A game minimizing when you click the second monitor is often normal behavior for exclusive fullscreen mode. The easiest fix is usually to run the game in Borderless Windowed mode so it can remain visible while another application has focus.
Change the game’s display mode
Open the game’s video or graphics settings and look for Fullscreen, Windowed, and Borderless/Borderless Windowed. Choose Borderless when available, apply the setting, and test by clicking an app on the second display.
Check the game before changing Windows
Some games deliberately minimize whenever they lose focus, while others have settings such as “pause on focus loss” or “minimize on focus loss.” Review the game’s own options and current support information first.
Disable overlays only when they are implicated
Steam, Discord, Xbox Game Bar, NVIDIA/AMD utilities, recording tools, and performance overlays can interact with fullscreen applications. Turn them off one at a time for testing rather than disabling everything permanently.
Verify display and graphics settings
Update the GPU driver from the hardware manufacturer, confirm the monitors use the intended resolution and refresh rate, and check whether the problem occurs in one game or every fullscreen application.
Utilities that force games to remain fullscreen can create input or anti-cheat problems, so prefer the game’s supported borderless mode. Windows 10 standard support ended in 2025; current games and graphics drivers increasingly target Windows 11.
Test with one monitor temporarily
If behavior remains unclear, disconnect or disable the second display for one test. That distinguishes a multi-monitor focus issue from a game that minimizes even on a single display.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.