Valorant ยท display
Valorant: fullscreen, borderless, or windowed
In Valorant set display mode under Settings > Video > Display Mode: Fullscreen, Fullscreen Windowed (borderless), or Windowed. Fullscreen gives the GPU the whole monitor and can feel slightly steadier on a single screen. Fullscreen Windowed makes alt-tab, Discord, and a second monitor easier without a long black screen. Windowed is for experiments, not ranked. SmoothWizard does not switch Display Mode. Discord, NVIDIA, and Game Bar overlays are separate guides.
Display Mode is not an FPS booster. It is a trade between fast return to the desktop and giving the monitor fully to the game. Vanguard and deep anti-cheat topics stay out of this page.
Why it stutters
Exclusive fullscreen holds focus and often bypasses the Windows compositor, which can help on one monitor with overlays off. Fullscreen Windowed is a borderless desktop window: easier back to chat, stream, or a second screen, but overlay hooks still have a place to attach. Windowed with a title bar is usually the weakest competitive compromise. After changing mode, recheck mouse sensitivity - scaling can differ from Fullscreen.
Key points
- Single monitor, little alt-tab: start with Fullscreen. Frequent alt-tab or second screen: test Fullscreen Windowed.
- Overlays are a separate step. Borderless plus Discord overlay is two variables at once.
- SmoothWizard: Basic power plan, PRO process pause. Display Mode stays in-game.
- 1
Open Display Mode in Video
Esc > Settings > Video > Display Mode. Fullscreen is exclusive full screen. Fullscreen Windowed is borderless. Windowed only when you must move the window - not for ranked queue.
- 2
Test Fullscreen on your scene
Set Fullscreen. Run Deathmatch or Range for a few minutes. See whether you accept alt-tab (black screen can last longer on OLED or high Hz). No borrowed input ms.
- 3
Test Fullscreen Windowed
Switch to Fullscreen Windowed, same map and same V-Sync and FPS cap. Compare minimize return and strafe stability. Keep whichever mode feels more even locally.
- 4
Second monitor and shortcuts
With two monitors, borderless often makes moving the cursor to chat easier without alt-tab. Fullscreen can win when you turn the second screen off for the match. Workflow choice, not a forum rule.
- 5
Overlays separate from window mode
Discord overlay, NVIDIA In-Game Overlay, and Xbox Game Bar are disabled outside Valorant Video. Other guides cover order. Changing Display Mode does not replace turning overlays off.
- 6
SmoothWizard
Basic: Change power plan, RAM compression, FSO Legacy in Optimization. PRO: process pause when Valorant covers the monitor or the process is on the game detection list. The app does not click Display Mode or inject into the Riot client.
Notes
Valorant menu labels stay English (Display Mode, Fullscreen Windowed). Borderless in this text means Fullscreen Windowed. Vanguard block lists are a different topic than window mode.
FAQ
Click a question to show the answer. The first one is open.
Is borderless always higher latency?
Not as a fixed rule. Windows 11 optimizes game windows, so the gap can be small. Your test on the same map and whether alt-tab breaks flow matter more.
Does Fullscreen help against overlays?
It makes hooks harder but does not replace disabling Discord and NVIDIA App. Still turn overlays off in their panels.
Will SmoothWizard set Valorant fullscreen?
No. Optimize Games config (PRO) touches config files, not the Display Mode toggle in Video.
Is this a Vanguard guide?
No. Display Mode, alt-tab, and monitor workflow only. Anti-cheat and program blocks are a separate checklist.
