Playing CSGO 4:3 stretched to 16:9 resizes all other windows upon tabbing out of the game.

[Dougann]

In other words, I have a 1920x1080p Monitor and play CSGO at 4:3 1440x1080p, which stretches it. When I tab out of the game (to discord, spotify or browser) it resizes the window i tab to to 4:3 (not fullscreen - leaves empty space on the right side). I always have to manually make the windows fullscreen again and it's annoying. I don't want to change my displays native resolution to 1440x1080, because that's even more annoying than the resizing.

When I used to play CSGO at the same settings on a laptop, all windows were the correct size and csgo was still stretched. Googled all the various ways you could phrase the problem and read through a hundred forums nothing worked ;(... help

[_I_]

enable scaling on gpu, set it to stretch (in nvidia control panel -> size/position tab)

[Dougann]

have those exact settings already ;(

[_I_]

set the res in game, keep windows desktop res set to native
make sure its set to full screen not windowed mode

[Monk]

The natural, sensible thing would be to just play at 16:9 and gain peripheral vision at the cost of ugly wider looking characters.

It's funny how csgo is about the only game where people stick to this old out dated idea to try and have bigger targets (everything is proportional so they aren't actually bigger), where every other shooter people have moved on.

[Dougann]

Originally posted by _I_:

set the res in game, keep windows desktop res set to native
make sure its set to full screen not windowed mode

have that too...

[Dougann]

Originally posted by Monk:

The natural, sensible thing would be to just play at 16:9 and gain peripheral vision at the cost of ugly wider looking characters.

It's funny how csgo is about the only game where people stick to this old out dated idea to try and have bigger targets (everything is proportional so they aren't actually bigger), where every other shooter people have moved on.

sure yeah...For me it's not that much about bigger targets, I know that it's only stretched (as the name proposes) not really bigger. Playing 4:3 stretched gives me 100 fps more, which is a big number in a shooter like csgo, and also helps me with encounters at long range, because the screen is zoomed in, whereas I often can't really see people that are too far away in 16:9

[rezo]

Originally posted by Monk:

The natural, sensible thing would be to just play at 16:9 and gain peripheral vision at the cost of ugly wider looking characters.

It's funny how csgo is about the only game where people stick to this old out dated idea to try and have bigger targets (everything is proportional so they aren't actually bigger), where every other shooter people have moved on.

People dont necessarily play at 4:3 stretched for a 'bigger target'. They do it because they have been playing CS since the early 2000s and older versions only supported 4:3 so they have been use to playing in that resolutions. Its the reason many pros and OG players still play 4:3.

Its the feel it has as well, sometimes when I switch to 4:3 it just feels nice and I play better, sure its placebo or whatever but its entirely preference and I often find myself alternating between 16:9 and 4:3. Its similar to changing sensitivity or crosshair.

[Peekaboh]

if you found this thread and are as mad as me about the guy giving his opinion instead of offering an solution, and like me you use an Nvidia GPU, try changing the option "scaling with" from "screen" to "GPU", in the NVIDIA control center. that worked for me.
(right click your desktop, select NVIDIA control center to open it up. go into the "screen" menu, and from there into the "Size and Position" menu. it has 2 tabs one of them is "scaling" where you will find the option. hope it worked for at least one other person)

[The collective will]

I understand that dealing with the window resizing issue when tabbing out of CSGO can be frustrating. While I may not have an exact solution for your specific situation, I can offer a few suggestions that may help alleviate the problem or provide a workaround:

Windowed Fullscreen Mode: Instead of playing CSGO in fullscreen mode, try using the Windowed Fullscreen mode (also known as Borderless Windowed or Windowed Maximized). This mode allows you to play the game in a borderless window that should maintain the aspect ratio and resolution of your desktop, preventing the resizing issue when tabbing out. To enable this mode, go to the game's video settings and look for the display mode options.
GPU Control Panel Settings: Check your GPU control panel settings (e.g., NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Radeon Settings) to see if there are any options related to display scaling or aspect ratio. Adjusting these settings may help maintain the aspect ratio of your desktop when tabbing out of the game. Look for options like "Maintain aspect ratio," "Override scaling mode," or similar settings.
Custom Resolution Utility (CRU): You could try using a utility like Custom Resolution Utility (CRU) to create a custom resolution that matches your desired aspect ratio. This might help in maintaining the correct aspect ratio when tabbing out. However, keep in mind that using third-party utilities comes with some risks, so proceed with caution and ensure you have a backup of your display settings before making any changes.
Disable DPI Scaling for Specific Applications: In Windows, you can try disabling DPI scaling for specific applications to prevent resizing when switching between them. Right-click on the application's executable file, go to Properties, navigate to the Compatibility tab, and check the "Disable display scaling on high DPI settings" option. Apply the changes and see if it helps.
Contact Game Support: If none of the above suggestions resolve the issue, it may be worth reaching out to the game's support team or checking their forums for any known solutions or workarounds. They may have specific recommendations or settings that can help address the window resizing problem.
Remember to keep your graphics drivers up to date, as new driver updates can sometimes resolve compatibility issues. Additionally, exploring community forums or subreddits dedicated to CSGO might provide insights from other players who have encountered and resolved similar issues.

While I cannot guarantee that these suggestions will solve the problem, I hope they provide you with some avenues to explore and potentially find a suitable workaround for the window resizing issue when tabbing out of CSGO.

[Rosa]

This thread was quite old before the recent post, so we're locking it to prevent confusion.