To make League of Legends full screen, press Escape while in a game, open the Video tab, set Window Mode to Full Screen, and click Apply. The Riot Client lobby has no display mode setting. You can only change it from inside a match, the Practice Tool, or a custom game.
The shortcut Alt+Enter also toggles between Full Screen and Windowed once you're in a game.
How to Change Window Mode Step by Step
- Launch a game. The Practice Tool works if you don't want to queue for a full match.
- Once you're on the loading screen or in the game itself, press Escape to open the options menu.
- Click the Video tab.
- Under Window Mode, pick Full Screen, Borderless, or Windowed.
- Set Resolution to your monitor's native resolution (for example, 1920x1080 on a standard 1080p monitor). This avoids black-border and black-screen issues in Full Screen mode.
- Click Apply. The client briefly reloads and the new mode sticks for every future match.
You only need to do this once. League remembers the setting across sessions and patches.
Full Screen vs Borderless vs Windowed
All three modes work. The real differences are alt-tab speed and a marginal input lag gap that doesn't matter for most players.
| Mode | Alt-tab speed | Input lag | Streaming capture | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Screen | Slow (1–3 seconds) | Lowest | Some capture tools miss it | Competitive play on older hardware |
| Borderless | Instant | ~2–3 ms higher than Full Screen | Works with every capture tool | Streamers, multi-monitor setups, anyone who alt-tabs |
| Windowed | Instant | Same as Borderless | Works | Troubleshooting, non-standard resolutions |
A note on the input lag question: Windows Fullscreen Optimizations are on by default, and per Microsoft's own DirectX blog, this makes "exclusive" fullscreen games run through the desktop compositor anyway. In a PCWorld benchmark on Cyberpunk 2077, Full Screen hit 77.6 fps versus 77.2 fps for Borderless on the same hardware, basically identical. At League's usual 200+ fps, the sub-millisecond input lag gap is not something you'll feel. Pick based on whether you alt-tab or stream, not based on FPS dogma.
Fullscreen Not Working? Fixes in Order
Work through these top to bottom. Most "fullscreen is broken" reports trace to the first fix.
1. Match Your Resolution to Your Monitor
This is the single most common cause. If your in-game resolution is lower than your monitor's native resolution, Full Screen mode displays the game in a small box with black borders around it, which looks like fullscreen didn't work. Open Video settings in-game and set Resolution to your monitor's native value (the highest option is almost always correct).
2. Disable Windows Fullscreen Optimizations
Riot's official fix for fullscreen lag and flickering. Steps from the current Riot support article:
- Open File Explorer and navigate to
C:\Riot Games\League of Legends\Game\ - Right-click League of Legends.exe and select Properties
- Click the Compatibility tab
- Check Disable fullscreen optimizations
- Click Apply, then OK
Heads up: Riot patches the game executable regularly, and a patch can reset this setting. If you rely on it, reapply after major patches. The same tab also has a global "Disable fullscreen optimizations" option under Settings > System > Display > Graphics in Windows 11 that persists across patches.
3. Update Your GPU Driver
Fullscreen issues often appear after a Windows Update pushes a driver that clashes with an older GPU driver. Grab the latest driver from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel's site (not Windows Update) and reboot.
4. Close Conflicting Overlays
Discord overlay, GeForce Experience overlay, and OBS game capture can all block exclusive fullscreen. Disable each one and test. If Full Screen starts working, turn them back on one at a time to find the culprit.
5. Edit game.cfg as a Fallback
If the in-game menu refuses to save your Window Mode choice, set it manually in the config file.
- Close League and the Riot Client completely.
- Open
C:\Riot Games\League of Legends\Config\game.cfgin Notepad. - Find
WindowMode=under the[General]section and set the value you want:
| Value | Mode |
|---|---|
0 | Full Screen |
1 | Borderless |
2 | Windowed |
- Save the file.
- Right-click
game.cfg> Properties > check Read-only > OK. If you skip this, the game may overwrite your edit on the next launch.
The enum values are community-documented (consistent since 2013) rather than officially published by Riot. Use the in-game menu as the primary method; game.cfg editing is for when that menu is broken.
Why the Riot Client Lobby Has No Fullscreen Setting
The Riot Client, which includes the launcher, lobby, and champion select interface, doesn't expose display settings at all. Everything related to Window Mode, resolution, brightness, and colorblind mode lives in the in-game client, the one that loads after champion select locks in. This has been the case across every major Riot Client version through early 2026.
If you want the Riot Client lobby to take up more of your screen, the only option is to drag its edges to resize the window manually. There is no hidden shortcut and no config flag that makes the lobby go fullscreen.
How to Make League Full Screen on Mac
Same menu path: Escape > Video > Window Mode > Full Screen. macOS doesn't support DirectX exclusive fullscreen. The Mac client uses Apple's Metal API, so Full Screen on Mac behaves more like Borderless does on Windows.
One known quirk on Retina displays: running a non-native resolution can cause the cursor position and camera to drift out of sync. The fix is to use Borderless at the monitor's native resolution. League supports macOS 10.15 (Catalina) and later as of 2026, including Apple Silicon Macs via Rosetta 2.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Alt+Enter still work in League of Legends? Yes. It toggles between Full Screen and Windowed in-game. It is not listed on the official LoL wiki hotkey page because it's a Windows DirectX convention, not a game-defined binding, but it has worked reliably for years.
Is Full Screen or Borderless better for League? Full Screen has a marginal input lag edge that isn't perceptible at League's framerates. Borderless is better for anyone who alt-tabs, streams, or runs multiple monitors. There's no wrong answer for a typical player.
Why does my screen go black when I switch to Full Screen? Almost always a resolution or refresh rate mismatch. Open Video settings and set Resolution to your monitor's native value. If that doesn't fix it, update your GPU driver and try again.
Does disabling fullscreen optimizations actually help? Yes for some hardware and driver combinations, particularly after Windows Updates introduce stutter or input lag. It's safe to try and reversible in one click.
Can I set fullscreen before a game starts? No. The setting lives in the in-game client, not the Riot Client lobby. Set it once in a Practice Tool match and it sticks for every future game.
Does this apply to Teamfight Tactics? Yes. TFT runs on the same client as League, so the Window Mode setting applies to both. Change it in any TFT match and it carries over to Summoner's Rift and vice versa.
