The ReShade menu opens with a hotkey you set during installation
ReShade is a graphics overlay tool that lets you adjust visual effects in games — things like brightness, contrast, color grading, and depth-of-field blur. The menu that controls these settings opens with a keyboard shortcut. By default, that shortcut is Home, but you can change it to any key you prefer during the initial setup or later in ReShade's configuration file.
The menu appears as a window on top of your game. From there you can turn effects on and off, adjust their settings, and save your preferred look as a preset. If the default hotkey does not work, the problem is usually that ReShade did not install correctly, the game is running in exclusive fullscreen mode, or you set a different hotkey and forgot which one.
Key Takeaways
- Press Home by default to open the ReShade menu, or whatever hotkey you chose during installation.
- The menu will not appear in games running in exclusive fullscreen mode — switch to windowed or borderless windowed first.
- If the hotkey does not work, check the ReShade configuration file (ReShade.ini) in your game folder to see what key is actually set.
- You can change the hotkey at any time by editing the configuration file or reinstalling ReShade and selecting a different key.
What happens when you press the hotkey
When you press your ReShade hotkey during gameplay, a menu window appears on the left or right side of your screen. The menu shows a list of effects that ReShade has loaded for that game — things like SMAA (anti-aliasing), Vibrance (color boost), Bloom, and Levels (brightness and contrast). Each effect has a checkbox next to it.
Clicking the checkbox turns that effect on or off in real time. You will see the change in your game immediately. If you click on an effect's name, a panel opens below showing sliders and settings specific to that effect — for example, the Vibrance effect has a slider for how much color boost to apply. You can adjust these while playing and see the results instantly.
The default hotkey and how to change it
ReShade ships with Home as the default hotkey to open the menu. This is the key labeled "Home" on your keyboard, usually in the upper right area near the arrow keys. If you want a different key — perhaps because your game uses Home for something else, or because you prefer a key closer to your hand — you can change it.
The easiest way is to reinstall ReShade and choose a different key when the installer asks. If you have already installed it, you can edit the configuration file directly. Open the folder where your game is installed, find the file named ReShade.ini, and open it with Notepad. Look for a line that says KeyMenu= followed by a number. That number represents your hotkey. Common keys are 36 for Home, 45 for Insert, 112 for F1, and 123 for F12. Change the number to match the key you want, save the file, and restart your game.
Why the menu does not appear
If you press your hotkey and nothing happens, the most common reason is that your game is running in exclusive fullscreen mode. In this mode, the game takes over your entire display and ReShade cannot draw its menu on top. Switch your game to windowed mode or borderless windowed mode in the game's graphics settings, then try the hotkey again.
A second common reason is that ReShade did not install correctly. This can happen if you ran the ReShade installer but did not point it to the right game executable, or if the game has updated since you installed ReShade. Reinstall ReShade and make sure you select the correct .exe file for your game.
A third possibility is that you set a hotkey that conflicts with something else — your operating system, your keyboard software, or another overlay like Discord or NVIDIA GeForce Experience. Try a different key. F12 and Insert are usually safe choices because few games use them.
Finding and editing ReShade.ini
The ReShade configuration file lives in the same folder as your game's executable. To find it, navigate to your game's installation directory — for Steam games, right-click the game in your library, select Properties, then Local Files, then Browse. Look for a file named ReShade.ini.
Open it with Notepad (right-click, Open With, Notepad). The file contains many settings. The one you want is near the top and looks like KeyMenu=36. The number after the equals sign is your hotkey code. Change it to the code for the key you want, save the file (Ctrl+S), and close Notepad. The next time you start your game, the new hotkey will work.
If you do not see a ReShade.ini file in your game folder, ReShade may not be installed. Run the ReShade installer again and point it to your game's executable file.
Common hotkey codes
| Key | Code |
|---|---|
| Home | 36 |
| Insert | 45 |
| Delete | 46 |
| F1 | 112 |
| F12 | 123 |
| Pause | 19 |
| Print Screen | 44 |
If you want a key not listed here, you can find a complete list of key codes online by searching "virtual key codes". Once you have the code, edit ReShade.ini and change the number after KeyMenu=.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a mouse button or controller button as the hotkey?
ReShade's default hotkey system only supports keyboard keys. If you want to use a mouse button or controller button, you would need to use a third-party tool like AutoHotkey to map that button to a keyboard key first, then set ReShade to use that keyboard key.
The menu opens but I cannot see it or click on it
This usually means ReShade installed but the menu is rendering off-screen or behind your game window. Try pressing your hotkey again to toggle the menu closed, then open it once more. If that does not work, try switching to windowed mode and restarting your game. You can also try deleting ReShade.ini and letting ReShade create a fresh one on the next launch.
I forgot which hotkey I set — how do I find out?
Open the ReShade.ini file in your game folder with Notepad and look for the line KeyMenu=. The number after it is your hotkey code. Use the table above to find which key that code represents, or search online for "virtual key code" plus the number.
Does ReShade work in online multiplayer games?
ReShade works in most games, but some multiplayer games block it because they consider it a cheat tool. If ReShade does not load in your game, the game itself is preventing it. There is no way around this — the game's anti-cheat system is designed to stop ReShade from running.