Hollow Knight Not Changing Resolution or Full Screen/Borderless Window Not Working

Hollow Knight Not Changing Resolution or Full Screen/Borderless Window Not Working

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Hollow Knight Not Changing Resolution or Full Screen/Borderless Window Not Working: Before diving into fixes, it helps to know what could go wrong under the hood. Here are common root causes:

  • Borderless window mode “locks” resolution — many games, including Hollow Knight, treat borderless-windowed mode as matching your desktop resolution, which means you can’t downscale or change resolution while in that mode.

  • Fullscreen mode crashes or fails — switching to exclusive fullscreen may trigger driver issues, scaling problems, or onboard GPU conflicts.

  • Overriding GPU settings or DSR / scaling — features in NVIDIA/AMD drivers (like DSR, custom resolutions, scaling overrides) sometimes force a resolution or interfere with the game’s settings.

  • Incorrect DPI / display scaling / compatibility options — Windows may force scaling, or high-DPI settings might break how the game interacts with display modes.

  • Settings reset on returning to main menu / switching scenes — sometimes the game resets to your desktop resolution or ignores your chosen resolution when returning to menus or launching.

  • Registry / config file overrides — stored resolution settings (in registry or local config) may get reset or ignored.

  • Game patches / engine limitations — certain patches or engine behaviors force limitations (for instance, borderless requiring desktop resolution).

  • Ultrawide / nonstandard aspect ratios — the game may not natively support certain unusual resolutions, making the engine revert to defaults.

Several players report that when they switch to “Borderless Windowed” mode, the resolution option becomes greyed-out or stuck — effectively, the game defaults to the desktop resolution instead of letting you choose a different one. Steam Community+2steamsolo.com+2
Others say trying to set fullscreen mode causes the game to freeze or revert back to borderless. Reddit
One user discovered that disabling NVIDIA’s DSR (Dynamic Super Resolution) resolved issues where the game was stuck at 4K under borderless mode. Reddit

With that in mind, let’s go through step-by-step methods to fix or work around these issues.

Step-by-Step Fixes & Workarounds

1. Start Simple: Use Windowed / Toggle Modes

  • Launch Hollow Knight in Windowed mode first.

  • In windowed mode, try changing the resolution to the desired setting (for example, 1920×1080).

  • Then, once resolution is set, switch to Borderless Windowed or Fullscreen.

    • Some users say this sequence causes the change to “stick,” because switching directly to borderless first prevents resolution changes. Reddit+1

  • If switching back to the menu resets the resolution, repeat this sequence after returning to main menu.

This “windowed first → set resolution → go borderless” trick sometimes works when the game otherwise forces the desktop resolution.

2. Use Steam Launch Options to Force Resolution & Mode

You can directly supply resolution and mode overrides via Steam’s Launch Options.

In Steam:

  1. Right-click Hollow Knight → Properties → General

  2. Under Launch Options, add something like:

-screen-width 1920 -screen-height 1080 -window-mode exclusive

or for borderless:

-screen-width 1920 -screen-height 1080 -window-mode borderless

Adjust the numbers to your desired resolution.
This method sometimes forces the game to obey your preferred resolution rather than defaulting to desktop. Steam Community+1

You can also try:

  • -windowed or -noborder (some games accept these flags)

  • If a flag doesn’t work, remove or tweak it, as not all flags are recognized.

3. Disable Fullscreen Optimizations & Override DPI Settings

Windows often applies compatibility or scaling behaviors that interfere with games. To mitigate:

  1. Navigate to the Hollow Knight executable (e.g. hollow_knight.exe).

  2. Right-click → Properties → Compatibility tab.

  3. Check “Disable fullscreen optimizations”.

  4. Click “Change high DPI settings”:

    • Under High DPI scaling override, tick “Override high DPI scaling behavior” and choose “Application.”

    • In the same area, disable “Program DPI” or scaling as needed.

  5. Click OK to apply.

Users on Microsoft’s forums reported resolution changes being locked or forced to 640×480 etc., and disabling DPI scaling helped. Microsoft Learn+1

4. Turn Off GPU Features That Override Resolution (e.g. DSR / Scaling)

If you use an NVIDIA GPU, DSR (Dynamic Super Resolution) allows rendering above native resolution and scaling down. But sometimes it causes the game to pick the DSR resolution instead of what the game offers.

  • Open NVIDIA Control Panel → Manage 3D Settings → scroll to DSR – Factors

  • Uncheck all DSR options (turn it off) and apply.
    One user specifically fixed a stuck 4K borderless problem by disabling DSR. Reddit

  • Also check for “Override the scaling mode” or “Perform scaling on GPU / display” in your control panel and set them to “Application” or off.

For AMD/Intel, look for similar features like supersampling, scaling overrides, or virtual resolution, and disable them.

5. Edit Registry / Config Entries Manually

Hollow Knight stores resolution settings in the registry under the current user. If the in-game UI is failing you, force the values:

  1. Press Win + R, type regedit, press Enter.

  2. Navigate to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Team Cherry\Hollow Knight

  1. Look for values like:

  • Screenmanager Resolution Width

  • Screenmanager Resolution Height

  • Screenmanager Windowed Fullscreen

  1. Double-click and set your desired width and height. For fullscreen vs borderless:

  • You may find a boolean or integer value for the “windowed fullscreen” mode — set it accordingly.

  1. After editing, close the Registry Editor, launch the game and see if the resolution persists.

Some players say that even if their laptop’s native display is 3000×2000, setting registry entries for 1366×768 made the game respect that resolution (though issues still happened if switching modes). Steam Community

Additionally, you can try making these registry entries Read-Only so the game cannot overwrite them, though that can carry risks.

6. Update Drivers, Windows & Monitor Settings

  • Ensure your GPU drivers (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel) are fully up to date.

  • Update Windows (especially display and compatibility patches).

  • Check monitor’s internal settings — sometimes monitors have built-in scaling, aspect ratio, or “override mode” settings.

  • Check display settings in Windows: right-click on desktop → Display settings → ensure your resolution / refresh rate is correct. Sometimes, switching the desktop refresh rate (e.g. from 59 Hz to 60 Hz) and back causes games to behave better. One user said that toggling refresh rate on desktop fixed fullscreen games stuck at 15 FPS. Tom’s Hardware Forum

7. Use a Borderless Window Utility / External Tool

If the game itself refuses to apply borderless-windowed properly, you can use a third-party tool like Borderless Gaming, Borderless Window, or Windowed Borderless Gaming (community tools) to force the game into borderless-mode after launching.

Workflow:

  1. Launch the game in Windowed mode.

  2. In the borderless tool, add Hollow Knight to its list or target it.

  3. Let the tool force borderless behavior (no borders, fullscreen-like).

This external override often works when the game’s internal borderless mode is glitchy. Some users use that trick in other games when built-in modes don’t work. Reddit+1

8. Use Mods / Community Patches (for Ultrawide / Nonstandard Resolutions)

If your issue is using an ultrawide resolution or a resolution the game doesn’t support natively:

  • There is a Proper UltraWide mod for Hollow Knight that patches Assembly-CSharp.dll to support ultrawide (e.g. 3440×1440). Gamepressure.com

    • Important: this mod is not compatible with other mods that also modify Assembly-CSharp.dll.

    • It often requires you to run the game in borderless mode for it to function correctly.

    • Sometimes you must set width/height via launch options as well.

  • Use the “modded resolution patch / ReShade / engine patch” if available on Hollow Knight modding communities. (Note: this is an advanced path and carries risk.)

9. Revert / Verify Game Files & Test Clean

  • Use Steam’s Verify integrity of game files to restore the original game executables and configs.

  • Remove any mods or display-altering tools temporarily.

  • Launch the game fresh, set resolution, test switching between modes.

  • If resolution changes work in vanilla, then your mod or patch was interfering.

10. Reboot / Try an Alternate Monitor

  • Sometimes it’s just a stale state. Reboot your PC after changing settings.

  • If possible, test on another monitor or temporarily disable multiple monitors. Conflicting display modes across monitors sometimes confuse games.

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Example Workflows for Different Scenarios

Here are a few example flows depending on your situation.

Scenario A: Borderless locks resolution to desktop

  1. Launch game in Windowed mode.

  2. Change resolution to e.g. 1920×1080.

  3. Switch to Borderless Windowed.

  4. If resolution resets, disable GPU DSR / scaling override, and then repeat steps.

If still broken, use Steam launch flags -screen-width 1920 -screen-height 1080 -window-mode borderless.

Scenario B: Fullscreen mode crashes / freezes / reverts

  1. In Windows properties, disable fullscreen optimizations, override DPI scaling.

  2. Use the “Disable fullscreen optimizations” on hollow_knight.exe.

  3. Turn off GPU scaling features (DSR, virtual resolutions).

  4. Use exclusive fullscreen via launch flags: -window-mode exclusive.

  5. If still fails, use Windowed → borderless workaround or external tool.

Scenario C: Ultraprint / ultrawide resolution is not supported

  1. Use the Proper UltraWide mod (if you’re okay with modding the game). Gamepressure.com

  2. Set the resolution via launch options to your ultrawide values.

  3. Run game in borderless (required by mod).

  4. If you already have other mods, ensure no conflicts on patched DLL.

Scenario D: Resolution resets after returning to menu

  1. Use the launch-option method to fix resolution on startup.

  2. Immediately after reaching the main menu, go to settings and reapply your desired resolution.

  3. Save settings, close menu.

  4. If still resets, try registry edits for Screenmanager Resolution Width / Height.

  5. If those don’t stick, set registry entries read-only (but backup first).

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q1. Why can’t I change resolution while in Borderless Windowed mode?

A: Many games treat borderless-windowed as matching the desktop resolution, meaning resolution options are locked or hidden. The game will render in the desktop resolution to avoid flicker when alt-tabbing. In Hollow Knight, users have reported that switching to borderless disables resolution selection. Steam Community+2steamsolo.com+2

To work around: set resolution in Windowed mode first, then switch to borderless; or use external borderless tools.

Q2. Fullscreen mode causes a freeze or immediately reverts to borderless. What gives?

A: This is often due to driver conflicts, Windows fullscreen optimization interference, or scaling overrides. Try disabling fullscreen optimizations, overriding DPI scaling, and disabling GPU scaling/DSR features. Also ensure your resolution is compatible with your monitor. If fullscreen still fails, you may need to stick to borderless or use a workaround.

Some users report that switching display scaling or toggling refresh rate fixed the problem. Tom’s Hardware Forum+1

Q3. After setting a lower resolution, the game resets to native when I return to menu. Why?

A: Probably because menu rendering code forces desktop resolution or overwrites settings. It may also be due to registry keys being ignored or overwritten.

Workaround:

  • After launching, immediately set resolution in settings again.

  • Use registry edits to force the values.

  • Use launch options to supply resolution parameters from startup.

  • Use mods if available that fix menu behavior.

Q4. Does disabling DSR really help?

A: Yes — in cases where GPU DSR (Dynamic Super Resolution) is active, the game sometimes picks that high resolution as default, causing misbehavior in borderless mode. Disabling DSR in NVIDIA’s control panel has resolved stuck-4K borderless issues for some users. Reddit

Always disable scaling overrides or advanced GPU-supplied resolutions.

Q5. Can I force Hollow Knight into a custom resolution (e.g. for ultrawide)?

A: Yes — using the Proper UltraWide mod, you can patch the game to support nonstandard resolutions (e.g. 3440×1440). Gamepressure.com

Be aware:

  • The mod may conflict with others that modify the same core files (like Assembly-CSharp.dll).

  • It often requires borderless mode to work properly.

  • You may need to use launch options to set width/height.

Q6. Will editing the registry permanently fix this?

A: Editing registry keys can force your preferred resolution values, but the game or Windows might overwrite them. To increase permanence:

  • Edit keys under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Team Cherry\Hollow Knight. Steam Community

  • Optionally make the registry values read-only (be cautious, and back up first).

  • Combined with other fixes (disabling overrides, proper launch flags), registry edits can help.

Q7. After verifying game files or updating, my custom resolution is lost. How do I preserve it?

A: Game updates often restore defaults, overwrite patched files, or reset configs. After a patch:

  • Reapply any registry edits.

  • Reset your launch options.

  • If using mods (like ultrawide mod), reapply or re-patch.

  • Re-disable GPU scaling / DSR (they might get re-enabled).

  • Re-disable fullscreen optimizations, DPI overrides as they could revert.

Q8. I have multiple monitors. Could that be interfering?

A: Yes — games sometimes detect multiple screens and choose a resolution or display you didn’t expect. To mitigate:

  • Temporarily disable secondary monitors.

  • Set your primary display correctly in Windows.

  • Ensure resolution and refresh rate are consistent across monitors.

  • Launch the game from your intended monitor.

Q9. Are there known bugs / engine limitations in Hollow Knight regarding resolution?

A: Yes. Some patches or engine behaviors lead to:

  • Locking resolution changes when in borderless mode.

  • Resetting resolution when returning to menus.

  • Incompatibility with non-standard aspect ratios without mods.

Because Hollow Knight was not originally designed for ultrawide or highly custom resolutions, mods are often needed to fully support those setups.

Q10. After trying everything, nothing works. What next?

A: If none of the above helps:

  1. Restore your game to a clean, unmodded state (use file verification).

  2. Start with a fresh install, no mods.

  3. Immediately apply the “windowed → set resolution → borderless” trick or launch options.

  4. If baseline works, gradually add your settings / mods.

  5. If still fails, provide details: your OS, GPU, monitor resolution, any error messages — from that, deeper debugging may help.

Summary & Best Practices

  • Use Windowed first, set resolution, then go Borderless or Fullscreen.

  • Disable interfering features: fullscreen optimizations, DPI scaling override, GPU scaling / DSR.

  • Use launch options to force resolution and mode if the in-game UI is broken.

  • Edit registry to force resolution settings, but back up before making changes.

  • Use external tools (borderless window apps) when internal modes fail.

  • For ultrawide/nonstandard resolutions, use a mod like Proper UltraWide (with caution).

  • After updates, reapply fixes, as patches may reset behaviors.

  • Always test with a clean, mod-free install to isolate whether mods or patches are causing issues.

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