And following that: “Am I missing out on anything if I use the free version?”

The answer has changed recently. For years, the Steam version and the free version were identical. You paid to support the developer. But with the recent release of Borderless Gaming v1.1 (The 2025 Update) on Steam, the two versions have officially split paths.

In this guide, we will break down the differences between the Classic Free Version (v9.6.0) and the new Modern Steam Version (v1.1+) so you can decide where to put your money (or your bandwidth).

The Comparison Table

The Case for the Free Version (v9.6.0)

For 90% of gamers, the Classic Version is not just the “cheaper” option—it is actually the better option.

“It Just Works”

The Classic version has been polished for nearly a decade. It is lightweight, opens instantly, and sits quietly in your system tray. It doesn’t require you to install the heavy .NET 8 runtime, and it has zero impact on your system resources.

The UI Preference

The new Steam update introduced a radical UI redesign that many long-time users find confusing (or “convoluted” as recent Steam reviews suggest). The Classic version uses a straightforward “Left Box (Windowed) -> Right Box (Borderless)” interface that is foolproof.

Reliability

Recent reports indicate the new Steam version struggles with the “Run on Startup” feature. The Classic version handles Windows startup perfectly, ensuring your games are fixed the moment you boot up.

Verdict: Download the Classic Version if you just want to fix crashes and remove borders without any hassle.

The Case for the Steam Version (v1.1+)

So, why would anyone pay $6.99? The developer, Andrew Sampson, has pivoted the Steam version to be a testing ground for cutting-edge features.

App Containers (The Killer Feature)

This is the main reason to upgrade. “App Containers” allow you to render a cosmetic background behind your game window.

• Why is this useful? If you play a retro game (like a 4:3 emulator) on a 16:9 monitor, you usually get ugly black bars.
• With Steam v1.1, you can fill those black bars with a custom wallpaper, a gradient, or a blurred version of the gameplay (Ambient Mode). It makes the experience look much more premium.

Future Upscaling Tech (BGFG/BGUS)

The developer has teased upcoming features like Universal Frame Generation (similar to FSR 3) and Spatial Upscaling. While these are still experimental, buying the Steam version grants you access to these performance-boosting tools as they are released.

Supporting the Developer

Borderless Gaming is an open-source project that has saved millions of gamers from frustration. Buying the Steam version is the best way to say “Thank You” to the creator for years of hard work.

Conclusion: Which One is Right for You?

The decision ultimately comes down to your specific needs:

• Choose Classic (Free) if: You play standard modern games (Fallout 4, Elden Ring) and just want to stop them from crashing or showing borders. You prefer a lightweight tool that you can set and forget.
• Choose Steam ($6.99) if: You play a lot of retro games or emulators and hate black bars (App Containers are amazing for this). Or, if you want to support the developer and test bleeding-edge upscaling tech.

Our Recommendation:

Start with the Classic Version. It covers the essentials perfectly and costs nothing. If you find yourself needing cosmetic backgrounds for old games later, you can always upgrade on Steam.

Bethesda’s Creation Engine is notorious for handling “Exclusive Fullscreen” poorly. On top of that, the native launcher often fails to apply the correct resolution on modern ultrawide or high-refresh-rate monitors.

The solution? Stop using the game’s broken fullscreen mode. Instead, use Borderless Gaming to force a stable, crash-free windowed experience.

In this comprehensive guide, we will fix your Fallout 4 setup permanently. We won’t just cover the software; we’ll also dive into the .ini file tweaks and physics fixes necessary for a smooth experience.

Why Native Fullscreen Fails in Fallout 4

Why does a AAA game crash just because you switched windows? In “Exclusive Fullscreen” mode, Fallout 4 takes complete control of your graphics driver. When you Alt-Tab, the game loses that control context. When you try to tab back in, the engine often fails to re-initialize the graphics pipeline, resulting in a black screen or a crash.

Benefits of using Borderless Gaming Fix:

• Zero Crashes: Alt-Tab instantly without fear.
• Smoother Frame Pacing: Reduces micro-stuttering common in the native engine.
• Multi-Monitor Support: Move your mouse to your second screen seamlessly (when in menus).
• Overlay Compatibility: Works better with Discord, Steam Overlay, and OBS.

The “Lazy” Launcher Method

For 80% of users, simply adjusting the launcher and using the Borderless Gaming tool is enough.

Step 1: Configure the Launcher

1. Open the Fallout 4 Launcher (via Steam).
2. Click on Options.
3. Uncheck “Windowed Mode” (Wait, stay with me).
4. Actually, ensure Windowed Mode IS checked.
5. Uncheck “Borderless”. (We want a standard window with borders, so our tool can detect it properly).
6. Select your native resolution (e.g., 1920×1080 or 2560×1440).
7. Click OK.

Note: Why uncheck “Borderless” in the launcher? Bethesda’s native borderless mode often has stuttering issues. We prefer to generate a raw “Window” and let the Borderless Gaming software handle the stretching, as it’s often smoother.

Step 2: Apply the Tool

1. Download Borderless Gaming v9.6.0 if you haven’t already.
2. Launch Fallout 4. It should appear as a box with a title bar on your desktop.
3. Open Borderless Gaming.
4. Select Fallout 4 in the left list and click the Right Arrow (▶).
5. The game should instantly snap to fullscreen.

The “Pro” Method (INI File Editing)

The Fallout 4 Launcher is buggy. Sometimes it resets your settings, or it doesn’t show your custom resolution (especially for Ultrawide users). The robust way to fix this is to edit the configuration files directly.

Step 1: Locate the File

Navigate to your documents folder:

Documents \\ My Games \\ Fallout4 \\ Fallout4Prefs.ini

Step 2: Edit the Values

Right-click Fallout4Prefs.ini and open it with Notepad. Find (Ctrl+F) the [Display] section and modify these lines to match exactly:

bMaximizeWindow=0 bBorderless=0 bFull Screen=0 iSize H=1080  <-- Change to your monitor Height iSize W=1920  <-- Change to your monitor Width 

Explanation: We are explicitly telling the engine: “Do NOT run fullscreen, do NOT run borderless, just give me a raw window.” This provides the cleanest canvas for Borderless Gaming to work its magic.

Step 3: Save and Lock

Save the file. Right-click the file, select Properties, and check “Read-only”. This prevents the Fallout 4 Launcher from overwriting your perfect settings.

The High-FPS Physics Fix (Crucial!)

If you are using a 144Hz or higher monitor, switching to Windowed Mode might unlock your frame rate. In Fallout 4, the game speed is tied to the frame rate.

If your game runs at 144 FPS, the game will run at 2x speed (lockpicking is impossible, dialogue overlaps, physics go crazy).

You MUST cap your FPS to 60 or 72 (half of 144).

How to Cap FPS for Stability:

• Nvidia Users: Open Nvidia Control Panel > Manage 3D Settings > Program Settings (Fallout 4) > Max Frame Rate > Set to 60.
• AMD Users: Use Radeon Chill to limit FPS to 60.
• Everyone: You can also use a mod like “High FPS Physics Fix” from Nexus Mods if you insist on playing above 60 FPS.

Troubleshooting

The Game is Offset / Wrong Position

If the window appears halfway off the screen:

1. Open Borderless Gaming.
2. Right-click Fallout 4 in the Favorites list.
3. Uncheck “Use Current Monitor”.
4. Ensure your Windows Display Scaling is set to 100%, or right-click \`Fallout4.exe\` > Properties > Compatibility > Change high DPI settings > Check “Override high DPI scaling behavior” (Application).

Game Crashes on Startup with Borderless Gaming

This happens if the tool hooks in too early.
Fix: Right-click Fallout 4 in Borderless Gaming > Select “Delay” > Set to 5 seconds. This gives the heavy Creation Engine enough time to load memory before the window gets resized.

Conclusion

Fallout 4 is a masterpiece, but its technical foundation is shaky. By combining windowed mode via INI tweaks with the stability of Borderless Gaming, you get the best of both worlds: a crash-free experience that looks perfect on your monitor.

Now that your game is stable, you can get back to building settlements—or ignoring Preston Garvey.

Need the tool?

Trust me, I know how frustrating it is. Native fullscreen on Windows has always been a headache for gamers, especially with multi-monitor setups.

The solution is Borderless Gaming. This simple, open-source tool forces any game into a “fake” fullscreen mode (Windowed Borderless), giving you the immersion of fullscreen with the stability and multitasking ease of a window.

In this comprehensive guide, we will dive deep into how to set up, configure, and master Borderless Gaming v9.6.0. We’ll also cover advanced features like Regex matching and troubleshooting stubborn games.

Windowed vs. Borderless vs. Exclusive Fullscreen

Before we start clicking buttons, it’s helpful to understand why you need this software. Windows handles games in three primary ways:

Exclusive Fullscreen: 

The game takes full control of your GPU driver.

Pros: Lowest input lag.

Cons: Slow Alt-Tabbing (screen flickers black), crashing risks, impossible to use second monitors easily.

Windowed Mode: 

The game runs in a container with borders and a title bar.

Pros: Instant multitasking.

Cons: Ugly borders, immersion breaking, wasted screen space.

Borderless Windowed (The Sweet Spot): 

The game runs in a window, but stretches to fill the screen precisely.

The Result: You get the immersive look of fullscreen with the instant multitasking of a window. No flickering, no crashes.

While many modern games include a “Borderless” option natively, thousands of older titles (like Fallout 3, Terraria, or NieR: Automata) do not. That is where Borderless Gaming saves the day.

Before You Start

To follow this guide, ensure you have the correct setup:

1. Download the Software: Get the free Borderless Gaming Classic (v9.6.0) from our verified download page. We recommend v9.6.0 over the new Steam version for its simplicity.
2. Prepare Your Game: Launch the game. Go to Video Settings and set Display Mode to “Windowed”. Ensure the resolution matches your monitor’s native resolution (e.g., 1920×1080).

Crucial Step: Borderless Gaming cannot detect or manipulate a game if it is running in “Exclusive Fullscreen”. You MUST switch it to “Windowed” mode inside the game options first!

Step-by-Step Setup Guide

Step 1: Detect Your Game

Open the Borderless Gaming application. Look at the box on the left labeled “Applications”. This list shows all currently open windows on your desktop.

If you don’t see your game, click on the game window to make it active, then Alt-Tab back to the tool and click “Refresh” in the menu.

Step 2: Make it Borderless

Select your game from the left list and click the Right Arrow (▶) button. This moves the game to the “Favorites (Automatic)” list.

Immediate Effects:

• Window borders disappear.
• The game snaps to fill the screen coordinates (0,0).
• Taskbar is covered (usually).

Step 3: Automatic Automation

Once a game is in the “Favorites” list, the software creates a persistent profile. The next time you launch Skyrim or Minecraft, Borderless Gaming will detect the process and automatically apply the fix within seconds. You don’t need to do anything.

Advanced Configuration

For most users, the steps above are enough. But for power users or stubborn games, you need to dig deeper.

Fixing “Stubborn” Games with Delay

Some engines (like Bethesda’s Creation Engine) resize their windows multiple times during startup. If Borderless Gaming applies the fix too early, the game might reset itself to windowed mode.

The Fix: Right-click the game in your Favorites list > select Delay > set it to 2-3 seconds. This tells the tool to “wait” until the game has fully initialized before forcing the window size.

Specific Window Sizes

What if you don’t want fullscreen? What if you want a specific 720p window for streaming?

You can right-click a Favorite and choose “Set Window Size”. You can manually input 1920 x 1080 (or any custom resolution) and force the window to stay at that exact size, regardless of what the game wants to do.

Managing Multi-Monitor Setups

If the game jumps to the wrong monitor when maximized:

• Go to Options > Use Current Monitor.
• Drag the windowed game to your desired screen before activating Borderless mode.

The “Hidden” Hotkeys

You can control the software without ever opening the UI window. Memorize these global hotkeys:

• Win + F6: The “Magic Toggle”. Press this while in any game to instantly toggle borderless mode. Perfect for testing.
• Win + Scroll Lock: Hide Mouse Cursor. Useful for old RPGs where the Windows cursor gets stuck on top of the in-game reticle.
• Scroll Lock: Constrain Mouse. This locks your mouse inside the game window. This is essential for multi-monitor gamers playing shooters (CS2, Valorant) to prevent clicking on the second screen by accident and minimizing the game.

Troubleshooting

My Game Has Black Bars / Wrong Aspect Ratio

This usually happens if the game’s resolution doesn’t match your monitor’s resolution.
Fix: Ensure the in-game resolution is set to your monitor’s native size (e.g., 2560×1440). If the game doesn’t support that resolution, Borderless Gaming will stretch it, potentially causing black bars or distortion.

The Windows Taskbar is Still Visible

Sometimes Windows Explorer fights for priority.
Fix: Go to Borderless Gaming Options > check “Hide Taskbar”. If that fails, click the game window once, then press the Windows key twice to refresh the taskbar layer order.

Anti-Cheat Warnings?

Borderless Gaming does NOT inject code into game memory (unlike Cheat Engine). It simply uses standard Windows API calls to resize windows. It is generally safe for VAC, BattlEye, and Easy Anti-Cheat. However, always exercise caution in high-stakes competitive ranked matches.

Conclusion

Borderless Gaming bridges the gap between old software design and modern hardware. It breathes new life into classics like Fallout 3 and makes modern multitasking seamless in titles like Elden Ring.

If you haven’t installed it yet, stop suffering from Alt-Tab crashes and get the stable classic version today.