Introduction to Compact Mode
We’re excited to announce that Compact Mode is now available in Game Bar for Xbox Insiders. Compact Mode is a new experience that simplifies Game Bar and makes it more intuitive and easier to navigate on small screens, Windows handhelds, and when playing with a controller. To use this feature, open Game Bar, go to the Settings widget under General, and turn on the Compact Mode switch.
Better navigation on small screens and more
When Compact Mode is enabled, widget access and navigation are simplified to ensure you can access the content you want as easily as possible. If you’re using a controller, you can use the left and right bumpers (LB/RB) to quickly switch between widgets.
The Home widget allows you to view all running and recently played games. You can also access popular game launchers installed on your system, such as Xbox, Steam, Battle.net, EA Play, Riot Games, and Ubisoft Connect.
You can now exit a running game by going to the Home widget, selecting the game, and clicking Close. This is faster than quitting the game or navigating to the desktop. Additionally, you can use the Resources widget to quickly see what other applications are using your device’s resources and close them.
When the focus is on a widget icon in the navigation, you can open the widget’s settings or close the widget.
Finally, you can access the Widget Store and open any installed widget by going to the widget menu.
How to access Compact Mode on Windows gaming handheld PCs
For devices that support custom physical key mapping, you can map a key to the WIN+G keyboard shortcut. To remap a physical key, see your device’s onboarding instructions. To access Game Bar on your desktop, search for “Game Bar” on the taskbar and right-click to pin it to the taskbar.
Share your feedback
A new survey is available Here or in the Xbox Insider Hub (open or install Here for players participating in the PC Gaming Preview) to give us your feedback on Compact Mode for Game Bar on Windows PC while it’s in preview. As a reminder, you can always give us suggestions for the app or leave feedback by going to the Settings widget and using the Game Bar feedback link under Feedback. We look forward to hearing from you as we work to make further improvements to Compact Mode so you can enjoy seamless Xbox gaming experiences across all your Windows devices.
How to get Xbox Insider support and share your feedback
If you are an Xbox Insider and need support, please join our community on theXbox Insider Subreddit. Official Xbox staff, moderators, and Xbox Insiders are here to help you. We recommend adding to threads with the same topic before posting a brand new thread so we can best assist you! You can also provide direct feedback to Team Xbox by following the steps below Here in the “Report a problem online” section.
If you are not yet part of the Xbox Insider program and want to help shape the future of Xbox and get early access to new features, join the program today by downloading the Xbox Insider Hub for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One or Windows PC.
For more information about the Xbox Insider program, follow us on Twitter at@XboxInsider. Keep an eye on future Xbox Insider release notes for more information PC Gaming Preview.
Note: This feature will be available to Xbox Insiders enrolled in the PC Gaming Preview.
