How To Make Windows Apps Open Full Screen

Switch to full screen mode on Windows 10 apps

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time). For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an... Read more

Updated: Jun 10, 2020

Posted: March 2019

Games will usually run in fullscreen mode, but there might be some apps that don't feature such an option. Learn how to fix that.
Microsoft Edge only supports a maximizing option, not a fullscreen mode. F11 doesn't work in Microsoft Edge but we have a solution below.
Our Windows 10 Guides section is filled with how-to articles about Windows 10. Just take a look and bookmark the page.
For a more general approach on the guides category, you should explore our Tech Tutorials Hub.

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Users of Windows 10 now have the option to toggle fullscreen mode for apps in Windows 10. Apps such as Netflix, Edge, or the Paint 3D feature controls for minimizing, maximizing, and closing the app window.

Games will usually run in fullscreen mode, but there might be some apps that don't feature such an option. What should users do if they want to run a fullscreen app in window mode?

What's the solution for running Edge in fullscreen mode, for instance?

How to full screen an app on Windows 10?

How to toggle fullscreen mode in Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge only supports a maximizing option, not a fullscreen mode. F11 doesn't work in Microsoft Edge and, as you browse through all the options, you aren't going to find a solution for launching Edge in fullscreen.

The only option available is using a shortcut to launch most Windows 10 apps in a dedicated fullscreen mode: Windows-Shift-Enter. This toggles the active Windows 10 app between normal and fullscreen mode.

This shortcut can also be used to run games and apps that normally launch in fullscreen mode but in windowed mode.

Edit: Microsoft followed all other major browsers and now you can use F11 to enter the Fullscreen mode.

Albeit, you can't toggle it as a default option, but pressing a single key shouldn't be an issue, now would it?

Microsoft Edge is moving to the Chromium-based platform so we can expect a better experience from the Windows 10 native browser.

Windows 10 full-screen limitations

Unfortunately, the feature has some restrictions and they include the following:

The shortcut above works for most Windows 10 apps but not for all of them. It seems to be working just fine with Microsoft Edge, Bubble Witch Saga, and Netflix, but it may not work for other apps. It might only work for UWP apps but not for not-UWP apps, such as the ones created for Windows 8.
You cannot use Esc if you want to exit the fullscreen mode and you don't have any indications displayed on the screen on how to leave it. You can still use the Alt-Tab combination, though.
When using the shortcut to run Microsoft Edge in fullscreen mode, the address bar, and the tabs are not going to be displayed. If you want to navigate to other tabs, you can use keyboard shortcuts such as Ctrl-Shift-Tab or Ctrl-Tab. You can also use Ctrl-T, in case you want to open a new tab with options for loading a new web address.
If you middle-click on right-click on certain links, they'll open in new tabs.

Even if the feature has its limitations, it's still better to have it at your disposal in case you want to toggle fullscreen mode in Windows 10.

This article will also help you in solving the following issues:

netflix full screen windows 10
paint 3d full screen
windows 10 full screen shortcut
how to make an app full screen

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make games full screen?

To play the game in fullscreen or windowed mode, you just need to press ALT + ENTER when you are playing a game.
How do I stop my game from minimizing?

If the game keeps on minimizing, check GPU drivers for the latest updates, kill background applications, and disable Game Mode. You can also disable Action Center notifications, run as admin, and in a different compatibility mode.
How can I play Sea of Thieves in fullscreen?

To play Sea of Thieves in full screen, change your user account control settings. Update the game and update Windows 10. Run the Store App Troubleshooter or just follow our full guide to fix this.
Why won't my Google Chrome go full screen?

If Chrome doesn't work in full screen, try the following steps: Enable Flash, disable Hardware Acceleration, reset Chrome settings and update or reinstall Chrome. You can also try to fix it with our full guide.