Microsoft is pushing its Xbox full screen experience beyond dedicated handhelds, making the console-style interface standard on Windows 11 gaming portables and opening a PC preview for Xbox and Windows Insiders.
New features in the Xbox full screen experience
The Xbox full screen experience (FSE) is a new shell for Windows 11 that prioritizes games and controller input over the traditional desktop. On supported devices, it can even become the default environment at boot, so you land straight in an Xbox-style dashboard instead of the Windows desktop.
Microsoft describes FSE as a “controller-navigable UI” designed to feel closer to an Xbox console on Windows hardware. The interface runs full screen and focuses on game discovery and launching, pulling in titles from across your installed PC libraries, including “most popular PC storefronts,” rather than locking you to a single ecosystem.
A built-in task switcher is central to the experience. Instead of juggling Alt+Tab and desktop windows, you can swap between games and apps from within the full screen environment, keeping navigation on the controller as much as possible.
| Xbox full screen experience feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Controller-first UI | Lets you navigate and launch games with a gamepad instead of mouse and keyboard. |
| Full-screen shell | Runs as a dedicated, distraction-free gaming environment on top of Windows 11. |
| Multi-store library view | Surfaces games from across your PC storefronts in one place. |
| Task Switcher | Moves quickly between games and apps without dropping back to the desktop. |
| Boot-to-Xbox on handhelds | Lets supported Windows 11 handhelds start directly into the Xbox shell. |
Availability on Windows 11 handheld gaming PCs
On Windows 11 handhelds that are already on the market, Xbox FSE is now generally available and no longer limited to previews. Microsoft positions this as a way to “minimize friction and get players into their games faster,” with performance optimizations and the option to boot directly into Xbox on these devices.
That focus is squarely on smaller, resource-constrained hardware where background Windows services and the desktop shell are more likely to eat into battery life and frame rates. On these systems, the Xbox environment can act as the primary way to use the device for gaming, with the standard desktop still available when needed.
Microsoft maintains a public overview of the feature on its Windows gaming full screen experience support page, including guidance for handheld setup.
Preview access on laptops, desktops, and tablets
Beyond handhelds, Xbox FSE is now in preview for more traditional Windows 11 form factors. The feature targets gaming-focused laptops, desktops, and tablets where players want a couch-friendly or controller-first mode on top of a general-purpose PC.
On these devices, the full screen shell is disabled by default and must be turned on in Windows settings once the right build is installed. After that, Microsoft says you can:
- Press
Win + F11to bring up the experience. - Or open Task View via the taskbar icon or
Win + Taband select “Xbox full screen experience” as another virtual desktop.
Functionally, that means FSE lives alongside your regular Windows desktop, not instead of it, letting you jump between a console-like environment and the standard UI as you play and work.
Compatibility and requirements
For now, the PC version of Xbox FSE is restricted to testers. You need to be opted in to both Microsoft’s Xbox and Windows preview programs and be on a recent Insider build of Windows 11.
| Requirement | Details | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 11, with handhelds supported broadly and PCs needing a recent Insider build such as 26220.7271. | Windows 11 Insider build info |
| Windows Insider Program | Join the Dev or Beta channels to receive the preview build carrying Xbox FSE on PCs. | Join Windows Insider Program |
| Xbox Insider Program | Enroll and opt into “PC Gaming Preview” within the Xbox Insider Hub app to unlock the feature. | Xbox Insider Program overview |
| Xbox app configuration | Use the Insider build of the Xbox app on PC once your account is in the right preview ring. | Get Xbox Insider Hub |
Microsoft’s Xbox full screen experience for Windows 11 PC form factors page collects setup details and entry points for the preview. The company expects the feature to reach all Windows 11 users after this testing period, with a broader rollout planned for next year.
Feedback, known limitations, and early reception
Because FSE is still in preview on PCs, it is not feature-complete and does not change how Windows itself handles non-gaming tasks. Traditional desktop apps that lack controller support still require a mouse and keyboard, and some players are reporting inconsistent behavior when enabling the shell on unsupported or partially supported devices.
Early user feedback highlights several themes:
- On handhelds, performance gains are noticeable mainly on lower-power hardware; high-end rigs may see little improvement.
- Multitasking can feel constrained when running entirely inside the full screen shell, especially for players who regularly alt-tab to other apps.
- Support is rolling out gradually even within Insider builds, so not every eligible PC surfaces the toggle at the same time.
Microsoft is directing testers to send issues and suggestions through the Windows Feedback Hub using the WIN + F shortcut, or through the report feature in the Xbox PC app under “Gaming and Xbox > Gaming Full Screen Experience.”
For Xbox, this is a bet that a single Windows-based shell can finally bridge handhelds and gaming PCs with something that feels closer to a console dashboard, even if it still has to coexist with the traditional Windows desktop for a while.
