How to Get to the Windows Desktop on the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X

The ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X bring together the best of PC gaming and Xbox. When you boot up your handheld, you’ll be greeted with a full-screen Xbox experience, seamlessly bringing your library of games into one controller-navigable interface so you can get straight to playing. But when you need it, you also have the full flexibility of Windows 11 underneath.

Some people may never need to drop into the Windows desktop. You can do an awful lot without ever leaving the full screen experience: you can access other game launchers, access the Windows Settings app to tweak different options, and more. If you have other apps you want to run, like Discord or Spotify, you can even add them to Armoury Crate’s library view for easy access from the full screen experience.

That said, we know many users are comfortable on the Windows desktop, and it may offer a more powerful interface for advanced tasks like modding games, or playing retro and indie titles not available in traditional launchers.

To enter the Windows desktop, swipe up from the bottom of your screen to enter the Task Switcher. Along the bottom, you’ll see a button labeled Windows Desktop – tap it, and you’ll enter the full world of Windows 11, complete with the taskbar, Start Menu, and File Explorer you know and love. You can browse the file system, open a browser to download mods, and so much more – giving you the opportunity to make your device truly yours.

If you’d like to re-enter the full screen experience, just open the Xbox app and click the “Xbox Full Screen” button in the upper-right corner of the Xbox app. To re-enter without background processes, you'll need to restart your machine, or you can re-enter the full screen experience without these optimizations if you choose.

Model	Type	Where to Buy (US)	Where to Buy (CA)
ROG Xbox Ally	Handheld PC	ASUS Microsoft Best Buy	ASUS Microsoft Best Buy
ROG Xbox Ally X	Handheld PC	ASUS Microsoft Best Buy	ASUS Microsoft Best Buy
ROG Ally X	Handheld PC	ASUS Best Buy	ASUS Best Buy
ROG Ally (Ryzen Z1 Extreme)	Handheld PC	ASUS Best Buy	ASUS Best Buy Newegg Amazon