Overlay mode and Window mode

Q: Why does my toggle hotkey minimize WingHUD instead of hiding it?

Ctrl+Tab (default — change it in Settings → Hotkeys) and the tray icon's left-click still show or hide the overlay in Overlay mode, same as always. In Window mode, they instead minimize WingHUD to the Windows taskbar and restore it — closing the window itself always sends it back to the tray in either mode, it never fully quits.

Applies to WingHUD 3.0 · Updated October 20, 2026 · English only

Overlay mode vs Window mode#

WingHUD normally runs as a transparent overlay on top of your game — that's Overlay mode, the default. Window mode instead shows WingHUD as an ordinary bordered window with its own title bar, useful for a second monitor or when you'd rather have it off to the side than layered over the game.

Switch between the two#

The pill in the chat header shows the mode you're in - OVERLAY MODE or WINDOW MODE. Click "Use a window" at its right end to switch to Window mode, or "Back to overlay" to switch back — there's no separate setting for this. The "Over the game" switch in the middle of the pill is the in-game chat, which only works in Overlay mode.

What changes between the two#

In Window mode, your docked widgets show as a standing panel down the side at all times; in Overlay mode that panel only appears once you've actually docked something, or while you're dragging a widget. Window mode stays on top of other windows by default, the same as Overlay mode. The window doesn't remember its size or position between launches yet, so expect it to reset each time you reopen WingHUD.

The toggle hotkey behaves differently in Window mode#

Ctrl+Tab (default — change it in Settings → Hotkeys) and the tray icon's left-click still show or hide the overlay in Overlay mode, same as always. In Window mode, they instead minimize WingHUD to the Windows taskbar and restore it — closing the window itself always sends it back to the tray in either mode, it never fully quits.