Minecraft borderless windowed on any version, no minimizing
On Java Edition 26.3 and later, set Fullscreen on and Exclusive Fullscreen off and Minecraft is borderless. On 1.21.11 and older, where most modpacks live, fullscreen is exclusive and the game minimizes the moment you click another monitor, so you need a mod per instance or another way. Second Screen Gaming makes any version borderless on the screen you choose, at every launch, with no mod.
Borderless Minecraft on any version, every launch
Leave Minecraft's Fullscreen off, then turn on Second Screen Gaming's Run borderless on a chosen screen and pick the monitor. The frame is removed and Minecraft fills that screen at every launch, with no mod and no change to the game. It works the same with the official launcher, modpack launchers and any version, and waits for the screen if it is unplugged.
Prefer to keep Minecraft in its own fullscreen? Versions before 26.3 minimize themselves the way Keep the game from minimising itself is built to stop. It loads a small helper into the game, so open the app with Minecraft running to see whether that version can take it.
Why Minecraft minimizes when you click your second monitor
Until 26.3, Java Edition's fullscreen was exclusive: it was built to minimize and restore your desktop's display mode whenever the window lost focus. Click your other monitor or alt-tab and Minecraft gives the display back and minimizes itself. Borderless fullscreen in 26.3 and later, a borderless mod, or the borderless fit stops it.
Java Edition 26.3 and later
Borderless is built in. Open Options, Video Settings and set:
- Fullscreen: On. F11 toggles it.
- Exclusive Fullscreen: Off.
That is the default from 26.3 on. Exclusive Fullscreen still has its uses: Mojang notes that adaptive sync such as G-SYNC and FreeSync works with it, and it keeps the cursor inside the game. The price is the old alt-tab behavior. Versions 26.1 and 26.2 already had the Exclusive Fullscreen option, but a change there only takes effect after restarting the game.
Java Edition 1.21.11 and older
Fullscreen here is exclusive, so it minimizes when you click away. A mod adds a borderless choice, installed separately in every instance that needs it:
- Cubes Without Borders works on Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt and adds a Borderless choice to the Fullscreen setting.
- Borderless Window does the same on Forge and NeoForge.
Bedrock Edition
Minecraft for Windows has a single Fullscreen switch in Settings, Video, also on F11, and no separate borderless or exclusive choice. Leave it off to play in a window, and fit that window to your screen with the borderless fit above. If Bedrock pauses when you click away, see how to stop Minecraft pausing when you alt-tab.
Common questions
How do I stop Minecraft minimizing when using a second screen?
Play it borderless instead of in exclusive fullscreen. On 26.3 and later, turn Exclusive Fullscreen off; on older versions, use a borderless mod or Second Screen Gaming's borderless fit, which needs no mod.
Does borderless lower FPS in Minecraft?
It can. Minecraft draws with OpenGL, and a windowed OpenGL game is passed through the Windows compositor. Sodium's own settings warn that borderless can cost performance while exclusive can lower latency. On a capable PC the difference is often small, so try both.
How do I stop the mouse going to my other monitor?
Exclusive Fullscreen in 26.3 and later keeps the cursor inside the game. In borderless or windowed mode, use Keep the mouse on this screen: see how to lock your mouse to one monitor.