If you’ve spent any time trying to game on a Windows handheld—think ROG Ally, Legion Go, or even the newer MSI Claw—you know the struggle. Windows 11 just isn't built for a seven-inch screen. It's clunky. Icons are tiny. Trying to use a thumbstick as a mouse is a special kind of hell.
Microsoft finally tossed us a bone with Xbox Game Bar Compact Mode. It’s basically a console-style overlay that replaces the messy, floating widgets of the standard version. But there’s a catch. Most people turn it on and then realize they can't figure out how to keep their favorite tools—like the FPS counter or Spotify—visible while they're actually playing.
Pinning apps to Xbox Game Bar Compact Mode works differently than the desktop version. If you’re looking for that tiny "pin" icon, you might be looking for something that isn't quite there in the way you expect.
The Reality of Pinning in Compact Mode
In the standard "Desktop" version of Game Bar, pinning is easy. You hit Win + G, click the pin icon on a widget, and it stays on top of your game. Done.
In Compact Mode, the philosophy changes. Microsoft designed this specifically for handhelds where screen real estate is at a premium. They don't want five different windows obscuring your view of Elden Ring. Because of this, Compact Mode uses a "Single Widget View."
How to Actually "Pin" or Access Your Apps
When you’re in Compact Mode, you aren't really pinning multiple windows to float over your gameplay. Instead, you are managing which widgets appear in your primary navigation ribbon. Here is how you handle it:
- Fire up the Bar: Press the Xbox button on your controller or hit
Win + G. - The Home Widget: This is your home base. It shows your nine most recently played games and launchers like Steam or Battle.net.
- Bumping Between Widgets: Use your LB and RB (the bumpers) to cycle through the available widgets.
- The Widget Store: If you don't see the app you want (like the Performance monitor or Social tab), you have to go to the Widget Menu (the far left icon) and select the Widget Store.
- Adding to the Ribbon: Once an app is installed, it should appear in your horizontal navigation.
Honestly, the biggest misconception is that Compact Mode allows for the same "sticker-on-the-monitor" pinning style as the desktop version. It doesn’t. If you absolutely need a widget pinned over your game while you play (like an FPS counter), you usually have to switch back to Desktop Mode, pin it there, and then toggle Compact Mode back on. It’s a bit of a "jank" workaround, but it works for now.
Why Compact Mode is a Game Changer for Handhelds
Let’s be real: the original Game Bar was a mess for controllers. You’d open it, and your cursor would be lost in some corner. Compact Mode fixes the navigation.
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Microsoft refreshed the quick settings in early 2025, adding better toggles for screen brightness and audio levels that actually respond to a D-pad. You’ve also got the Resource Widget which is a lifesaver. If your frame rate suddenly tanks because Chrome decided to run a background update, you can kill the process directly from the Home widget without ever leaving your game.
The Recent Apps Bar
One of the coolest features of the 2026 version of the Game Bar is the expanded "Recently Played" bar. You can now pin up to three specific games or apps to stay at the front of this list forever.
- Go to the Home Widget.
- Highlight the game/app.
- Press the Options button (the one with three lines).
- Select "Pin to Home."
This ensures that even if you’ve been testing ten different indie games, your main squeeze—say, Cyberpunk 2077—is always right there.
Dealing with Third-Party Launchers
A lot of people ask: "Can I pin Discord or Chrome here?"
Microsoft is weirdly protective about this. They want you using their "Social" widget or even (heaven forbid) Teams. However, the One Game Launcher widget (available in the Widget Store) is the community's favorite workaround. It allows you to add almost any .exe to the Game Bar interface.
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If you want to launch Discord directly from the Compact Mode ribbon, you’ll need to:
- Install a third-party "launcher" widget from the store.
- Add the Discord path to that widget.
- Navigate to that widget using LB/RB while gaming.
Performance and Battery Life (The Nerd Stuff)
You might worry that running an overlay like this will eat into your battery life, especially on a device like the ROG Ally X.
According to recent benchmarks, the Xbox Game Bar in Compact Mode uses roughly 100MB of RAM and less than 1% of CPU cycles. It’s significantly lighter than running a full Steam Big Picture overlay in the background. It’s natively integrated into the Windows shell, so it doesn’t "flicker" when you pull it up over a full-screen game—something that still plagues third-party tools like G-Helper or Armoury Crate.
Limitations You Should Know
- Virtual Keyboards: They still don't always pop up automatically. You'll often have to manually trigger the keyboard using your handheld's dedicated shortcut.
- API Gaps: We’re still waiting for Microsoft to let third-party manufacturers (like ASUS or Lenovo) integrate TDP and fan controls directly into the Game Bar. Right now, you still have to jump between the Game Bar and your device’s specific software for that.
Actionable Steps for a Better Setup
If you want the best experience right now, don't just turn on Compact Mode and hope for the best. Tweak it.
First, go into Settings > General and ensure "Compact Mode" is toggled on. Then, head to the Widget Store and grab the Performance and Spotify widgets immediately. If you're on a handheld, remap one of your back paddles to Win + G.
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Finally, if you need a persistent FPS counter, open the Performance widget in Desktop Mode first. Click the pin icon, move it to the corner, and set the transparency to about 60%. Then switch to Compact Mode. The pinned widget will stay on your screen, giving you the best of both worlds: a clean, controller-friendly menu and the data you need while you’re actually shooting things.
This setup makes your Windows handheld feel significantly more like a console and less like a tablet with a controller glued to it. It isn't perfect, but it’s a massive step in the right direction for the "Xbox PC" ecosystem.