How to Turn On Xbox Mode in Windows 11 for Handhelds and PCs

Check that your Windows 11 device can use Xbox mode

Xbox mode is a console-style way to find and play games on Windows 11. Microsoft says it’s built for controller navigation, starts a gaming home app as your launcher, and runs games full screen. Check these two things first:

🪟 Windows 11 version 24H2 or later. Microsoft’s page lists 24H2 and 25H2, in all editions.

🌍 A supported market. Xbox mode is only available in supported markets.

Turn on Xbox mode on a Windows PC

Start at the Windows desktop on a PC that meets the requirements above, and select Start > Settings > Gaming > Xbox mode.
Turn on Enable Xbox mode. Entry points appear in Game Bar and the Xbox app.
Optional: turn on Show Xbox mode in Task View to add an entry point in Task View.

Turn on Xbox mode on a gaming handheld

Start at the Windows desktop on your handheld, with a gaming home app already installed, and select Start > Settings > Gaming > Xbox mode.
Under Choose home app, select a supported gaming home app. Entry points appear in Game Bar and Task View. Selecting None turns Xbox mode off.
Optional: turn on Enter Xbox mode on startup to start Xbox mode after you sign in. Windows then limits background processes to help performance while you game.

Open Xbox mode

With Xbox mode on, you have three ways in:

🎮 Game Bar: press Win + G or the Xbox button, then select Settings.

🗂️ Task View: press Win + Tab or select the taskbar icon.

⌨️ Shortcut: press Win + F11.

On a handheld with Enter Xbox mode on startup turned on, Xbox mode opens by itself after sign-in.

Return to the Windows desktop

Use any of these ways to leave Xbox mode:

🖥️ Game Bar settings or Task View, whichever you find first.

👆 A swipe up from the bottom of the screen on a touch device, which opens Task View.

⌨️ The Win + F11 shortcut.

On a handheld with startup mode on, Windows asks whether to restart when you go back into Xbox mode after using the desktop. You can restart or continue without restarting.

Switch between apps in Xbox mode

🗂️ Open Task View with Win + Tab, a long press on the Xbox button, or a swipe up from the bottom of the screen.

🕹️ Move with the left stick, LB and RB, or the arrow keys. Press A to bring an app forward or X to close it.

🏠 Get back to your home app from Task View or the Home button in Game Bar. Where it’s supported, the Library button in Game Bar opens the home app’s game library.

Know how apps behave in Xbox mode

🪟 Xbox mode shows only one window at a time, and apps that open several windows may show only the newest one.

⬛ Apps that don’t support full screen appear on a black background.

🔘 Window controls such as minimize and maximize don’t change the window, and some desktop keyboard shortcuts are turned off.

Choose which startup apps run on a handheld

With Enter Xbox mode on startup on, startup apps run only the first time you switch to the desktop. Fewer startup apps can help battery life and gaming performance. To change one, go to Settings > Apps > Startup and pick Start at log in (runs in Xbox mode), Start when exiting to desktop, or Off.

Which Win + F11 shortcut will you try first, going in or going out?

Image Credit: Alexey Savchenko on Unsplash