League of Legends is a pretty fast-paced game. A few seconds off the clock can cost you the game at times. With every moment and every decision you make crucial to the outcome of a match, random minimizing can be extremely infuriating. If you, too, suffer from League of Legends minimizing, you should definitely work on that and get it fixed before your next ranked match unless you want to get reported x9.
The issue of League of Legends randomly minimizing can usually be fixed by going to your Settings tab in the upper-right corner of your client’s screen. On the General tab, you will see a ‘Close Client’ option. If this issue occurs frequently, set the settings to ‘Always’. If it happens occasionally, you can leave it on ‘As Needed’.
Other quick fixes include closing all background applications, playing on ‘Windowed Borderless’ mode, or not using special gaming mice that have additional buttons besides right-click, left-click, and scroll-wheel.
Honestly, as a fellow League of Legends player, I know the pain of losing a match just because of some silly bug or background application. Be it ping spikes, internet drops, or lag in general, everything is equally frustrating when you are in an already-intense game of League.
If you want to know more about how to fix this random minimizing issue, read ahead.
The Issue – What Is It & Why It Happens
The basic issue is that while players are in their matches, their clients will randomly minimize, and bring them to their client’s home screen. This is not that big of an issue, as you can switch back almost instantaneously unless you are in the middle of a team fight.
Client Bug
Although there are many speculations around why this problem occurs and affects so many players, some have been proven to be true. We all know how many bugs Riot’s clients have, impacting the game in different ways. This could just be another one of those bugs at times that cause you to rage at your poor PC. If this is the case, there’s nothing you can do except sit and wait for them to fix it, unfortunately.
Overheating
Another theory is that it is caused by overheating or focus shifting of your PC. If your client is taking up too much power during running, your PC will automatically minimize it in order to return to stable conditions. This can be fixed through various solutions, the main one being closing all your background applications before the game starts.
Third-Party Software
Third-party software such as Windows Games Mode, or even social media notifications, can interrupt your games. Depending on their settings, these can be a constant pain in your gaming as they will pop up every few minutes and minimize your screen automatically.
Viruses/ Malware
Viruses or malware are a common cause of many unusual PC functions. It can cause your files to become encrypted or mess with your personal settings. One of the effects is your screen minimizing on its own and that is something you will only get rid of once you rid your PC of the malware.
There might be other reasons why your League of Legends client minimizes randomly but these are some of the most common problems. If this issue persists even after ruling out all of these problems, it may be time to get your PC checked by a professional.
The Solution- How To Fix It
This problem can be caused due to various reasons which are why there are multiple solutions you must try if one does not work. Give them all a try one by one and one of them is bound to fix the issue.
Closing Background Applications
Background applications may not take up a lot of functioning power from your PC but a lot of them running at once can definitely add up. It not only overheats your PC faster due to simultaneously running in the background, but it can also slow down your machine’s processing power, leading to increased lag spikes. Closing all these applications will allow your PC or laptop to run more smoothly and hopefully resolve the issue of random minimizations.
’Close Client During Game’ Setting
This is a solution many fellow League of Legends players have suggested which has helped them reduce the frequency of random minimizations. When the client is running in the background, it basically functions as a background app but with more hold over League’s game client.
All you need to do is go to Settings> General> Close Client During Game. There are options in this setting, Always, As Needed, and Never. If you are persistently facing this problem, switch this setting to Always. Every time you start a match, the League client will automatically close in order to ensure you a better gaming experience.
Using A Special Mouse
This may seem dumb to some of you but some League players have reported facing more issues when they played with a special gaming mouse. These mouses have more than 3 buttons except the right-click, left-click, and scroll wheel. When the additional buttons were used, their clients froze or minimized, leading to a loss in gameplay potential.
This can very simply be fixed by using a regular mouse. Special gaming mouses may not be compatible with some PCs or laptops due to which users face this issue. A regular mouse with just 3 mouse buttons can quickly resolve the issue if this is the root cause.
Anti-Malware/ Anti-Virus Software
These are key components of any computer, regardless of the issue. If you do not have protection against viruses and malware, you are exposed to all sorts of threats. If your client minimizing is a result of a virus or malware, the easiest way to get rid of it is trusted anti-virus software. Be careful when using them though as many may get you into worse situations by claiming to be real when in reality, they are fakes and scams.
Riot Support
This one is fairly simple as it deals with the issue of client bugs. If your issue is rooted within a bug in the client, there is not much you can do except wait for Riot to patch it up.
Update GPU Drivers
A bit more on the technical side, issues with GPU drivers are actually a very common issue amongst PC users. If your GPU drivers are not up-to-date, you will face a number of issues, random minimizations being one of them.
To run this solution, you will have to follow a few steps.
- Open a Run dialog by pressing Win + R
- Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter to open Device Manager
- Here locate and right-click on the name of your graphics card
- Select Update Driver
Disable Outside Notifications/ Notification Settings
Sometimes, notifications from outside apps can cause your client to slow down or even minimize. There’s a quick fix to this though so you don’t need to worry.
Just go to your notification panel and select the setting that allows the applications to display over apps. Once you turn those off, chances are you shouldn’t face the issue of random minimizations again.
Low Specifications
Low specifications are issues with no real go-around. Low specifications means that you do not have the appropriate settings required to run the game smoothly. This could be any setting ranging from your processor speed to memory requirements.
If this is why your client keeps minimizing, there is, unfortunately, no way to help unless you go out and buy a new PC. No matter where you go or what you try, this is an issue that will always persist with this cause.
Also check: How To Fix League of Legends Installation Problem
Parting Thoughts
Random minimizations can really make you rage and hate the game that is already toxic as it is. With your teammates pinging you for going AFK in the middle of a team fight, to your enemy laner taunting you for getting killed in a solo trade, things can get pretty heated. Just remember that you do not have to keep facing this issue and it is not something that takes a lot of time. Most of these solutions are fairly simple and less time-consuming. So the next time you get on to the Rift, make sure you have got everything sorted beforehand to ensure no one is flaming you during or after the match.
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