Example: display mode options in a typical sim – use windowed or borderless where possible.

Why exclusive full screen is a problem

In exclusive full screen the game takes complete control of the display. Windows and the GPU treat it as if the game owns the monitor, which can block or hide overlay windows drawn on top of it.[1]

• RaceLab overlays may not appear at all.
• Alt-tabbing can cause black screens or the overlays to freeze.
• Moving overlays between monitors becomes unreliable.

For this reason RaceLab is designed to work with windowed or borderless windowed display modes where the OS can compose the game and overlays together cleanly.[1]

Recommended display modes by use case

The best choice of display mode depends on how you use RaceLab:

• Single monitor racing: Use borderless windowed if available. It looks like full screen but still allows overlays and easy alt-tabbing.
• Triple screens / multi-monitor: Use windowed or borderless with the correct combined resolution (for example 5760×1080), and ensure the game is stretched across the correct display group.[2]
• Streaming with OBS: Borderless windowed usually gives the best mix of overlay support and capture stability for browser sources.[3]
• VR + monitor: Let the sim manage the VR mirror window; avoid changing to exclusive full screen on the desktop copy while using VR.[4]

Taskbar and overlay “edge” issues

Windows can behave strangely when an overlay or game window touches the taskbar or the very edge of a screen. In some setups this can cause:

• Overlays flickering when snapped near the bottom of the screen.
• Windows refusing to resize correctly when dragged to the edge.
• Random focus changes when you move the mouse near the taskbar.

If you see weird behaviour when overlays are close to the taskbar:

• Leave a few pixels of space above the taskbar – don’t sit overlays directly on top of it.
• Try auto-hiding the taskbar or moving it to another side of the screen.
• Avoid using “always on top” for other apps near the same area.

Multiple monitors and mixed resolutions

Many problems with overlays not lining up or appearing on the wrong screen are caused by mixed monitor resolutions, scaling or incorrect “main display” selection in Windows.[2]

1. Set your main gaming monitor in Windows Display Settings. The monitor with the taskbar and Start menu is usually the safest choice for the game window.
2. Avoid mixing scale factors. If possible run all monitors at 100% scaling so window sizes and positions are predictable.
3. Match refresh rates where possible. Large differences between monitors can cause stutter when dragging overlays across them.
4. Use the game’s combined resolution for triples. For example 5760×1080 for three 1080p monitors, and configure triples in the sim first before adjusting overlays.

Black screen or overlays not visible

If you suddenly lose the game view or overlays disappear after changing display settings:

• Revert to a known good mode. Switch back to the previous resolution and window mode in the game’s video options.[1]
• Reset overlay positions. In RaceLab you can reset overlay layouts to bring windows back onto the main screen if they were moved off-screen.
• Check GPU driver overlays. Turn off optional overlays or FPS counters from GPU software (GeForce Experience, Radeon, MSI Afterburner) as they can conflict with browser overlays on some systems.[3]
• Disable “optimisations” that force full screen. Game overlays or performance tools that force exclusive full screen can hide RaceLab entirely.

If the game still loads as a black screen, try deleting its graphics configuration file and let it rebuild defaults, then re-apply your display settings carefully.

Checklist before asking for help

Before posting in #i-need-help on Discord about display issues, quickly check:

• You are not running in exclusive full screen.
• Your game is using the expected resolution and monitor.
• Windows hasn’t moved the taskbar or changed the “main display”.
• You haven’t recently changed DPI scaling or added a new screen.

Including a screenshot of your in-game video settings and Windows display layout will help the support team or community members understand your setup much faster.

Sources & references

1. RaceLab Garage – Overlay requirements and display mode recommendations (windowed / borderless).
2. RaceLab Garage – Triple-screen and multi-monitor setup notes.
3. OBS Studio & GPU vendor docs – Capturing games in windowed / borderless mode and conflicts with other overlays.
4. Vendor support articles – VR mirror windows and display considerations when running a sim in VR.