Display / Window Mode Tips
Display mode is the number one cause of overlay problems, FPS instability, flickering, and layouts shifting between restarts. This guide explains Fullscreen vs Borderless vs Windowed, when to use each one, and how to avoid common traps when using RaceLab overlays.
Bottom line:
If you use overlays, Borderless Window is almost always the correct choice.
Fullscreen should only be used if you do NOT need overlays.
✓ Borderless best for overlays
✓ Fullscreen = no overlays
✓ HDR considerations
✓ G-Sync / FreeSync
✓ Triple & VR safe
1) Understanding Window Modes (Plain English)
Fullscreen (Exclusive)
- The game takes full control of the display.
- Best raw performance in some cases.
- Overlays cannot reliably draw on top.
- Often causes alt-tab delays and screen blackouts.
Borderless Window (Recommended)
- Looks like fullscreen, but behaves like a window.
- Required for RaceLab overlays.
- Fast alt-tab, stable overlay positioning.
- Works best with triples, VR mirrors, and multi-window sims.
Windowed
- Mostly used for testing or debugging.
- Overlays work, but immersion is reduced.
- Not recommended for daily driving.
2) Why Borderless Solves Most Problems
- Allows overlays to stay “on top” of the sim window.
- Prevents resolution switching when overlays start.
- Stops Windows from reordering monitors.
- Reduces triple-screen and multi-window breakage.
- Improves alt-tab behaviour when using tools like RaceLab, SimHub, OBS.
Rule of thumb:
If overlays flicker, disappear, or move — switch to Borderless and restart the sim.
3) G-Sync / FreeSync (Important)
- Set G-Sync / FreeSync to support Windowed and Borderless modes.
- Do not force fullscreen-only adaptive sync if using overlays.
- Use an FPS cap slightly below refresh rate (e.g. 138 for 144Hz).
Common mistake:
G-Sync set to fullscreen-only + Borderless window = stutters and tearing.
4) HDR Considerations
- HDR can force display mode switching on some systems.
- Some sims reset window mode when HDR is toggled.
- If overlays break, disable HDR temporarily and re-test.
- Always re-save RaceLab layouts after changing HDR state.
5) Common Display Problems & Fixes
Overlays vanish when sim starts
- Confirm the sim is in Borderless Window mode.
- Restart the sim after changing display mode.
- Start RaceLab after loading into the session.
Layout moves after restart
- Resolution or scaling changed after saving layout.
- HDR or window mode was toggled.
- Return to previous settings and re-save the layout.
Triples break when RaceLab launches
- Exit sim → set Borderless again → restart sim → confirm stable → start RaceLab.
- Delete/reset the sim’s graphics config file if needed.