When launching a game or full-screen app, if another app is moving to a different location, this post will help you resolve it. Most games launch in full screen for the experience. However, if the rest of the apps move to the right or left, the experience is annoying. So let’s figure out how to fix the problem.
Why do the Apps move to the left or right?
When a full-screen app launches, it is set to a specific resolution. Some games adjust to the native resolution of the screen, while others use the setting set by the game or app developer. It doesn’t deliver the best graphics if forced to a different resolution.
When games launch with their resolution, and you are working on a dual screen, you should see part of the app or game on the second screen. Any other app on the second screen should be displaced.
Apps move to the right or left when launching a full-screen game or app
These possible solutions can help you fix the resolution issue that moves the app left or right.
- Switch game resolution to match the screen
- Change the screen resolution of the monitor
- Change Scaling for Nvidia hardware
- Change primary monitor in settings
You will need to understand Windows settings, change game resolution settings from within the game, and so on.
1] Switch Game Resolution to match the screen
Some games allow enabling the auto setting in the graphics section. This option ensures that when you launch the game, it figures out the resolution of the primary monitor and launches the game in that. If there is no auto setting, you can set the resolution or use the closest one available in the game options.
2] Change the Screen resolution of the Monitor
Some monitors support higher resolution, but users keep it at a lower resolution since the texts are too small and scaling doesn’t help much. If there is no other way to change the in-game resolution settings, you can increase it, play the game, and change it back.
This method is annoying because you must do it every time. An alternate way is to use an application or keyboard shortcut to change it quickly.
3] Change Scaling for Nvidia hardware
You can change the scaling if your PC or Laptop has Nvidia hardware or GPU. It can be handy when you don’t have any other way out, and you need to ensure that the full-screen game stays on the monitor and does not extend to another.
- Open Windows Search (Win + S), search for Nvidia Control Panel, and open it.
- Go to Display > Adjust desktop size and position.
- Here you can change the scaling and the size per the game or app.
You will need to experiment to figure out what works best for you.
4] Change Primary Monitor
The problem is primarily seen in a dual-monitor setup. If you have two different monitors with different resolutions, you can change the primary monitor in Windows to one with a higher resolution.
The games always launch on the monitor that is set as the primary monitor. Once you change it and launch the game, it will work with a new resolution and adjust accordingly. It will no more move to the right or left when launching a full-screen game or app.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that the issue is annoying, and with different resolutions and multiple monitors, it becomes difficult to manage. I hope the post was easy to follow and you were able to fix the problem where apps move to the right or left when launching a full-screen game or app.
Why are games launching on the wrong monitor?
All games are set to launch on the primary monitor. Unless the games offer it as an option, you cannot force the game to launch on the second monitor. The only way out is to change the primary monitor and launch the game.
How do you change which screen an application opens on?
There is no way you can do that, but here are a few tips. You can use the Windows key + left/right to move the apps between one monitor to another or between the sections. The second is to launch the app from the monitor’s taskbar. If the application is not open, it will launch on the same monitor.
