# Win 10 Multi-Screen: One window minimizes when I click on another?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-10-multi-screen-one-window-minimizes-when-i-click-on-another/945767>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 5, 2021, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-10-multi-screen-one-window-minimizes-when-i-click-on-another/945767 "2021-07-05T22:22:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2021, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-10-multi-screen-one-window-minimizes-when-i-click-on-another/945767/1 "2021-07-05T22:22:46Z")

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I have a desktop, running Windows 10, with two side-by-side monitors. Recently, I got back into some gaming after an invitation to a Discord server. So, on the left-hand screen, I’ll be running [BattleTech](https://harebrained-schemes.com/battletech/), while in the other I’ll have the Discord server’s chat room up and running to type some messages.

I’ll be in the middle of a game, and will click on the right-hand screen’s window to respond to something. The left-hand screen irritatingly minimizes to the desktop when I click, and I miss what’s going on. Is there some setting I’m not familiar with to keep **all** screens up when I switch between them?

This is becoming a serious tactical handicap. I’ll click to type, the game minimizes, and by the time I’m done and hit “Enter,” one of my Javelins takes an LRM-15 to the face, destroying it. I spend minutes trying to figure out what the hell happened, and it totally goofs up the game (and harshes my mellow, 'cause I’ve just lost a Mech and good pilot.)

Tripler  
I guess it’s what I get for using a Javelin to sensor-lock an Atlas.

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**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2021, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-10-multi-screen-one-window-minimizes-when-i-click-on-another/945767/2 "2021-07-06T18:41:18Z")

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This sounds like a [exclusive fullscreen](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/directx/demystifying-full-screen-optimizations/) behavior. If the game is configured in exclusive fullscreen, it doesn’t take into account any other monitors and assumes the only thing you’ll be interacting with is the game. (This used to be the only way to guarantee that the video subsystem was giving 100% of its attention to the game for maximum frames-per-second and using certain exotic performance features.) Activating another window makes the full-screen app switch away as if you had alt-tabbed away from it.

Look for a “windowed fullscreen” or “borderless window” setting for a game display that plays nicely with other windows.

If I’m understanding which game you’re playing correctly, maybe this is the right procedure?

> **[BATTLETECH - How to Play in Borderless Window Mode - MGW: Video Game Guides,...](https://www.magicgameworld.com/battletech-how-to-play-in-borderless-window-mode/)**
>
> The first thing you will need to do is add the command line parameters needed.

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**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2021, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-10-multi-screen-one-window-minimizes-when-i-click-on-another/945767/3 "2021-07-06T22:24:37Z")

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That is, in fact, the game I’m playing and the procedure worked like a champ! **Thank you!!**

Tripler  
I award you 2 x 2/3 King Crab in salvage.