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GAMING MODES

See the web.Keep the game.

Keep Discord, YouTube or a guide open over your game on Windows. Side Whisper stays on top, and you decide who gets the mouse and keyboard with View, Interact and Focus.

Get it fromMicrosoft StoreRead the Gaming guide

01 — INPUT OWNERSHIP

Three modes. Three clear contracts.

Pick a mode and the scene shows what happens to the mouse and keyboard. All three are in the Free plan.

DEFAULT SHORTCUTS

Enter or leave Gaming
Alt+Shift+G
Cycle overlay mode
Alt+Shift+O
Toggle Focus
Alt+Shift+F
Unlock the cursor briefly
Alt+Shift+I
Show or hide the HUD Pro
Alt+Shift+P

02 — WHY IT MATTERS

A topmost window can still be the wrong window.

Login popups, payment windows and text fields need the keyboard. In Focus mode, Side Whisper gives them real keyboard focus, and the game does not take it back while you type.

Click-through visibility
Deliberate pointer interaction
Real typing focus
Site popups keep keyboard focus
Changing the stacking order does not steal focus

03 — QUICK SEARCH

Search without opening a browser first.

Give Quick Search a shortcut in Settings and it opens beside the rail, over your game, even in Gaming View, where its rail tile is off.

Keyboard first

Type, move through the results with the arrow keys, press Enter and get back to the game.

Temporary by default

A web result opens in a temporary window and stays out of your sidebar until you click Keep in sidebar.

04 — PERFORMANCE HUD

Measured on your PC. Missing when unavailable.

Pro The HUD is part of Pro.

FPS comes from Intel PresentMon for the game you are playing. CPU, RAM and GPU match what Windows reports. Temperatures show only when your sensors report them. Read how the HUD works.

FPS

Intel PresentMon, for the game you are playing

CPU

The game, Side Whisper and the whole system

RAM

The game, Side Whisper and the whole system

GPU

The game’s adapter in Windows GPU Engine, including a real 0%

THREE LAYOUTS

ColumnOne reading per line, with its label.

The Gaming performance HUD, column layout

InlineEvery reading on one line. Long lines fit themselves to the screen.

The Gaming performance HUD, inline layout

MinimalThe values alone, for the smallest footprint.

The Gaming performance HUD, minimal layout

Each layout can sit in the browser toolbar or float over the game as a click-through overlay, at the left or right edge of the screen. You choose which readings it shows.

GAME PROFILES Pro

Remembers each game.

A profile saves the Window mode, the overlay opacity and the HUD visibility for one game, and applies them when that game is in front. Side Whisper stores a hash of the game path, not the path itself.

05 — COMPATIBILITY

Built for real Windows constraints, not universal promises.

Borderless windowed

Side Whisper suggests it when a fullscreen game would hide the overlay. The suggestion is a heuristic, not exclusive-fullscreen detection.

Multi-monitor workflows

Choose the monitor, the side, the position and the overlay opacity.

Exclusive fullscreen and anti-cheat

Some titles can block overlays, focus changes or capture.

Nothing estimated

FPS, GPU and temperature values that are not available stay unavailable.

Tip If a fullscreen game hides the overlay, switch the game to Borderless windowed in its video settings.

QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK

Gaming, answered.

More in the Gaming guide.

Does it work with anti-cheat?

Some anti-cheat titles block overlays, focus changes or capture, and Side Whisper cannot override that. Try your game in Borderless windowed mode first, and keep to the rules of the game you play.

Does it work in exclusive fullscreen?

Not reliably. Exclusive fullscreen can hide overlays. Side Whisper suggests Borderless windowed when a fullscreen game would hide it. That suggestion is a heuristic, not exclusive-fullscreen detection.

Will it slow my game down?

Side Whisper makes no FPS promises. While Gaming is on, inactive browser windows and tabs are throttled by default. Turn off Reduce overlay GPU use in Gaming, under Settings, Advanced, Performance, to let them run.

Can I type into a login popup over a game?

Yes. In Focus mode, login, payment and other site popups keep keyboard focus. Toggle Focus with Alt+Shift+F.

Do I need Pro for Gaming modes?

No. View, Interact and Focus are in the Free plan. Pro adds the performance HUD and per-game profiles.

Where does game telemetry go?

Nowhere. FPS, CPU, RAM and GPU values are read on your PC and stay on it.

READY TO PLAY

Keep the guide open.
Keep the game running.

Get it fromMicrosoft StoreCompare plans
  • Free, no time limit
  • No account needed
  • Windows 10 and 11