Switch off the Windows key and Alt+Tab from a Stream Deck key
To disable the Windows key while gaming, add Game Key Guard for Windows to your Stream Deck and press its Block Windows Key key; another key blocks Alt+Tab. It helps keep the Start menu closed when a finger slips in a game, while Ctrl+Alt+Del and Ctrl+Shift+Esc (Task Manager) stay available.
Stream Deck plugin · Works on Windows 10 or later with the Stream Deck app 6.9 or later.
What you can do
Keep the Start menu closed: Block Windows Key switches both Windows keys off while the key is on.
Stay in your game: Block Task Switching blocks Alt+Tab, Alt+Esc and Ctrl+Esc, and Alt+F4 if you select it.
Guard everything with one key: Game Guard blocks everything you select, optionally only while one program is active.
See that it holds: the key shows BLOCKED while a once-a-second check confirms the block.
Keep your way out: Ctrl+Alt+Del and Ctrl+Shift+Esc (Task Manager) stay available.
Ends on its own: a block ends when its key leaves the visible page, the PC wakes from sleep, or Stream Deck quits.
Private: it uses a Windows keyboard hook only while a block is on, and what you type is not recorded, stored or sent.
English and Japanese.
How it works
Install the plugin from the Elgato Marketplace. In the Stream Deck app, drag Block Windows Key, Block Task Switching or Game Guard onto a key.
For Game Guard, select the keys to block and, if you like, the program it applies to. The first two actions need no setup.
Press the key to block, press it again to allow.
While a block is on, a small process of the plugin sees key events before Windows acts on them and tells Windows to drop only the combinations you chose.
Put a Block Windows Key key on your Stream Deck and press it before you play. Both Windows keys do nothing while the key is on, and a second press turns them back on.
Can it block Alt+Tab too?
Yes. Block Task Switching blocks Alt+Tab, Alt+Esc and Ctrl+Esc, and Alt+F4 if you select it. Game Guard puts all of these on one key.
Can it block the keys only while my game is in front?
Yes. In Game Guard, choose the game under Only in front; while another program is in front, the key says PAUSED and nothing is blocked. Start the game first so it appears in the list.
What if the keys stay blocked?
Press the key on your Stream Deck again, or quit the Stream Deck app: the block ends with the plugin. Ctrl+Alt+Del always works, and Ctrl+Shift+Esc (Task Manager) is never blocked.
Does it record what I type?
No. It uses a Windows keyboard hook only while a block is on, and what you type is not recorded, stored or sent.
Limits
It stops what Windows does with these keys; a game that reads them itself (Raw Input) may still see them.
An admin program in the active window may stop the block.
Ctrl+Esc means Esc while Ctrl is held; clear it in Game Guard if your game uses Ctrl.
The check sends a marker key event, so idle timers such as screen-off may not start while blocking.
Games with anti-cheat software: online games can have their own rules about keyboard tools, so check them before you use one with such a game.
