diff --git a/src/duckstation-qt/mainwindow.cpp b/src/duckstation-qt/mainwindow.cpp
index 69cd0a9de..49299e4f7 100644
--- a/src/duckstation-qt/mainwindow.cpp
+++ b/src/duckstation-qt/mainwindow.cpp
@@ -178,6 +178,9 @@ QtDisplayWidget* MainWindow::updateDisplay(QThread* worker_thread, bool fullscre
   if (!is_rendering_to_main && !render_to_main && !is_exclusive_fullscreen)
   {
     qDebug() << "Toggling to" << (fullscreen ? "fullscreen" : "windowed") << "without recreating surface";
+    if (m_host_display && m_host_display->IsFullscreen())
+      m_host_display->SetFullscreen(false, 0, 0, 0.0f);
+
     if (fullscreen)
     {
       m_display_widget->showFullScreen();
@@ -253,10 +256,15 @@ void MainWindow::setDisplayFullscreen(const std::string& fullscreen_mode)
   if (CommonHostInterface::ParseFullscreenMode(fullscreen_mode, &width, &height, &refresh_rate))
   {
     result = m_host_display->SetFullscreen(true, width, height, refresh_rate);
-    if (!result)
+    if (result)
     {
       m_host_interface->AddOSDMessage(
-        m_host_interface->TranslateStdString("OSDMessage", "Failed to acquire exclusive fullscreen."), 20.0f);
+        m_host_interface->TranslateStdString("OSDMessage", "Acquired exclusive fullscreen."), 10.0f);
+    }
+    else
+    {
+      m_host_interface->AddOSDMessage(
+        m_host_interface->TranslateStdString("OSDMessage", "Failed to acquire exclusive fullscreen."), 10.0f);
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/duckstation-qt/qtdisplaywidget.cpp b/src/duckstation-qt/qtdisplaywidget.cpp
index 9470a090a..c02a39172 100644
--- a/src/duckstation-qt/qtdisplaywidget.cpp
+++ b/src/duckstation-qt/qtdisplaywidget.cpp
@@ -202,6 +202,22 @@ bool QtDisplayWidget::event(QEvent* event)
       return true;
     }
 
+    case QEvent::FocusIn:
+    {
+      QWidget::event(event);
+      emit windowFocusEvent();
+      return true;
+    }
+
+    case QEvent::ActivationChange:
+    {
+      QWidget::event(event);
+      if (isActiveWindow())
+        emit windowFocusEvent();
+
+      return true;
+    }
+
     default:
       return QWidget::event(event);
   }
diff --git a/src/duckstation-qt/qtdisplaywidget.h b/src/duckstation-qt/qtdisplaywidget.h
index 49e79f699..9056c803b 100644
--- a/src/duckstation-qt/qtdisplaywidget.h
+++ b/src/duckstation-qt/qtdisplaywidget.h
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ public:
   void setRelativeMode(bool enabled);
 
 Q_SIGNALS:
+  void windowFocusEvent();
   void windowResizedEvent(int width, int height);
   void windowRestoredEvent();
   void windowClosedEvent();
diff --git a/src/duckstation-qt/qthostinterface.cpp b/src/duckstation-qt/qthostinterface.cpp
index 36dff0cdd..892794073 100644
--- a/src/duckstation-qt/qthostinterface.cpp
+++ b/src/duckstation-qt/qthostinterface.cpp
@@ -415,6 +415,7 @@ void QtHostInterface::onDisplayWindowMouseButtonEvent(int button, bool pressed)
 
 void QtHostInterface::onHostDisplayWindowResized(int width, int height)
 {
+  Log_WarningPrintf("resize %dx%d", width, height);
   // this can be null if it was destroyed and the main thread is late catching up
   if (!m_display)
     return;
@@ -427,11 +428,11 @@ void QtHostInterface::onHostDisplayWindowResized(int width, int height)
   {
     if (m_is_exclusive_fullscreen && !m_display->IsFullscreen())
     {
-      // we lost exclusive fullscreen
-      AddOSDMessage(TranslateStdString("OSDMessage", "Lost exclusive fullscreen."), 20.0f);
+      // we lost exclusive fullscreen, switch to borderless
+      AddOSDMessage(TranslateStdString("OSDMessage", "Lost exclusive fullscreen."), 10.0f);
       m_is_exclusive_fullscreen = false;
       m_is_fullscreen = false;
-      updateDisplayState();
+      m_lost_exclusive_fullscreen = true;
     }
 
     // force redraw if we're paused
@@ -440,6 +441,18 @@ void QtHostInterface::onHostDisplayWindowResized(int width, int height)
   }
 }
 
+void QtHostInterface::onHostDisplayWindowFocused()
+{
+  if (!m_display || !m_lost_exclusive_fullscreen)
+    return;
+
+  // try to restore exclusive fullscreen
+  m_lost_exclusive_fullscreen = false;
+  m_is_exclusive_fullscreen = true;
+  m_is_fullscreen = true;
+  updateDisplayState();
+}
+
 void QtHostInterface::redrawDisplayWindow()
 {
   if (!isOnWorkerThread())
@@ -526,6 +539,7 @@ void QtHostInterface::connectDisplaySignals(QtDisplayWidget* widget)
 {
   widget->disconnect(this);
 
+  connect(widget, &QtDisplayWidget::windowFocusEvent, this, &QtHostInterface::onHostDisplayWindowFocused);
   connect(widget, &QtDisplayWidget::windowResizedEvent, this, &QtHostInterface::onHostDisplayWindowResized);
   connect(widget, &QtDisplayWidget::windowRestoredEvent, this, &QtHostInterface::redrawDisplayWindow);
   connect(widget, &QtDisplayWidget::windowClosedEvent, this, &QtHostInterface::powerOffSystem,
@@ -543,7 +557,8 @@ void QtHostInterface::updateDisplayState()
   // this expects the context to get moved back to us afterwards
   m_display->DoneRenderContextCurrent();
 
-  QtDisplayWidget* display_widget = updateDisplayRequested(m_worker_thread, m_is_fullscreen, m_is_rendering_to_main);
+  QtDisplayWidget* display_widget =
+    updateDisplayRequested(m_worker_thread, m_is_fullscreen, m_is_rendering_to_main && !m_is_fullscreen);
   if (!display_widget || !m_display->MakeRenderContextCurrent())
     Panic("Failed to make device context current after updating");
 
diff --git a/src/duckstation-qt/qthostinterface.h b/src/duckstation-qt/qthostinterface.h
index 9ff94b720..5d3b9705a 100644
--- a/src/duckstation-qt/qthostinterface.h
+++ b/src/duckstation-qt/qthostinterface.h
@@ -180,6 +180,7 @@ public Q_SLOTS:
 private Q_SLOTS:
   void doStopThread();
   void onHostDisplayWindowResized(int width, int height);
+  void onHostDisplayWindowFocused();
   void doBackgroundControllerPoll();
   void doSaveSettings();
 
@@ -276,4 +277,5 @@ private:
   bool m_is_rendering_to_main = false;
   bool m_is_fullscreen = false;
   bool m_is_exclusive_fullscreen = false;
+  bool m_lost_exclusive_fullscreen = false;
 };
diff --git a/src/frontend-common/d3d11_host_display.cpp b/src/frontend-common/d3d11_host_display.cpp
index ee057faf3..ad1e6821a 100644
--- a/src/frontend-common/d3d11_host_display.cpp
+++ b/src/frontend-common/d3d11_host_display.cpp
@@ -436,9 +436,14 @@ bool D3D11HostDisplay::CreateSwapChain(const DXGI_MODE_DESC* fullscreen_mode)
     }
   }
 
-  hr = m_dxgi_factory->MakeWindowAssociation(swap_chain_desc.OutputWindow, DXGI_MWA_NO_WINDOW_CHANGES);
-  if (FAILED(hr))
-    Log_WarningPrintf("MakeWindowAssociation() to disable ALT+ENTER failed");
+  ComPtr<IDXGIFactory> dxgi_factory;
+  hr = m_swap_chain->GetParent(IID_PPV_ARGS(dxgi_factory.GetAddressOf()));
+  if (SUCCEEDED(hr))
+  {
+    hr = dxgi_factory->MakeWindowAssociation(swap_chain_desc.OutputWindow, DXGI_MWA_NO_WINDOW_CHANGES);
+    if (FAILED(hr))
+      Log_WarningPrintf("MakeWindowAssociation() to disable ALT+ENTER failed");
+  }
 
   return CreateSwapChainRTV();
 }