Origin

How to disable Origin in Game overlay

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One thing about gaming is that gamers are always looking for a seamless experience. They’ll invest in the best equipment, network, and other additional tools in order to get the most value or gain a competitive edge.

One such tool is the Origin. It’s a digital video game distribution platform developed by Electronic Arts (EA) to house their games and several others.

It’s available for PCs and mobile, and features a wide range of tools that enable you to; manage your profile, join games directly, network with friends, share a game library, do an in game overlay, stream through Twitch, and integrate the community with networking sites like Xbox Live, Facebook Gaming, Nintendo Network, and Playstation Network.

Now, in spite of its benefits, Origin comes with some downsides. Many users have complained about its high CPU usage which results in frames drops and game crashes too. These are frustrating inconveniences that ruin your gaming experience. Fortunately, you can prevent them by simply disabling Origin in game overlay. Here is how to go about it.

Check if Origin in game overlay is enabled

The first thing to do is confirm is if your origin in game is active. Simply press the “Shift+F1” keys simultaneously while playing any Origin game. If the Origin in game overlay menu pops up, then it’s enabled on your computer.

How to disable Origin in game

Below is a step-by-step guide to follow to disable Origin in game overlay.

  • Launch the Origin Application on your computer.
  • Log in with your EA account if you’ve registered already. If you don’t have an account create one.
  • Go to the top-left corner on the screen and tap on “Origin”.
  • Select “Application Settings” on the drop-down menu.
  • Go to the top and tap on “Origin in game”. If you don’t see it, tap on “More” first then select “Origin in game” from the menu that appears.
  • Disable your Origin in game by toggling off the “Enable Origin in game” button.
  • These changes are saved automatically so you don’t have to do anything else apart from going back to play the game.

To confirm if the Origin in game is disabled, press Shift+F1 while playing the game. If the menu doesn’t show up then it’s inactive.

How do I disable Origin on Apex Legends and other games?

To disable Origin in game for different games, including Apex Legends, follow the steps below:

  • Open the Origin desktop client on your computer.
  • Click on “My Game Library”.
  • Right-click on the game that you wish to disable Origin in game overlay. In this case that would be the Apex legends.
  • Pick “game properties” from the list that appears.
  • Uncheck the option “Enable Origin in game for Apex Legends” to disable its Origin.
  • Click the “Save” button.

How do I disable Origin in Battlefield 3?

Use the guide above to disable Origin for different Origin games. You’ll right-click on Battlefield 3 then follow the rest of the steps accordingly.

In case the two solutions don’t work, try the one below:

  • Open your C:Drive.
  • Go to Program Files (x86).
  • Look for Origin then scroll to a file named “igo64.dll”.
  • Make a copy of the file and save it on your desktop.
  • Delete the file in the Origin folder.
  • Relaunch Origin.
  • Check if Origin Overlay is turned off in the game properties and application settings.

Why can’t I disable Origin in game?

The reason you can’t turn off Origin in game could be that an Origin game is open. You must make sure you’re out of all games while turning it off.

Why is my Origin in game locked?

There are instances where your Origin in game could lock or have other issues that prevent you from using it. For instance, running several gaming apps in the background could affect Origin in game. Also, accumulated cache, new updates, and hacks can mess with this feature.

To prevent that from happening, you should do the following:

  • Close other gaming software that’s running in the background. Examples are MSI Afterburner, Razer Synapse, Steam, and RiverTurner.
  • Put Origin’s executable files on your antivirus’ exception list.
  • Clean Origin’s cache using the guide below:
      •  Close Origin on your PC and any of its related processes.
      • Simultaneously press the Windows+R buttons on your keyboard to open the “Run” function.
      • Type %ProgramData%/Origin in the search field and click OK.
      • Delete everything in the folder that appears except “LocalContent”.
      • Simultaneously press the Windows+R keys again.
      • Type %AppData% in the search field and click on OK.
      • When the “Roaming” folder opens, look for the “Origin” folder and delete it.
      • Go to the address bar and click on the “AppData” folder.
      • Open the “Local” folder.
      • Delete the “Origin”
      • folder.
      • Restart your PC.
  • Install an older version of Origin.
  • Turn off restricted access mode using the guide below:
      • Close Origin.
      • Right-click on the Origin App and select “Run as Administrator”.
      • Go to “Origin” and select “Application settings”.
      • Scroll to the end of the “Application tab”.
      • Look for “Restricted Access Mode” under “Advanced”.
      • Click on the toggle switch to disable “Restricted Access Mode” if it’s enabled.

Conclusion

To conclude, remember that disabling Origin in game means you can’t accept game invites or buy shards in game. But if it translates to zero crashes, issues to troubleshoot, and a great gaming experience overall, then it should be a good trade-off.