To resolve issues with running Skyrim in fullscreen. Please try the following troubleshooting steps:
- Check if you have the latest version of your video card drivers by visiting the official NVIDIA/AMD web site.
- Check if your Windows is fully updated.
- If you are playing on a laptop, ensure that you are using your dedicated graphics card and not your integrated card to run the game.
Skyrim Special Edition 21:9 fix for anyone. Simply navigate to C: Users 'username' Documents my games Skyrim Special Edition Skyrim Prefs and edit: iSize H=1080, and iSize W=1920 to whatever your resolution is. Save and set to read only on the file properties.
Skyrim Special Edition Not Full Screen Brighter
- If your PC (Steam) copy of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition is not launching after pressing Play, is stuck at the 'Preparing to Launch' text box, or is running in the background but not actually launching, you can try the following troubleshooting steps: Update Your Graphics Card Drivers.
- My regular option was set to 16:9 and that has worked fine for everything till now, but the B in Bethesda was cut off when I booted Skyrim up last night. I cycled through the aspect ratios and found once called Just Scan - and that sorted it out fine.
To ensure you are using your dedicated graphics card:
NVIDIA:
- Open the NVIDIA Control Panel.
- Select Manage 3D settings.
- In Program Settings tab, select Skyrim as a program to customize.
- If applicable change the Power management mode from Adaptive to Prefer maximum performance.
- Confirm the changes with Apply.
AMD:
- Right click your desktop, and select Catalyst Control Center.
- From the Power drop-down menu, select Switchable Graphics.
- Select SkyrimLauncher.exe and TESV.exe in the list, or click Browse and navigate to the appropriate directory (usually C:Program Files (x86)SteamSteamappsCommonSkyrim) and click on High Performance to pick the specific card.
![Skyrim Special Edition Not Full Screen Skyrim Special Edition Not Full Screen](/uploads/1/1/9/4/119457000/904360547.jpg)
If it doesn't solve your issue, you could try to modify some settings in the SkyrimPrefs.ini. It's possible to have several SkyrimPrefs.ini. To ensure that all are properly set, please open first the 'computer' option in the Windows menu and type 'SkyrimPrefs' in the search bar. Please ensure you back up any game saves before editing the .ini file.
Once you have located them all, please follow the below steps (you would need to do it for each SkyrimPref you will find):
- Right-click on the file and select properties.
- In General tab, please make sure the read-only mode is disabled.
- Click on Apply.
- Open the SkyrimPref file and find the following lines:
- bFull Screen=
- iSize H=
- iSize W=
- Set the following values:
- bFull Screen=1
- iSize H=(following the native resolution)
- iSize W=(following the native resolution)
- Save it and then re-enable the read-only mode, in order to avoid that Steam interferes your modification.
If the above steps do not work, you launch the game and once you are in, please press [ALT] and [ENTER].
If your PC (Steam) copy of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition is not launching after pressing Play, is stuck at the 'Preparing to Launch' text box, or is running in the background but not actually launching, you can try the following troubleshooting steps:
Update Your Graphics Card Drivers
You can download and install latest drivers (based on manufacturer) here:
Run the Game and Steam as Administrator
To run the game as an Administrator:
- Right-click The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition in your Steam Library.
- Select Propertiesand then the Local Files tab.
- Click Browse Local Files.
- Locate the game executable (the application).
- Right-click it and go to Properties.
- Click the Compatibility tab.
- Check the Run this program as an administrator box and click Apply.
Once complete, restart Steam and try launching the game again.
To run Steam as an Administrator, find the Steam executable instead (here by default: C:Program Files (x86)Steam) and follow the same process as above.
Ensure Your Windows is Updated
To ensure your version of Windows has all the latest updates, you should run Windows Update. You can find it by navigating to your Start menu, selecting All Programs and then selecting Windows Update. Please note that its location may differ based on your version of Windows. If you are having trouble locating it, use the Search programs and files function from the Start menu to find it.
Once you have launched it, allow it to identify, download, and install any required updates and try launching the game again.
Once you have launched it, allow it to identify, download, and install any required updates and try launching the game again.
Verify Integrity of Game Cache
To ensure the game files are installed correctly, you should verify the files in Steam. To do so:
- Open Steam and navigate to your Library.
- Right-click on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition and select Properties.
- Select the Local files tab and click Verify integrity of game files...
- Steam will verify the game's files. This process may take several minutes.
- Once the process is completed, the Check Window will automatically exit.
Please Note: One or more files may fail to verify, in most cases this is normal. These are local configuration files and should not be altered in this process.
Disable Background Applications
Skyrim Not Running Full Screen
Programs running in the background can, in some cases, cause issues when launching new games. Disable any unnecessary programs and try to launch the game again.
Check for Additional Installers
If a game launch is cancelled or interrupted, it is possible that your computer will be missing programs or services that the game needs to run. This could include DirectX, PhysX, C++ components, or Windows Updates.
The Steam platform should run any required installers when the game is initially launched. If this does not occur, you may need to launch them manually.
The installers can usually be found in Skyrim Special Edition's installation folder, found here by default: C:Program Files (x86)SteamSteamAppscommonSkyrim Special Edition.
The Steam platform should run any required installers when the game is initially launched. If this does not occur, you may need to launch them manually.
The installers can usually be found in Skyrim Special Edition's installation folder, found here by default: C:Program Files (x86)SteamSteamAppscommonSkyrim Special Edition.
You can find additional troubleshooting steps on the Steam Support page here.