The basic way to open ReShade in-game

ReShade opens with the Home key by default while a game is running. Press it once and the ReShade overlay menu appears on your screen. If the Home key does not work, check whether your game has captured keyboard input — some games block certain keys. You can also try pressing it multiple times or holding it for a second.

If Home does not work in your specific game, ReShade lets you change the hotkey. Open ReShade's settings file (usually in your game folder as ReShade.ini) and look for the line that says TOGGLE_KEY. You can change it to any key you want — common alternatives are F2, F10, or Insert. Save the file and restart your game.

Once the menu is open, you can adjust shaders, change settings, and take screenshots. Press Home again to close it and return to the game.

Key Takeaways

  • ReShade opens with the Home key by default, but some games block this key and you may need to try a different one.
  • If Home does not work, you can change the hotkey by editing the ReShade.ini file in your game folder and changing the TOGGLE_KEY line.
  • Common alternative hotkeys are F2, F10, or Insert, depending on what your game allows.
  • If ReShade does not appear to be installed at all, the DLL file may not be in your game folder or the game may be blocking it.

Why ReShade might not open

The most common reason ReShade does not open is that it was not installed correctly. ReShade requires a DLL file (usually dxgi.dll or d3d11.dll depending on your game's graphics API) to be placed directly in your game's main folder — the same folder where the game's .exe file is. If that file is missing or in the wrong location, ReShade will not load.

Some games actively block ReShade or similar overlay tools. Games with anti-cheat systems like Easy Anti-Cheat, BattlEye, or Valve Anti-Cheat often prevent ReShade from running at all, either by refusing to load the DLL or by crashing when you try to use it. Online multiplayer games especially tend to block it to prevent cheating. If you are playing a competitive or online game, check whether ReShade is known to work with it before troubleshooting further.

Your graphics card driver can also matter. Outdated or corrupted drivers sometimes prevent ReShade from initializing. If you have not updated your GPU drivers in several months, try updating them through NVIDIA GeForce Experience, AMD Radeon Software, or Intel Arc Control depending on your card.

Checking whether ReShade is actually installed

Open your game folder and look for the DLL file ReShade should have created. On Windows, this is usually dxgi.dll, d3d11.dll, d3d12.dll, or opengl32.dll depending on which graphics API your game uses. If you see a file called ReShade.ini in the same folder, ReShade was installed. If you see neither the DLL nor the .ini file, ReShade is not installed.

If ReShade is installed but still will not open, try launching the game in windowed mode instead of fullscreen. Some games capture input differently in fullscreen and may block the hotkey. You can usually change this in the game's graphics settings.

You can also check the ReShade log file to see what went wrong. Look for a file called ReShade.log in your game folder. Open it with Notepad and scroll to the bottom — the last few lines usually show whether ReShade loaded successfully or what error occurred.

Changing the hotkey if Home does not work

Right-click on the ReShade.ini file in your game folder and open it with Notepad. Search for the line that contains TOGGLE_KEY. You will see something like TOGGLE_KEY = 36 — the number 36 is the code for the Home key.

Replace that number with a different key code. Common alternatives are: 113 for F2, 121 for F10, 45 for Insert, or 120 for F9. Save the file, close Notepad, and restart your game. The new hotkey should now open ReShade.

If you want to use a key that is not in that list, you can search online for "Windows virtual key codes" to find the number for any key on your keyboard.

Games that block ReShade

ReShade does not work in most competitive online games because their anti-cheat systems detect and block it. This includes games like Valorant, Fortnite, Apex Legends, Call of Duty, Counter-Strike 2, and Escape from Tarkov. Attempting to use ReShade in these games will either prevent the game from launching or cause it to crash immediately.

Single-player games and games without anti-cheat almost always allow ReShade. If you are unsure whether a specific game blocks it, search the game's name plus "ReShade" online — the ReShade community forums and subreddits usually have reports about which games work and which do not.

Troubleshooting when ReShade opens but looks wrong

If ReShade opens but the menu is invisible, off-screen, or appears as a black box, your graphics driver or game settings may be conflicting with it. Try launching the game in windowed mode, or try a different graphics API if your game supports it (for example, switching from DirectX 11 to DirectX 12).

If the menu opens but shaders do not apply to the game, ReShade may have loaded but not hooked into the graphics correctly. Check the ReShade.log file for errors. If you see a message about a missing DLL or a graphics API mismatch, you may need to reinstall ReShade and select the correct graphics API during installation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if my game does not recognize any hotkey?

Some games capture all keyboard input and do not pass it to overlays. Try launching in windowed mode, which often allows overlays to receive input. If that does not work, your game likely blocks ReShade entirely, especially if it has anti-cheat.

Can I use a mouse button or controller button to open ReShade?

ReShade only supports keyboard hotkeys, not mouse buttons or controller inputs. You must use a key on your keyboard. If your keyboard is not working, you cannot open ReShade.

Does ReShade work on games running through Steam?

Yes, ReShade works on Steam games as long as the game itself does not block it. Install ReShade to the game's folder (usually in SteamApps/common) the same way you would for any other game. Anti-cheat games on Steam still block ReShade.

Will using ReShade get me banned?

ReShade is a graphics tool and does not modify game files or give you gameplay advantages. However, online games with anti-cheat systems block it to prevent cheating tools from running at all. If a game blocks ReShade, do not use it in that game. Single-player games have no ban risk.

How do I uninstall ReShade?

Delete the ReShade DLL file (dxgi.dll, d3d11.dll, or whichever one is in your game folder) and the ReShade.ini file. You can also delete ReShade.log if it exists. The game will run normally without ReShade after that.