Question:

How to prevent games from minimizing randomly on Windows 10?

I am experiencing a problem where some of my games (Valorant and Overwatch) keep minimizing themselves while I’m playing. This does not happen with other games (Signalis) that I play on Steam. I have a Razer keyboard, mouse, headset, and webcam connected to my PC. I am not sure what is causing this issue or how to fix it. Any suggestions or solutions would be appreciated. Thank you.

Answer:

If you are a gamer, you may have encountered a frustrating issue where your games keep minimizing themselves while you are playing. This can disrupt your gaming experience and affect your performance. This issue may occur with some games (such as Valorant and Overwatch) but not with others (such as Signalis). You may wonder what is causing this problem and how to fix it.

There are several possible reasons why your games may minimize randomly on Windows 10. Some of them are:

• Notifications: Windows 10 may send you notifications from various apps or programs, such as email, calendar, antivirus, etc. These notifications may pop up on your screen and cause your games to minimize. To prevent this, you can turn off notifications for the apps or programs that you do not need while gaming. You can do this by going to Settings > System > Notifications & actions and toggling off the switches for the apps or programs that you want to mute. Alternatively, you can enable Focus assist mode, which will block all notifications except for those that you choose as priority. You can do this by going to Settings > System > Focus assist and selecting Alarms only or Priority only. You can also customize your priority list by clicking on Customize your priority list.
• Background processes: Some background processes or services may interfere with your games and cause them to minimize. These may include updates, scans, downloads, etc. To prevent this, you can close or pause any unnecessary background processes or services before launching your games. You can do this by using the Task Manager. To open the Task Manager, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard. Then, go to the Processes tab and look for any processes or services that are consuming a lot of CPU, memory, disk, or network resources. Right-click on them and select End task or End process tree. Be careful not to end any system processes or services that are essential for your PC to function properly. You can also use the Services app to manage the services that run on your PC. To open the Services app, press Windows + R on your keyboard, type services.msc and press Enter. Then, look for any services that are not needed while gaming and right-click on them and select Stop. You can also change their startup type to Manual or Disabled by double-clicking on them and selecting the appropriate option from the drop-down menu. Again, be careful not to stop or disable any system services that are essential for your PC to function properly.
• Hardware issues: Some hardware issues may also cause your games to minimize randomly. These may include faulty or incompatible drivers, overheating, power supply problems, etc. To prevent this, you can try the following steps:
• Update your drivers: Drivers are software components that allow your hardware devices to communicate with your PC and your games. If your drivers are outdated, corrupted, or incompatible, they may cause your games to minimize or crash. To update your drivers, you can use the Device Manager. To open the Device Manager, press Windows + X on your keyboard and select Device Manager. Then, look for any devices that have a yellow exclamation mark next to them, which indicates a driver problem. Right-click on them and select Update driver. Then, follow the on-screen instructions to install the latest driver for your device. You can also use a third-party tool, such as Driver Booster, to automatically scan and update your drivers.
• Check your temperature: Overheating can cause your PC to malfunction and your games to minimize or crash. To check your temperature, you can use a third-party tool, such as HWMonitor, to monitor the temperature of your CPU, GPU, and other components. If your temperature is too high, you can try the following steps to lower it:
• Clean your PC: Dust and dirt can accumulate inside your PC and block the airflow and cooling system. To clean your PC, you can use a soft cloth, a compressed air can, or a vacuum cleaner to remove the dust and dirt from your PC case, fans, heatsinks, etc. Make sure to turn off and unplug your PC before cleaning it and avoid touching any sensitive components.
• Improve your ventilation: Make sure that your PC has enough space around it and that nothing is blocking the air intake and exhaust vents. You can also place your PC in a cooler and less humid environment, away from direct sunlight or heat sources. You can also use a cooling pad or a fan to improve the airflow and ventilation around your PC.
• Replace your thermal paste: Thermal paste is a substance that helps transfer heat from your CPU and GPU to the heatsink and fan. Over time, thermal paste may dry out or degrade, reducing its effectiveness and causing your PC to overheat. To replace your thermal paste, you will need to remove the heatsink and fan from your CPU and GPU, clean the old thermal paste with a soft cloth or a cotton swab and some alcohol, apply a thin layer of new thermal paste on the CPU and GPU, and reattach the heatsink and fan. Make sure to follow the instructions that come with your thermal paste and your hardware components and avoid applying too much or too little thermal paste.
• Check your power supply: Power supply problems can also cause your PC to malfunction and your games to minimize or crash. To check your power supply, you can use a third-party tool, such as HWiNFO, to monitor the voltage and wattage of your power supply. If your power supply is too low or unstable, you can try the following steps to fix it:
• Use a surge protector: A surge protector is a device that protects your PC from power surges, spikes, or fluctuations that may damage your PC or cause it to malfunction. To use a surge protector, you can plug your PC and other devices into the surge protector and plug the surge protector into the wall outlet. Make sure to use a high-quality surge protector that has enough outlets and joules for your PC and devices.
• Replace your power supply: If your power supply is faulty, damaged, or inadequate for your PC, you may need to replace it with a new one. To replace your power supply, you will need to open your PC case, disconnect the power cables from your motherboard and other components, remove the old power supply from your PC case, install the new power supply in your PC case, and reconnect the power cables to your motherboard and other components. Make sure to use a compatible and reliable power supply that has enough wattage and connectors for your PC and components.

These

are some of the possible ways to prevent your games from minimizing randomly on Windows 10. Hopefully, these steps will help you solve your problem and enjoy your gaming experience. If you have any questions or feedback, please leave a comment below. Thank you for reading.