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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#1 Old 26th May 2013 at 4:33 PM
Default How do you minimise the screen?
Ive just started playing Sims 3, i did use to use Sims 2 four years ago, but i cannot figure out how to minimise the screen when your playing Sims 3.

What i mean by this is, say you are playing Sims 3, and all of a sudden you realise you gotta send an email off on your pc, but you dont wanna exit your game, and then have to upload it again after you have sent the email. So you stick the game on pause and you wanna minimise the screen.

I have a pc with windows 7 not a mac, and doing the usual Cntrl+Alt+delete to bring up the task master is ineffective, because it appears for just a split second, then just goes right back to the game screen. So at the moment quitting the game is my only option
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Forum Resident
#2 Old 26th May 2013 at 4:37 PM
Alt+Tab my friend. Use it well for it is powerful.
Inventor
#3 Old 26th May 2013 at 4:50 PM
I play the game in windowed mode to make switching easier.
Instructor
#4 Old 26th May 2013 at 7:24 PM
I've never used Alt+Tab. I never knew that was the "official" way to minimize the game.

I use the Windows key on my laptop, it brings up the start menu on my computer and minimizes the game.
Lab Assistant
#5 Old 26th May 2013 at 7:38 PM
I also use the windows button on the keyboard.
Eminence Grise
#6 Old 26th May 2013 at 7:50 PM
Quote: Originally posted by skyrider77
I have a pc with windows 7 not a mac, and doing the usual Cntrl+Alt+delete to bring up the task master is ineffective, because it appears for just a split second, then just goes right back to the game screen. So at the moment quitting the game is my only option


In Win 7, ctrl-alt-delete takes you to a screen with logout and shutdown options as well as task manager. Ctrl-shift-escape brings up the task manager directly. Just a hint, save you a step if you do that a lot

But yeah, alt-tab is the "official" way to task switch in Windows. Task manager is for shutting stuff down that is hung and unresponsive.

In Win 7, there's also "Aero Flip", which lets you see all your open windows in a stack which you can scroll through with the mousewheel. Windows key-Tab brings that up (on my mouse it's bound to a button, since I have my windows key disabled ).
Inventor
#7 Old 26th May 2013 at 9:04 PM
Alt-Tab or the windows button work best. Or, just play in windowed mode. Either way is fine.
Forum Resident
#8 Old 26th May 2013 at 10:21 PM
Just make sure for people with lower end PC`s to beware. ALT+TAB gave me severe problems in the past when i had an older computer.

Basically what happens, is the switch to windows will be instant, however when you switch back to game you will be waiting the same amount of time that the game took to load from the start. Def not recommended. If you want to use the internet, i suggest install steam, and launch The Sims 3 from steam. After, press SHIFT+TAB and you can access the steam built in internet browser WHILE playing!
#9 Old 27th May 2013 at 2:42 PM
Click on (...) bottom left button ---> Options ---> Graphic ---> Erase the tick box of "Enable Full Screen Mode" until the box is empty. Then your game is automatically in windowed screen you can adjust its size. Just drag the window border, so you can make it smaller or bigger.

I always do this whenever I want to make Sims version of celebrity face I found on Google, so the comparison of similarity can be easier without pressing Alt + Tab button nor exit the game. Also in the same time, I can keep in touch using Facebook, Yahoo Messenger, Skype, browser, other programs running on Windows, while the Sims 3 is still running on desktop.

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Alchemist
#10 Old 27th May 2013 at 4:03 PM
Alt+Enter will switch the game into Windowed Mode while you're playing
Test Subject
#11 Old 29th Jun 2015 at 1:27 AM
For mac (I'm using a macbook) you need to press cmd+return.
Mad Poster
#12 Old 29th Jun 2015 at 10:14 PM
I play mine in windowed mode because I only have 3GB of RAM. Didn't know about ALT+TAB.

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Top Secret Researcher
#13 Old 29th Jun 2015 at 10:33 PM
ALT+TAB works only when you have another window opened. Start key always works.

Also, for performance reasons, if you want to minimise the game, play it in windowed mode.
One Minute Ninja'd
#14 Old 29th Jun 2015 at 11:23 PM
I'm running Win 7 and the game as full screen, and Alt+tab always works for me, regardless of anything open in the background (which there typically isn't, I'm old school about my game play and don't believe in running multiple applications in the background while playing).

However, if I am alt+tabbing out for some reason like needing to open my browser or do something else, I always have the game paused while minimized. I don't trust my sims to be left unsupervised, which is another reason windowed game play would make me too anxious. I could accidentally leave them running in the background while say writing this post, and some nasty shit is bound to happen. Nope, full screen attention for this player................
Theorist
#15 Old 30th Jun 2015 at 4:31 PM
You can also easily switch between windowed and fullscreen using ALT+ENTER. Works on many games other than just Sims as well.

Just thought I'd throw that out there in case anyone didn't know that.

Resident wet blanket.
Field Researcher
#16 Old 30th Jun 2015 at 5:18 PM
Windows 7--I just use the windows key on my keyboard.
Mad Poster
#17 Old 30th Jun 2015 at 9:13 PM
Default dark game tip
I always use the Window key.
But when I go back into the game, the lighting is very dark...
My son found a solution to this problem, I am sharing it in case it works for you too.

When you are back into your dark game, press Ctrl+Alt+Del. This brings up the window that Srikandi mentioned...but then just hit cancel.
The game will come back with the proper lighting.

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Test Subject
#18 Old 4th Jul 2015 at 4:56 PM
crtl+(windows button if using windows)+shift+c then enter fullscreen off
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