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Iracing Crashes When Alt Tabbing

iRacing drivers: Fix iracing crashes when alt tabbing fast. Learn why it happens and follow simple steps to stop crashes and keep the sim stable so you can race.

If you’re dealing with iracing crashes when alt tabbing, the fastest fix is switching to Borderless Windowed mode and turning off GPU/Discord overlays. You’re in the right place—below is the plain-language why and the exact steps to stop the crashes.

iracing crashes when alt tabbing — Quick Answer

Most crashes when you Alt‑Tab come from exclusive fullscreen mode and overlay software causing the graphics device to “drop” when the game loses focus. Use Borderless Windowed, disable overlays (Discord/GeForce/Radeon/Steam), and cap background FPS to keep iRacing stable.

What’s Really Going On

Alt‑Tab changes focus from iRacing to Windows. In exclusive fullscreen, that forces a display mode switch. Some drivers and overlays don’t handle that cleanly, which can crash the sim. Borderless Windowed keeps the same display mode so Windows can swap focus without tearing down the graphics device. Overlays (Discord, GeForce Experience, Radeon, Steam, Xbox Game Bar) and aggressive GPU power/clock changes can make the handoff worse. The fix is to avoid mode switching and reduce background load.

Step-by-Step Fix

  1. Switch to Borderless Windowed
    In iRacing: Options > Graphics. Set display mode to Borderless (or Windowed if Borderless isn’t listed). Match resolution to your desktop.

  2. Disable overlays and game bars
    Turn off Discord Overlay (User Settings > Game Overlay), GeForce Experience In‑Game Overlay, Radeon Overlay/Record, Steam Overlay, and Xbox Game Bar (Windows Settings > Gaming).

  3. Cap background FPS
    Options > Graphics > Max Frame Rate (Background). Set 30–60 FPS. This keeps GPU load stable when iRacing is not the active window.

  4. Disable Fullscreen Optimizations for iRacing
    Right‑click iRacingSim64DX11.exe (iRacing install folder) > Properties > Compatibility > check “Disable fullscreen optimizations.” Click Apply.

  5. Update (or roll back) your GPU driver
    Install the latest NVIDIA/AMD driver using a clean install option. If the issue started after an update, roll back one version.

  6. Match refresh rate and avoid HDR mode switches
    Set your Windows desktop to the same refresh rate you use in iRacing. If you use HDR and see crashes on Alt‑Tab, try disabling HDR in Windows Display settings.

If you run VR: Alt‑Tab is notoriously finicky. Pin apps inside SteamVR/Oculus Dash or use the VR desktop viewer instead of Alt‑Tabbing.

Extra Tips / Checklist

  • Close heavy apps (Chrome/Edge with video) before racing to free VRAM.
  • Remove GPU/CPU overclocks to test stability—Alt‑Tab spikes clocks.
  • Multi‑monitor: make sure all displays use the same refresh rate.
  • Sim tools: if you use SimHub/CrewChief/overlay apps, run them without on‑screen overlays first to isolate the issue.
  • Repair iRacing install from the launcher to refresh any DirectX/runtime files.

FAQs

Q: Does Borderless Windowed add input lag?
A: For most iRacing setups, the difference is negligible. G‑Sync/FreeSync can work in windowed mode if enabled in your driver settings.

Q: Can I just use Alt+Enter?
A: Yes—Alt+Enter toggles windowed mode. Do that first, then Alt‑Tab. It’s a quick workaround if you can’t change iRacing settings mid‑session.

Q: It started after a driver update—now what?
A: Roll back one GPU driver version or try a clean install of the latest. Driver changes commonly affect Alt‑Tab behavior.

Q: Where are logs if I need support?
A: Check Documents\iRacing\logs. Include those files when contacting iRacing support.

Short Wrap‑Up

Alt‑Tab crashes usually come from exclusive fullscreen and overlay conflicts. Run Borderless Windowed, kill overlays, cap background FPS, and keep drivers stable. Do those, and you should be able to tab out without ending your race.