Borderless Gaming is a tool that allows you to force games into a borderless window. This provides smoother alt-tabbing, better multi-monitor support, and a more seamless experience compared to traditional fullscreen modes.

This guide explains how to use the latest version of Borderless Gaming, highlights what has changed, and answers common questions.


Some games only offer either windowed or exclusive fullscreen, or their built-in borderless option may not work reliably. Borderless Gaming is especially useful in the following cases:

• Games that only support exclusive fullscreen and do not have a working borderless mode.
  
• Games with windowed or borderless options that behave incorrectly or inconsistently.
  
• Games that do not remember your fullscreen choice between runs (for example, Castlevania Advance Collection).
  
• Older titles that have compatibility issues when using their native fullscreen implementations on modern Windows versions.
  
• Streaming or recording, where borderless windows make capture more stable and reliable.

Old version:

New version:

1. Install Borderless Gaming from Steam.
   
2. Launch it from your Steam Library to finish installation
   
3. The program opens in a window and runs in the background.

Tip: You can minimize Borderless Gaming to the tray and it will keep running when the "Close to Tray" option is enabled.

The new version of Borderless Gaming does not automatically import your old configuration, but you can easily transfer your settings using the official conversion tool.

Here's how:

1. Visit the official tool at: https://borderlessgam.ing/
   
2. Follow the instructions to convert your old profile.
   
3. Import the resulting profile files into the Borderless Gaming interface.

Use this button to import the profile file you downloaded from the conversion tool.

• Global Shortcuts
  
  • Win+F6: Make the currently focused window borderless
    
  • Win+ScrollLock: Hide the mouse cursor
    
  • ScrollLock: Lock the mouse inside the currently focused window
  
  
• App Container Upscaling
  
  • Ctrl+Shift+Plus: Scale up the window
    
  • Ctrl+Shift+Minus: Scale down the window
    
  • Ctrl+Shift+0: Reset scaling to default

Tip: You can also find reminders of these shortcuts throughout the guide where they're most relevant.

Let's take a quick look at the interface so you know what each section does.

Borderless Gaming User Interface

• Social: Links to the Borderless Gaming community and support resources.
  
• Applications: Shows all windows and games currently running. You can move items from here into Profiles.
  
• Profiles: Stores saved settings for your games, including borderless mode, auto-maximize, and custom sizes.
  
• Help: Quick access to documentation and support information.
  
• Settings: Global program settings, including startup behavior.

To use Borderless Gaming, first make sure your game is running in windowed mode.
This is required for all of the methods below.

Castlevania Anniversary Collection running in Windowed Mode

Focus your game window and press the Win+F6: keyboard keys, as described in the Hotkeys & Shortcuts guide section.

1. Find the game in the Applications list and click the Options button (three vertical dots) next to the game.

   

   Note: In this same menu you can select Hide This Process to permanently hide it from the list. Useful in cases where a process is not a game and you don't want it to clutter the applications list in the future.

2. Select Make Borderless.

This immediately applies borderless mode, but it is temporary. The setting will not be remembered after you close the game.

Profiles are saved settings that remember how you want a game to start every time. They can include borderless mode, auto-maximize, custom sizes, and more.

Using Profiles is generally the recommended approach because it ensures your preferences persist across multiple launches.

1. The same way as in the previous Quick Method method, find the game in the Applications list and click the Options button (three vertical dots) next to the game.
   
2. Hover over Create Profile to open the submenu. You will see three options:
   
   
   

   

   
   
   • Using Process Binary Name: Recommended for most games. Matches the running executable directly, making it robust against changes in window titles.
     
   • Using Window Title Text: Matches the window by its exact title. Works for games with static, unchanging titles.
     
   • Using Window Title Text (RegEx): Matches the window title using a regular expression. Useful if the window title changes frequently, but requires some knowledge of regex.
   
   
3. Click the option that best fits your game.
   
4. Enable created profile in Profiles section so the game always starts in borderless mode.

Tip: If you want to learn more about regular expressions or test them, you can use an online regex tester such as https://regex101.com/.

Note: Profiles allow more advanced options and extended configuration. See the next section for a detailed explanation.

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Regardless of the method you chose to make the Window borderless, your game window should now be displayed without borders like this:

Castlevania Anniversary Collection now running in Borderless Fullscreen

This section explains how to fine-tune Profiles created if you used the Option 2: Using Profiles method in the previous section and use advanced options to get the best borderless experience.

Note: In this section you can also adjust how the game is detected, which was initially configured when creating the Profile. You can change the match type if the default method doesn't work as expected. To remove a Profile entirely, press the Delete Profile button at the bottom.

• Profile Name: Type a descriptive name for your profile here.
  
• Match Type: Choose whether to match by process name, window title, or using a regular expression.
  
• Match Text: Type the process name, window title, or regex pattern to match the desired window.

This section controls how Borderless Gaming resizes and positions your game window. Here you can choose whether the game fills the screen, uses a custom resolution, or stays at its current size. You can also specify which monitor the game should appear on, useful for multi-monitor setups or when you want a consistent layout between sessions.

• Size / Position: Select how to position and size the window.
  
  • No Change: Keeps the current window size.

    

  • Fullscreen: Fills the entire monitor.

    

  • Custom Size: Define width and height.

    

• Use Current Monitor: When checked, the app will remain on the monitor it's currently on.
  
• Target Monitor: Dropdown to select which monitor to display the window on.

The Advanced Options menu is where most of the powerful new features of Borderless Gaming are located.

If you've used older versions before, you'll notice that many improvements and tweaks have been consolidated here. These options allow for fine-tuning behavior, solving compatibility issues, and customizing how games interact with your desktop.

• Remove menus: Removes all menus from the window, providing a cleaner interface.
  
  • Before:

    Notice the native Windows menus at the top

  • After:

    Enabling the option removes these menus

• Hide Windows Taskbar: Hides the Windows taskbar when the application is running.
  
• Clip Cursor: Restricts the cursor to the game window, preventing it from moving outside the game area.
  
• Always on Top: Keeps the window on top of other windows, even when not focused.
  
• Hide Mouse Cursor: Hides the mouse cursor while the application is active.
  
• Mute in Background: Mutes the application when it's not the active window.
  
• Borderless Delay (seconds): Sets a delay before applying borderless mode, Useful for games that need time to initialize.

Configures the background container for the application window.

• Container Type: Select the type of background for the application container:
  
  • None: No background container will be used.

    

  • Image: Use an image as the background for the container.

    

  • Color: Use a solid color as the background for the container.

    

  • Gradient: Use a gradient as the background for the container.

    

The following keyboard hotkeys are available when using containers:

• Ctrl+Shift+Plus: Scale up the window
  
• Ctrl+Shift+Minus: Scale down the window
  
• Ctrl+Shift+0: Reset scaling to default

Tip: Image, Color and Gradient Container Types may only work if you've selected No Change or Custom Size under Size in the Basic Profile Settings.

This section contains destructive actions. The main option here lets you permanently delete the Profile you are editing.

Use this carefully; once a Profile is deleted, its settings cannot be recovered!

• Delete Profile: Removes the Profile entirely. This action cannot be undone, so make sure you really want to delete it before clicking.

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Tip: It is recommended to set Borderless Delay (seconds) under the Advanced Options section to at least 2-3 seconds. Some games resize their window during startup, and a small delay ensures Borderless Gaming applies the borderless mode correctly. This setting is harmless even if not strictly needed, and it can prevent common issues with games that initialize slowly.

These tips cover general recommendations for using Borderless Gaming effectively.

• Always switch the game itself to windowed mode first. This is required for Borderless Gaming to work correctly. You'll usually find this option under Graphics, Video, or Display Settings in the game's menu.
  
• If the game already supports borderless natively, use that option instead if it doesn't present issues.
  
• For OBS and other capture tools work best with borderless mode because it avoids capture issues that can happen with exclusive fullscreen.
  
• Ultrawide users: Use custom resizing if a game does not support your resolution or distorts the image.
  
• For games that dynamically resize windows or show multiple popups on startup, using Profiles is recommended over the Quick Method for reliability.
  
• Restart Borderless Gaming if you change system resolution or monitors to ensure all windows are detected correctly.

This section answers common questions and provides solutions to typical issues users may encounter while using Borderless Gaming.

Q: Can I run Borderless Gaming without Steam?
A: Yes. If you enable the Run on Startup option Borderless Gaming will start with Windows without using Steam. You can also run the executable directly any time, and it will work completely independently of Steam.

Q: Why does Borderless Gaming need to run as administrator?
A: Some games run with elevated permissions, and Borderless Gaming needs the same level of access to properly detect and manipulate their windows. Without administrator rights, it may not work with those games.

Q: I changed some Profile options but nothing happened. Why?
A: Borderless Gaming applies most settings only once, when it first makes the game borderless. If the procedure has already been applied, or if the game is already running, changes may not take effect right away. In these cases, you'll usually need to restart the game for the updated Profile settings to apply.

Q: My game does not appear in Applications.
A: First, make sure the game is set to windowed mode; Borderless Gaming cannot detect exclusive fullscreen windows. Try clicking on the game window and moving it slightly to confirm that it is truly in windowed mode. If it still doesn't appear, restart Borderless Gaming.

Some games use multiple processes, which can confuse automatic detection. In those cases, manually create a Profile and use Process Binary Name to ensure the correct process is matched every time.

Q: Performance dropped after enabling borderless.
A: This is not caused by Borderless Gaming itself. Some games run slightly better in exclusive fullscreen due to how Windows handles rendering and GPU optimization. Unfortunately, there is usually no workaround if maximum performance is required.

Q: Will using Borderless Gaming trigger anticheat or bans?
A: Borderless Gaming does not inject code into games and generally does not trigger anticheat systems. However, some games are very sensitive to window manipulation, so check the official game support or forums if you play online multiplayer.

Q: The borderless conversion happens too early and the game resizes afterward.
A: Set the Borderless Delay option in Advanced Options to at least 2–3 seconds to allow the game to finish initializing before applying borderless.


Q: Will borderless mode affect screen capture or streaming software?
A: Borderless mode usually works better with OBS, XSplit, and other capture tools than exclusive fullscreen. Some older games may require adjustments in the capture software settings.

Q: Can I temporarily disable a Profile without deleting it?
A: Yes. you can uncheck or disable the Profile in the Profiles section to prevent it from being applied without removing your settings.


Q: I accidentally hid a game process and now it doesn’t appear in the Applications list. How can I restore it?
A: Yes, you can restore hidden applications by pressing the options button (Three vertical dots) in the Applications section and selecting Manage WinIgnore. This opens a window where you can view all hidden applications and unhide the ones you want to appear again.



Q: The game window displays black borders around it after making it borderless, is there a way to fix it?
A: Yes. This is caused due to some games not playing well with modifying their window area. This can be fixed by enabling the Preserve client area size option in the Profile Window settings section.

Before

After

If you need help with Borderless Gaming, want to share feedback, or just stay updated, these links will point you in the right direction:

• Official Borderless Gaming Discord[discord.com]
  
• Steam Discussions for Borderless Gaming
  
• Official GitHub Repository[github.com]
  
• Developer contact[andrew.im]

Thanks for reading and I hope this guide can be useful. If you have questions or have suggestions for improvements, feel free to leave a comment!