menu, double click on Scaling and then change the Value data to 3.
  • Finally, click on the “OK” button to apply the changed settings.

Important note: On Windows 10, the Registry key is a vital database. We recommend you back up the important files before you change any setting; else it may result in a severe system error.

FIX 9- Update the Graphic card drivers

  • Firstly, launch the Driver’s talent and perform a full system scan to locate the outdated Graphic Driver.
  • Now click on the Update button and for updating the best-matched Graphics drivers automatically.
  • Restart your computer to make the changes applicable.

Also, repair any broken, corrupted, damaged, or missing drivers if found.

FIX 10 – Run the game in Windowed mode

When the game you are playing comes with a configuration file or if you have set its configuration settings before starting it, it’s better that you set it in “Windowed mode.” Also, ensure that you select borderless Windows mode with the matching resolution as on your desktop.

Note: This particular fix might not necessarily work for all but it’s a workaround, and it could help a few to play their favorite game in full-screen mode.

Going through the article, you would have realized that fixing “Windows 10 not playing games in full-screen” mode is quite easy. We recommend you to try the first one first and jump on the other fixes later on. Also, some repairs might work for a lot of games but not for few in particular. Here in case, you must keep trying one after the other until you find the suitable one.

Remember that some older versions of games won’t be able to work on full-screen set-up because of their working mode and configuration. For making them work its recommended to run it on an older version of Windows. We hope you will find at least one fixes from the above mentioned ones helpful for solving the “Windows 10 not playing games full-screen” issue. If you have any queries or feedback, please write down the comment in the below comment box.