If you’re having trouble getting the Overwolf overlay to appear in your game don’t worry!
This guide will walk you through a few quick and easy steps to get everything working again.
Take me to...
- Overlay Enabled for Game ▾
- Game Highlights and Apps Are Currently Down ▾
- Game Is Installed in an Inaccessible Directory ▾
- Run Overwolf as an Administrator ▾
- “Disable fullscreen optimizations” Option ▾
- Graphics Rendering API ▾
Overlay Enabled for Game ▾
First, make sure the overlay is actually enabled for your game:
Open Overwolf Settings

Go to Overlay & Hotkeys
Look for your game in the list
If it’s missing, try adding it manually using the + button
You can also launch the game once so Overwolf can detect it automatically
Make sure the toggle next to your game is ON

Note: For Counter-Strike 2, the developers require that Overwolf overlays only work while the game is in windowed mode.
Game Highlights and Apps Are Currently Down ▾
Sometimes you may see a message in an app saying that game events or app features are temporarily down.
If this happens:
Your app might not auto-launch with the game
Features that rely on game events may not work
Other features not tied to events should still be available
You don’t need to take any action- we’re already working on restoring functionality.
All we ask for is a little patience while we bring everything back online.For more details see: Apps and Highlights Status Explanation
Game Is Installed in an Inaccessible Directory ▾
Overwolf cannot detect games installed in restricted system folders, such as:
C:\Windows\C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\
If your game is installed in one of these locations, please move or reinstall it to a supported directory, such as:
C:\Program Files (x86)\D:\Games\
Run Overwolf as an Administrator ▾
If you're not using an administrator account, Overwolf may lack the permissions it needs for the overlay to work correctly.
To fix this:
Open the Overwolf installation directory
Default:C:\Program Files (x86)\Overwolf\Right-click OverwolfLauncher.exe
Select Properties
Go to Compatibility
Check Run this program as an administrator
Click Apply and OK
“Disable fullscreen optimizations” Option ▾
Make sure this option is disabled for your game:
Open the game’s installation folder
Right-click the game’s
.exefile (e.g., csgo.exe) → PropertiesGo to Compatibility
If Disable fullscreen optimizations is checked, uncheck it

Click Apply
Restart the game
Graphics Rendering API ▾
If the overlay still isn’t showing, try changing the game’s graphics API if the game allows it.
Example:
If the overlay isn’t working in Dota 2, change from Direct3D 11 to Vulkan.

Note:
If the overlay works but a specific app does not, please contact the app’s development team for help.