A growing number of Valorant players are reporting a perplexing bug: pressing Enter—mostly to open chat—unexpectedly minimizes or forces the game from fullscreen into windowed mode.
This disruptive behavior, especially during fast-paced matches, can lead to missed shots, lost rounds, and widespread frustration. What’s really causing this, and what can players do to fix it?
What’s Behind the Enter Key Bug?
Multiple factors can cause Valorant to minimize or exit fullscreen when the Enter key is pressed:
- Stuck Modifier Keys (Alt, Ctrl): The most common culprit is the system interpreting Enter as Alt+Enter, a universal shortcut in many games (including Valorant) for toggling between fullscreen and windowed modes. A physically stuck or malfunctioning Alt key, or interference from another program, can trigger this even if you only press Enter.
- Overlay and Background Software: Programs such as Discord, Xbox Game Bar, NVIDIA GeForce Experience, or even some keyboard macro utilities may hijack key inputs or run overlays that react to the Enter key, causing display mode conflicts or focus changes.
- Windows Accessibility Settings: Features like Sticky Keys, Narrator, or the on-screen keyboard can interfere with how keypresses are registered in fullscreen applications, causing the game to lose focus unexpectedly.
- Driver or System Issues: Outdated GPU drivers, mismatched display settings, or Windows bugs following a recent update can also introduce input glitches that manifest specifically when pressing Enter.
How to Fix the Problem
Experts and community sources outline several steps for resolving this disruptive bug:
- Check Modifier Keys:
- Test your keyboard: Verify that your Alt or Ctrl keys are not physically stuck or electronically “pressed.” Try tapping them a few times or, if possible, swap keyboards to test if the issue persists with different hardware.
- Observe behavior in other apps: If pressing Enter causes similar issues outside of Valorant (e.g., in other games or applications), it’s highly likely a hardware problem with your keyboard or a broader system fault.
- Set Valorant to Exclusive Fullscreen:
- Go to Valorant’s in-game Settings → Video → General, and ensure your Display Mode is set to “Fullscreen,” not “Windowed” or “Borderless Window.” This setting reduces the chances of window toggling from stray keystrokes or overlay interactions.
- Disable Overlays & Background Tools:
- Discord: Disable the in-game overlay via Discord’s User Settings → Game Overlay.
- NVIDIA/AMD/Radeon: Turn off in-game overlays from their respective software (e.g., NVIDIA GeForce Experience Overlay or AMD Radeon Software Overlay).
- Xbox Game Bar: Go to Windows Settings → Gaming and disable the Game Bar feature.
- Turn Off Accessibility Features:
- Head to Windows Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard, and ensure that “Sticky Keys,” “Toggle Keys,” and “Filter Keys” are all turned off, as these can interfere with normal key input.
- Check Keybindings:
- Inside Valorant, go to Controls → Interface and ensure that the Enter key is exclusively bound to its intended function (typically opening chat). Unbind or clear any suspicious or unintended duplicate bindings that might be present.
- Update Drivers and Windows:
- Ensure your graphics drivers are up to date. Also, perform all available Windows Updates to patch any known bugs or glitches that might be affecting game stability or input recognition.
- Repair or Reinstall Valorant:
- Use the Riot Client to initiate a repair of Valorant’s game files. This can often fix corrupted files causing odd behavior. As a last resort, a full reinstallation of Valorant often resolves stubborn configuration or deep corruption issues.
Community Insights & Workarounds
Some users have found temporary relief by tabbing out of the game and then tabbing back in, or by manually resetting their display mode after the issue occurs. Others point to rare conflicts with multi-monitor setups or mismatched refresh rates between displays, which can unexpectedly force the game back to windowed mode.
When to Contact Support
If these troubleshooting steps do not resolve the minimizing bug, players are advised to contact Riot Games support. When doing so, provide a detailed report of the issue, including when it started, what steps you’ve already tried, and your system specifications for more advanced troubleshooting.
In summary: If pressing Enter in Valorant is minimizing your game, it’s almost always due to unintended keyboard shortcuts, overlay clashes with background software, or conflicts with system accessibility settings. Methodically tweaking these inputs and settings can almost always restore a seamless, fullscreen experience.
Written by:
Christian