2 Easy Ways to Put League of Legends in Windowed Mode

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Seamlessly switch to windowed mode before or after starting LoL
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Most people play League of Legends on full screen because it optimizes performance, but windowed mode can be better under some circumstances. It's easier to access other windows and apps while playing, and it can also improve performance a bit, because sometimes switching from game to desktop hurts the CPU usage. [1] Switching to windowed mode is very straightforward.

Things You Should Know

  • Start LoL, press “Esc” to open the game settings, click the “Video” tab, then select the drop-down option “Windowed.”
  • Before you start your game, navigate to “C:\Riot Games\League of Legends” in your files and open the LoL game folder.
  • Open the “Configuration” folder, find the “Game.cfg” file, and change “WindowMode=0” to “WindowMode=1.”
Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Changing Modes In-Game

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  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c6\/Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-1-Version-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-1-Version-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/c6\/Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-1-Version-5.jpg\/v4-728px-Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-1-Version-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Press “Esc” to bring up the Settings window.
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/8d\/Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-2-Version-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-2-Version-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/8d\/Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-2-Version-5.jpg\/v4-728px-Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-2-Version-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Select “Windowed” rather than “Fullscreen” or “Borderless.”
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  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/a8\/Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-3-Version-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-3-Version-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/a\/a8\/Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-3-Version-5.jpg\/v4-728px-Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-3-Version-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    You can toggle between fullscreen and windowed modes while playing by using the shortcut Alt+Enter. [2]
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Changing the Configuration File

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  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/f\/f0\/Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-4-Version-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-4-Version-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/f0\/Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-4-Version-5.jpg\/v4-728px-Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-4-Version-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    The default location is C:\Riot Games\League of Legends.
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/b\/bc\/Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-5-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-5-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/bc\/Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-5-Version-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-5-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Open Game.cfg in Notepad.
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/1c\/Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-6-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-6-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/1\/1c\/Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-6-Version-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-6-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Change the 0 to 1. Save the file.
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/6\/62\/Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-7-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-7-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/62\/Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-7-Version-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Play-League-of-Legends-in-Windowed-Mode-Step-7-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    It should be in windowed mode. Adjust the screen resolution to make the window smaller.
    • You may have to restart the game to apply these changes.
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  • Question
    How can I hide League of Legends quickly using taskbar hide?
    Community Answer
    Alt+F4 is your best option. Be aware that if you do this for a long period of time, you could be disconnected from the game and get an AFK penalty from the LeaverBuster system, so only start a League of Legends game if you are absolutely certain you won't be interrupted.
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      References

      1. ↑ http://gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/54850/why-do-some-players-play-league-of-legends-in-window-mode
      2. ↑ http://www.autohotkey.com/board/topic/111737-how-to-make-ahk-work-in-most-games-the-basics

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