Why does my game pause when I tab out?

there is a way actually to bypass this, however, you require windows 8. If you run the game on the desktop and open up a windows 8 app, then it runs on a different window according to the OS. On the desktop, the game will continue to run since it has the "focus" of the desktop window, but you can work in other windows 8 apps while having the game still assuming it has the window focus. Granted, the issue with this method is that you have to have windows 8 and you are limited to windows 8 applications, but other than that, I have been able to work in chrome (in windows 8 mode) while running a game on my desktop (farming, but it needed the focus of the OS to not pause)

Why does my game pause when I tab out?

Why does my game pause when I tab out?
23 Aug, 2017 @ 8:25pm

How to stop the game from pausing when alt-tabbing out of it?

I need to multi-task. I'm stuck using the terrible Steam browser and it's just not cutting it. I want to be able to work on other stuff without it stopping the growth of my farm plants. We should be able to access other windows and interact with them without the game pausing. I'd like to multitask email, do some audio and image editing, and various other internet tasks while waiting for my plants to grow. This feature is sorely needed.

I accidentally tricked the game into letting me use my own mozilla browser once by repeatedly tabbing in and out of the steam overlay and browser, but I can't replicate it. Has anyone else figure dout how to do it?

Date Posted: 23 Aug, 2017 @ 8:25pm

Posts: 5


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@Spills78 

Wow. I like the way you think!

These are the kinds of things "I" think about and want to know when playing. The little things, quirks, how the game functions.

I just tested it out and my results say "YES". It does pause.

I loaded a lot with a sim. The sim was on one side of the lot. I gave them the command "Go Here" to the other side of the lot and unpaused it. I Alt-TAB'd and waited about 20-30 seconds and when I came back, they were still where I left them, still walking.

I play in "Fullscreen mode". I'm wondering now if it's different if you play in Windowed or full-screen?  Testing...

Very interesting!  Turns out, if you play in "Fullscreen" mode, it Pauses the game when you Alt-TAB out. But if you play in "Windowed" mode, it doesn't.

Kudos!

ThePsycho
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  3. Steam game - how to keep game from pausing/ silencing audio when alt+tab?

PotatoTears 5 years ago#1

Title.

Say I alt tab - I wish to keep the audio going and the game from pausing.

I have borderless window activated, so it doesnt minimize - yet it pauses/ audio stops.

Any idea?

SinisterSlay 5 years ago#2

Sometimes you can cheese it by setting to bordered window, then using a tool like dexpot, set the window to always on top. Then use a second monitor or shrink the game window.

He who stumbles around in darkness with a stick is blind. But he who... sticks out in darkness... is... fluorescent! - Brother Silence
Lose 50 experience

#3

(message deleted)

PotatoTears (Topic Creator)5 years ago#4

SinisterSlay posted...

Sometimes you can cheese it by setting to bordered window, then using a tool like dexpot, set the window to always on top. Then use a second monitor or shrink the game window.

i have it set to borderless window - and i do have 2 monitors. so setting it always on top -- will that still allow me to tab out and use other s*** while still keeping it active?

runrom posted...

What's the game in particular?

obscure af - legend of heroes trails in the sky second chapter.

SinisterSlay 5 years ago#5

For that game the audio files are just flac files in the game install folder. Just play them manually.

He who stumbles around in darkness with a stick is blind. But he who... sticks out in darkness... is... fluorescent! - Brother Silence
Lose 50 experience

PotatoTears (Topic Creator)5 years ago#6

SinisterSlay posted...

For that game the audio files are just flac files in the game install folder. Just play them manually.

...thats not what im attempting to achieve here. i dont want the game to pause, or the audio.

wildog2006 5 years ago#7

Unless there's an option in-game along the lines of "Pause on focus loss", it's probably not gonna happen.

MOD: Mindless, Oppressive, & Delusional

  1. Boards
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  3. Steam game - how to keep game from pausing/ silencing audio when alt+tab?

Is there a way to pause the game while tabbing out?

there is litterly a setting called auto pause. ... that has litteraly nothing to do with the game pausing while tabbing out. It‘s for pausing while interacting with npc or inventory... Go into multiplayer and select host and play. The world will then run like a server so it won't pause.

Why does the game keep running but the music keeps playing?

Normally the music would keep playing and the game would keep running, but this, for some reason, has stopped. Firstly, the "Auto Pause" in options is set to disabled. I have tried loading my world in Multiplayer as some have said that it remedies the pause when minimized, but that didn't help either.

Why do my games keep alt tabbing on Windows 10?

When your games keep alt tabbing on Windows 10, the first thing you should do is to check if the keyboard is connected to your computer properly. To do so, you can unplug the cable of the keyboard first and then re-plug it back. Note: If you are using a PS/2 keyboard, you should unplug the keyboard after turning off your computer. Solution 2.

How to Fix Gaming tabs on Windows 10?

Solution 1. Re-plug the Keyboard Solution 2. Update Your Keyboard and Graphics Card Driver Solution 3. Run the Game in Windowed or Borderless Mode Solution 4. Run a Virus Scan Solution 5. Disable a Task in Computer Management Why does my computer randomly tabs out?

How do you tab out of a game without it pausing?

You can press F3 + P to let the game not auto-pausing.

How do I stop games from pausing when I alt

If a game is being run in fullscreen mode, it stops rendering when you alt-tab. That's why it freezes. If you don't want it to do that, run the game in Windowed or Borderless mode.

Why does my game freeze when I tab out?

Incompatible apps – It was found by some players that there are applications that are causing this issue when you are alt-tabbing from the game to them. An app that has been found by many people to be the cause is Discord. To fix this, all you have to do is to close the app before you launch the game.

Why does my stream pause when I alt

This happens because the OS stops rendering the game while you're alt-tabbed out. Same with minimizing windows. You'd need to run the game fullscreen windowed mode for this to work, and not minimize it.