Game on one screen. Everything else on the other.
Second Screen Gaming keeps your games running, audible and controllable while you use another monitor.
What keeps working
Click anything on your other screen. The game carries on.
Controller
Stays with the game while you click elsewhere
Experimental
One Xbox-compatible controller, through XInput or Windows Gaming Input.
Audio
Keeps playing when the game loses focus
Built in
And can follow the game to its screen's own speakers.
Focus
Keeps the game running and unpaused
Built in
Answers a lost focus the way switching back would.
Window
Borderless on the screen you choose
Built in
Every launch, and it waits for that screen if it is unplugged.
Guides
Fixes for the problems two-screen players run into
- Controller stops working when the game loses focus? Why a game ignores your controller the moment you click another window, the free fixes worth trying first, and how to keep the pad driving the game while you use your second screen.
- Game minimizes when you click your second monitor? Why fullscreen games minimize the moment you click another screen, the free fixes that usually work, and how to keep the game borderless on its own monitor every time it starts.
- Game audio stops when you alt-tab? Why games mute themselves when they lose focus, the settings and config lines that turn it off in Source and Unreal games, and how to keep the sound playing in any game while you use another monitor.
- How to use your second monitor while gaming What goes wrong when you click another screen mid-game, from minimizing to muted audio and a dead controller, and how to fix each one so the game keeps going while you browse, chat or watch.
- How to play a game on your second monitor How to get a game to open on the monitor you want, the Windows and launch option tricks that work for free, and how to keep it on that screen every time it starts.
- Keep a game running when it loses focus Why games pause, freeze or slow down when you click another window, the engine settings and Windows options that help, and how to keep the game fully running while you use another monitor.
- Stop a game pausing when you alt-tab Why games open their pause menu the moment you alt-tab or click another screen, the settings that switch it off, and how to keep playing, or watching, while the game is not in front.
- Stop your mouse moving onto the second monitor while gaming Why the cursor drifts off a borderless game onto your other screen, the free workarounds, and how to keep the mouse on the game's monitor while you play and free it the moment you switch away.
- Per-game profiles that apply when the game starts Every game needs a different set of fixes. How Second Screen Gaming saves them per game, applies them the moment the game launches, and copies one game's setup to another.
Safety
Nothing it changes is out of reach of one switch.
No administrator rights
Everything runs as you, nothing is installed system-wide, and game executables and assets are never touched.
Every change undoable
Configuration files are backed up before the first edit, and turning a fix off puts back each setting it changed.
Anti-cheat aware
Where anti-cheat is detected, runtime assists are switched off. The borderless fit, which only moves the window, and configuration fixes stay available.
Questions
Before you get it
Which games does it work with?
Windows games it can catch while they run. Source and Unreal games, and games with a rule of their own, get fixes written into their configuration. Runtime assists, such as the borderless fit and the focus assist, work on games with a normal window, Unity games included. A game in exclusive fullscreen needs switching to windowed or borderless first.
Is it safe to use with online games?
Where anti-cheat is detected, runtime assists are switched off; the borderless fit and configuration fixes stay available, and nothing ever tries to get around anti-cheat. Controller assistance loads a helper into the game, which can break a game's terms of service or lead to a ban, so it asks for your acknowledgment before it can be turned on. Use it with single-player games.
Does it need administrator rights?
No. Everything runs as your own user, and nothing is installed system-wide.
Can I undo what it changes?
Yes. Turning a fix off is the same switch that turned it on. Configuration files are backed up before the first edit, and each setting is put back individually, so undoing one fix never undoes another.
Does it slow games down?
The main window closes completely when you are done with it. What stays running is a small tray agent that re-applies fixes as games start.
Which versions of Windows are supported?
64-bit Windows 10 and Windows 11.