Elden Ring alt-tab black screen? Fix it for good
The black screen after alt-tabbing out of Elden Ring comes from fullscreen mode: set System, Graphics, Screen Mode to Borderless Windowed and it goes away. What borderless does not fix is the rest of a two-monitor setup: Elden Ring has no monitor setting, and its cursor can slip onto your other screen mid-fight. Second Screen Gaming puts it on the screen you choose at every launch and keeps the cursor there.
Keep Elden Ring on its screen, cursor included
Second Screen Gaming's Run borderless on a chosen screen puts Elden Ring on the monitor you pick at every launch and fills it, and waits if that screen is unplugged. Keep the mouse on this screen holds the cursor on Elden Ring's monitor while you play and frees it the moment you alt-tab.
Elden Ring uses Easy Anti-Cheat, so the app turns off everything that would load into the game. The borderless fit and the mouse lock only move and resize the window and hold the cursor the way Windows itself does, so they stay available.
Why Elden Ring goes black when you alt-tab
In fullscreen mode, Elden Ring has to rebuild the display when you come back to it, and that is where the black screen comes from. Borderless Windowed skips that, and also lifts the 60 Hz limit fullscreen has on PC.
Fix the alt-tab black screen
- Open System, Graphics.
- Set Screen Mode to Borderless Windowed.
- Set the resolution to your monitor's.
Alt-tab is now instant and the game comes back without a black screen. Borderless also runs at your monitor's full refresh rate, where fullscreen is capped at 60 Hz.
Moving Elden Ring and the cursor by hand
Elden Ring has no monitor setting. Windows key + Shift + Left or Right arrow moves it, but it can drift back on the next launch. The game has no cursor setting either, so with two monitors the cursor can click your desktop in the middle of a fight.
If the mouse stops responding entirely after you alt-tab, opening and closing the Steam overlay with Shift+Tab usually brings it back.
Common questions
Does Elden Ring pause when you alt-tab?
No. Elden Ring has no real pause, so the world keeps going while you look at your other screen, enemies included. Stand somewhere safe first. In fullscreen it also goes silent while you are tabbed out, one more reason to play borderless.
Is it safe to use tools with Elden Ring's anti-cheat?
Never use anything that changes or loads into the game while you play online. Second Screen Gaming detects anti-cheat and switches off its runtime assists for that game. Check the game's terms before using any tool with it.
Why does my controller stop working after alt-tab in Elden Ring?
Players report a button sometimes stops responding until they click the mouse once inside the game. Clicking into the game window first usually fixes it. See controller not working after alt-tab for more.
Why is Elden Ring capped at 60 FPS?
The game's own frame rate cap is 60. Borderless Windowed lifts only the 60 Hz display limit of fullscreen mode, not that cap.