Can we make the client remember window size?

Asharin · May 2016

I lie to play in windowed mode, as I'm usually working while playing (I work for myself from home)and I usually resize the game window to only use around maybe 3/4 of the screen estate. Everytime I restart the game, it defaults back to the large sized window. Any way to make the game rememebr the previously used window size?
Thanks!

KhajitFurTrader · May 2016

Do you play in "Windowed" or "Windowed (Fullscreen)" mode? Make sure the former is selected in the Video settings.

You could try to edit some settings in your UserSettings.txt file. It can be found in the folder

~/Documents/Elder Scrolls Online/live

or liveeu when playing on the EU megaserver. The relevant entries are:

SET PreferMaximizedWindow "0"
SET WindowedHeight "1315"
SET WindowedWidth "2560"

The values here are those of a 27", non-retina screen with an active Dock. Reduce yours as you see fit.

Asharin · May 2016

SET PreferMaximizedWindow "0"
SET PreferExclusiveFullscreen "0"
SET FULLSCREEN_v5 "0"
SET FullscreenHeight "1080"
SET FullscreenWidth "1920"
SET WindowedHeight "926"
SET WindowedWidth "1660"

Are what's in there at the moment....it still always defaults to window taking up almost the whole screen, bar the dock and menu

KhajitFurTrader · May 2016

I just checked it out, and I can reproduce your results:

Setting the Video to "Windowed", and then reducing the game's window to any size will correctly update and save the WindowedHight and WindowedWidth settings in the file UserSettings.txt.
On reopening the game, these values don't seem to get evaluated, as the new window has the maximum possible size, sans Menu and Dock, as you said.
The values in the UserSettings.txt file do not get updated after closing this new, maximized (but not fullscreen) window, except when resizing it again.

I can't tell whether this behavior has alway been like that, since I only ever play in fullscreen mode.

susmitds · May 2016

Simple Solution. Press Alt+Enter switch windowed mode. And resize to your choice. The size will remain the next time you run the client.

Asharin · May 2016

That's what I do...

That doesn't answer the question though. There is obviously a bug in the Mac client that prevents it from reading the settings in usersettings.txt

Asharin · May 2016

susmitds wrote: »

The size will remain the next time you run the client.

It doesn't though.

Pomaikai · May 2016

I also play in windowed mode, however I have it stretched to full screen size. This just gives me access to my app bar, and the top info bar so i don't have to <COMMAND><TAB> out of the game to look for something in Safari or to access Teamspeak. My window never resizes on me. Now maybe I'm just using the default window size, but it works. Could this be directly related to who makes your graphics card? Mine is NVIDIA.

Asharin · May 2016

nVidia here too, yes it will always default to the size you have!
I haven't tried it since latest patch but will do when servers are back up

chrisw_63_ESO · March 2019

Quick Tip -An easy way to determine the window size numbers for UserSettings.txe in Windows (but Mac users should be able to do something similar).

Run Elder Scrolls Online, get to at least the login screen, then resize the screen to where you want it. Hit Alt+PrtScrn - this saves an image of the current application's window to the clipboard. Now open Paint (cuz it's there, and free). Click anywhere in the workspace and hit Ctrl-V, or use the menu to Paste the image.

Now click on Resize, and switch the button selector from Percentage to Pixels. Copy the numbers in the Horizontal and Vertical boxes. Close Elder Scrolls Online and Paint

Ok, these numbers are the size of the window, which means they include the borders and title bar. We'll need to adjust the Vertical number for sure, since the title bar is a decent amount of real estate. The thin window borders on the sides and bottom are only 2 or 3 pixels, usually, so I didn't bother changing the Horizontal number. If you want or need exact precision, you'll have to account for them. Since default border sizes change with screen resolution, YMMV.

Open UserSettings.txt with NOTEPAD.EXE*** (C:/Users/username/Documents/Elder Scrolls Online/live). Look for SET WindowedHeight and SET WindowedWidth. Replace Width with the Horizontal number you wrote down. The Height is a bit trickier. Subtract about 60 for the title bar to start with, enter it into Height, save the file and try it out. Finagle the numbers to get exactly what you want.

I have done this myself, and the program does use the numbers correctly. It will NOT, however, place the window anywhere except where it does - near the top left corner. (Why near?? I don't get it either. It's just so ODD...) Mine opens up right at the top of the screen, but about 5 pixels in from the left.

*** Notepad.exe is free, included with Windows, and most important, SAFE for editing plain text files. If you know what you're doing, feel free to use any editor you like. Just don't forget to save in Plain Text. .doc, .docx, .pdf, .odt.. any of those will corrupt your UserSettings file, though since it's saved with a different extension, ESO will never see it. Microsoft Word and some other Document editors actually have a few different .txt versions, which is confusing. Better to leave them for other tasks.

otab · March 2019

@chrisw_63_ESO You did read that this is *MAC* Technical Support, right?

Your instructions are for Windows.

Also, why necro a 2016 thread?

ZOS_BillE · March 2019

As this thread was created three years ago we are closing the discussion. If there are no recent threads on this topic you are welcome to start a new discussion.