How to make World of Tanks fullscreen? [Solved]

Can’t go fullscreen in World of Tanks? Whether you’re playing through Steam or another client, there are a lot of different ways to force exclusive fullscreen in WOT. 

If you experience any of the following in WOT, then this guide is for you:

• You don’t know how to go full screen
• World of Tanks is running in Borderless Windowed mode (Causes input lag)
• Game randomly flips between display modes: fullscreen, borderless or windowed
• Using Alt-Tab causes visual bugs

Solution 1: Use [Alt] [Enter] keyboard shortcut to instantly go full screen in World of Tanks

If you are a long time PC gamer, then you most likely know about the [F11] or [Alt] [Enter] shortcuts when playing games on Microsoft Windows.

This option works for almost any game. For World of Tanks, Alt-Enter is the shortcut to use, and maybe to your surprise - there’s more to it than just tapping [Alt] [Enter] once.

To properly [Alt] [Enter] for World of Tanks, here’s what you need to do:

1. Start World of Tanks and wait for the home screen to load.
2. If you are in Windowed mode, press [Alt] [Enter] simultaneously to toggle fullscreen. 
3. If that didn’t work, simply press [Alt] [Enter] 2 times.
4. If you are in borderless fullscreen mode, change your display setting to [Windowed]. Then hit [Alt] [Enter].

This solution is extra useful because if World of Tanks randomly flips into borderless or windowed mode while gaming, all you need to do is simply [Alt] [Enter] to re-enter to fullscreen.

However, in the event [Alt] [Enter] does not work, then you must manually adjust in-game settings to go fullscreen. Also, if the game looks blurry, this is where you can readjust your resolution to fix the issue.

Solution 2: Change your Resolution and Screen mode setting from World of Tanks’s in-game menus

If you don’t know this one already, this solution uses built-in [Graphics Settings] you can access in-game. Here are two ways to troubleshoot using these menus.

Change your World of Tanks display mode in-game:

1. At the pause screen, open your settings menu.
2. In your settings, navigate to the [Graphics] tab.
3. Find the [Screen] tab.
4. Click on your mode setting and choose [Fullscreen] to play in exclusive fullscreen.

If that didn’t work:

1. Change your screen mode to [Windowed].
2. Apply settings.
3. Change it back to [Full Screen] and reapply.

Alongside this change, do remember to set the [Resolution] setting to what the native resolution for your monitor is. For most, this is 1920 x 1080.

If your game still looks blurry or does not cover the whole screen, then we'll need to look up the Recommended display resolution for your monitor. 

How to find your monitor’s Recommended display resolution:

1. Right click an empty space on your desktop and select [Display settings].
2. Navigate to [Scale and Layout]. 
3. Click on [Display resolution] to open a drop down menu, then look for an option that says “Recommended”.
4. Use that resolution for World of Tanks.

Solution 3: Force full screen mode by launching PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds with Steam Launch Options

Steam launch options is a hidden gem only for users who installed World of Tanks on Steam. Through this feature, you can force the majority of your PC games (within Steam library) to launch in your preferred display mode - be it fullscreen, windowed, or borderless windowed / fullscreen mode.

All you have to do is to type in a short code in Steam’s launch options, then launch the game.

How to use Steam Launch Options to force a display mode of your choice:

1. Find World of Tanks in your Steam Library.
2. Right click and Select [Properties].
3. In the launch options text zone, the settings you like.
4. Close the menu to apply settings.

To launch in full screen, type -fullscreen.

To launch in Windowed Fullscreen / Borderless Windowed mode, type -popupwindow.

To launch in Windowed mode only, type -window.

Solution 4: Disable your Full screen Optimizations from your World of Tanks file properties

If for whatever reason, the 2 solutions above did not work - try to disable your [Fullscreen Optimizations]. You can do so by visiting the compatibility tab in the main exe file of World of Tanks.

To disable full screen optimization, find the World of Tanks exe file:

1. Locate your “World of Tanks” shortcut.
2. Select and press [Alt] + [Enter] to bring up your file properties.
3. Click on the [Compatibility] tab.
4. Check the box for [Disable Fullscreen Optimizations].
5. Hit [OK] to save settings.

Additionally, you should turn on [High DPI Scaling override]:

1. At the compatibility tab for World of Tanks, click on [Change high DPI settings].
2. Find the option that says [Override high DPI scaling behavior].
3. Tick it and set the scaling mode to [Application].
4. Press [OK] to confirm.

By doing this, you remove any conflicts due to fullscreen optimizations done by your Windows OS. Other benefits you’ll experience are reduced input lag, stuttering, and overall a smoother fullscreen experience with less bugs.

Solution 5: Update or Reinstall your Graphics Driver Software to the Latest Version

If all solutions have not worked so far, it could be an issue with your current graphics drivers. Here is a universal way to update or reinstall them no matter which Nvidia or AMD driver you’re using.

How to update your NVIDIA or AMD graphics driver:

1. Search for [Device Manager] and open it.
2. Navigate to [Display adapters], double click to expand it, then select your driver.
3. Double click to open your driver’s [Properties].
4. Go to the [Driver] tab and press on [Update Driver].
5. Choose [Search automatically for drivers] and finish the installation if there is a new update.

How to reinstall your NVIDIA graphics driver or AMD Radeon Software

1. Under your driver properties, select [Uninstall Device].
2. Restart your computer.
3. Right click your desktop to open Nvidia Control Panel, then click on "Download drivers and software" to open up this link to download, reinstall your drivers.
4. For AMD Radeon Software, simply head to their driver download page, then use their Auto Detect & Install function to reinstall your drivers.

With your graphics drivers reinstalled, you should encounter less bugs overall, and should be able to [Alt] [Enter] or change your display settings into fullscreen.

Do you also play other games but experience the same fullscreen issues? Be sure to check our guide on how to make War Thunder and New World fullscreen to find quick solutions for Windows PC and Mac OS versions.

For more articles about World of Tanks, check our guide on the game's file size for all platforms.