You press F11. Nothing happens. Or maybe you accidentally hit some key and now your window is tiny and you can’t figure out how to get it back to full size. Either way, going fullscreen on Windows 11 is something most people do wrong because there’s more than one way to do it, and different apps respond to different methods.
The Fastest Ways to Go Fullscreen Right Now
Before I get into the deeper stuff, here’s what works in most situations:
F11 works in browsers and File Explorer. Tap it once to go fullscreen, tap it again to exit.
Windows key + Up Arrow maximizes a window (not true fullscreen, but covers the screen).
Double-click the title bar to maximize a window instantly.
The green maximize button (top-right corner) still works the same way as older Windows versions.
These four cover about 90% of what most people need. The sections below go deeper for games, apps, videos, and troubleshooting.
Fullscreen in Browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox)
Browsers are where most people want fullscreen. The shortcut is the same across all three.
Press F11.
That’s it. Your browser hides the address bar, tabs, and taskbar. The page fills the entire monitor. Press F11 again to come back.
If you prefer not to use the keyboard:
- Click the three-dot menu (Chrome/Edge) or the hamburger menu (Firefox)
- Look for the fullscreen icon, which looks like two arrows pointing outward, next to the zoom percentage
- Click it
On a laptop without a dedicated F11 key, you’ll need to press Fn + F11 together. This is the most common reason F11 doesn’t work for people on laptops.
Fullscreen for a Specific Video in the Browser
If you’re watching YouTube or any other video site and want just the video to go fullscreen (not the whole browser):
- Hover over the video and click the fullscreen icon in the bottom-right corner of the video player
- Or press F on your keyboard when the video is selected (YouTube shortcut)
This is different from browser fullscreen. The browser stays running, but the video takes over the screen.
Fullscreen on Windows 11 Using Keyboard Shortcuts
Here’s a full table so you can find the right shortcut fast:
| Shortcut | What It Does |
|---|---|
| F11 | True fullscreen in browsers and File Explorer |
| Windows + Up Arrow | Maximizes the active window |
| Windows + Shift + Up Arrow | Stretches window to full height, keeps width |
| Windows + Down Arrow | Restores or minimizes a maximized window |
| Alt + Enter | Fullscreen in games and some media players |
| Windows + Tab | Opens Task View to switch between open windows |
| Alt + Space, then X | Maximizes the active window via keyboard |
The Alt + Enter shortcut is one most people miss. It works in older games, emulators, and media players like VLC. If a game opens in a small window and you want it fullscreen, try Alt + Enter first.
How to Make Games Run in Fullscreen on Windows 11
Games have their own fullscreen settings separate from Windows. There are three display modes you’ll see in most game settings:
- Fullscreen (Exclusive): The game takes complete control of the display. Best for performance.
- Borderless Windowed (Fullscreen Windowed): Looks like fullscreen but runs as a window. Easier to alt-tab out of.
- Windowed: The game runs in a resizable window with a title bar.
To change this in most games:
- Open the game’s Settings or Options menu
- Find Display or Graphics settings
- Look for Display Mode or Window Mode
- Select Fullscreen from the dropdown
- Apply and confirm
Some games will ask you to confirm the change within a few seconds. If nothing looks right, it reverts automatically.
Games That Won’t Go Fullscreen
This is a real problem on Windows 11, especially with older games. Here’s what to try:
Force fullscreen through compatibility settings:
- Right-click the game’s .exe file or desktop shortcut
- Click Properties
- Go to the Compatibility tab
- Check Disable fullscreen optimizations
- Click Apply and relaunch the game
Windows 11 has a feature called Fullscreen Optimizations that sometimes interferes with how older games handle display modes. Turning it off per-game fixes a lot of issues.
Set resolution manually: Some games ignore fullscreen if the in-game resolution doesn’t match your monitor’s native resolution. Go into the game’s display settings and make sure the resolution matches what Windows is set to.
You can check your Windows display resolution by right-clicking the desktop, clicking Display Settings, and scrolling to Display Resolution.
Fullscreen Videos in Windows Media Player and VLC
VLC Media Player:
- Press F to toggle fullscreen
- Or go to Video > Fullscreen
- Double-clicking the video also works
Windows Media Player (new version on Windows 11):
- Click the fullscreen icon in the playback controls at the bottom
- Or press Alt + Enter
Movies and TV app (default on Windows 11):
- Click the fullscreen icon in the bottom right of the video player
- Press F11 doesn’t work here. Use the icon instead.
Snap Layouts vs. Fullscreen: What’s the Difference
Windows 11 introduced Snap Layouts, which is a different thing from fullscreen. A lot of people confuse them.
Snap Layouts let you tile windows side by side, like half the screen each, or three windows arranged together. You access them by hovering over the maximize button (the square icon, top right of any window). A grid of layout options appears. You pick where you want the window.
Fullscreen means one app covers the entire display with no taskbar, no title bar visible, nothing else showing.
Snap Layouts are useful for multitasking. Fullscreen is for when you want zero distractions or maximum visual space.
If you hover over the maximize button and see the Snap Layout grid appear, just move your cursor away and click the maximize button directly to maximize the window the normal way.
How to Make the Taskbar Hide in Fullscreen
Sometimes you go fullscreen in a browser or app and the taskbar still shows up at the bottom. This ruins the experience.
To fix it:
- Right-click an empty area of the taskbar
- Click Taskbar Settings
- Scroll down to Taskbar behaviors
- Turn on Automatically hide the taskbar
Now the taskbar disappears when you’re not hovering near the bottom. It slides back up when your cursor moves to the bottom edge of the screen.
This pairs well with F11 in browsers. Together, they give you a completely clean screen.
Fullscreen on Multiple Monitors
If you have two or more monitors, fullscreen works on whichever screen the active window is on. There’s no trick here. Move your window to the monitor you want, make it active by clicking it, then use your fullscreen method.
For games specifically, check the game’s display settings. There’s often a Monitor or Display selection dropdown that lets you choose which screen the game runs on.
One common issue: A game or video goes fullscreen on the wrong monitor. To fix this, drag the window to the correct monitor before launching fullscreen mode. With games, change the monitor selection inside the in-game display settings.
If you’re using extended display mode and want a browser fullscreen on your second monitor:
- Move the browser window to the second monitor
- Click inside the browser to make sure it’s active
- Press F11
The fullscreen stays on the second monitor and your first monitor stays usable.
Fixing Fullscreen That Doesn’t Work on Windows 11
Here are the most common problems and the actual fixes.
F11 Key Does Nothing
This happens on laptops almost always. The function keys on most laptops do other things (brightness, volume, etc.) by default.
Fix: Press Fn + F11 instead of just F11. If that still doesn’t work, look for a key labeled Fn Lock or a toggle in your laptop’s keyboard settings. Enabling Fn Lock makes F1 through F12 work as standard function keys without needing to hold Fn.
Game Opens in a Window and Won’t Go Fullscreen
- Try Alt + Enter inside the game
- Check the game’s Graphics or Display settings for a Window Mode option
- Right-click the game’s .exe, go to Properties, Compatibility tab, and check Disable fullscreen optimizations
- Try running the game as administrator: right-click the .exe and choose Run as administrator
Fullscreen App Keeps Minimizing
This usually happens when Windows pops up a notification or another app demands focus.
Fix:
- Turn on Focus Assist (now called Do Not Disturb in Windows 11). Go to Settings > System > Notifications and enable Do not disturb.
- Check if any background apps are triggering. Antivirus pop-ups are a common cause.
- In game settings, try switching from Exclusive Fullscreen to Borderless Windowed. Borderless Windowed handles alt-tabs and notifications better without minimizing.
Screen Turns Black When Going Fullscreen
This is usually a driver issue or a refresh rate mismatch.
- Update your graphics drivers. Go to Device Manager, expand Display Adapters, right-click your GPU, and select Update driver.
- Check if the game or app’s resolution and refresh rate match your monitor settings. Mismatches cause black screens during mode switches.
- Try a different fullscreen mode in the app (borderless vs exclusive).
Taskbar Still Showing Over Fullscreen
This is the auto-hide fix mentioned above. But if you already have auto-hide on and the taskbar still appears, try this:
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager
- Find Windows Explorer in the list
- Right-click it and select Restart
Windows Explorer restarting refreshes the taskbar behavior and often fixes the stuck taskbar issue.
Making an App Always Open in Fullscreen (or Maximized)
You can set almost any desktop app to open maximized every time, which gets you close to fullscreen automatically.
- Right-click the app’s shortcut on the desktop or Start menu
- Click Properties
- Find the Run dropdown (under the Shortcut tab)
- Change it from Normal window to Maximized
- Click OK
Next time you open the app from that shortcut, it starts maximized.
For browsers specifically, you can also use a startup argument. For Chrome, right-click the shortcut, go to Properties, and in the Target field add --start-maximized at the end (with a space before the dashes). Chrome will always open maximized.
This doesn’t apply to apps from the Microsoft Store. Those apps control their own window state and don’t follow the shortcut property method.
Windows 11 Fullscreen Shortcuts Summary Table
| Situation | Method |
|---|---|
| Browser fullscreen | F11 (or Fn+F11 on laptops) |
| Maximize any window | Windows + Up Arrow or double-click title bar |
| Exit fullscreen | F11, Esc, or Windows + Down Arrow |
| Game fullscreen | Alt + Enter, or in-game display settings |
| Video player fullscreen | F (VLC), Alt+Enter (Media Player), or player icon |
| Hide taskbar in fullscreen | Taskbar Settings > Auto-hide taskbar |
| Fix stuck taskbar | Restart Windows Explorer via Task Manager |
| Force fullscreen for old games | Disable fullscreen optimizations in .exe Properties |
Conclusion
Going fullscreen on Windows 11 mostly comes down to knowing which method applies to what you’re doing. F11 handles browsers. Alt + Enter handles most media players and games. The in-game display settings handle modern games. And the maximize button or Windows + Up Arrow handles everything else.
The problems that come up, like the taskbar showing up, games opening in a window, or F11 not working on a laptop, all have straightforward fixes once you know where to look. Disable fullscreen optimizations for older games. Enable auto-hide for the taskbar. Use Fn + F11 on laptops.
If you’re still having display or fullscreen issues after trying all of this, checking your GPU drivers and updating them through NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel’s official sites is usually the next step worth taking.
FAQs
Why does my fullscreen game keep minimizing to the desktop on Windows 11?
This usually happens when another app or notification grabs focus while your game is running. Switch your game from Exclusive Fullscreen to Borderless Windowed mode in the display settings. Borderless Windowed handles interruptions better and won’t minimize the game when a notification pops up. Also turn on Do Not Disturb in Windows 11 Settings to stop notifications from firing during gameplay.
Can I make Windows 11 always start apps in fullscreen automatically?
Not true fullscreen automatically, but you can set apps to open maximized. Right-click the desktop shortcut, go to Properties, and change the Run dropdown from Normal window to Maximized. For Chrome, add --start-maximized to the Target field in the shortcut properties. For apps from the Microsoft Store, this method doesn’t apply since those apps manage their own window behavior.
Does Windows 11 have a universal fullscreen shortcut that works in every app?
No single shortcut works everywhere. F11 works in browsers and File Explorer. Alt + Enter works in games and some media players. Windows + Up Arrow maximizes windows but isn’t true fullscreen. You’ll need different shortcuts depending on the app. The closest thing to a universal method is the maximize button at the top right of every window.
My second monitor shows a black screen when I go fullscreen in a game. How do I fix it?
This is usually a resolution or refresh rate mismatch between what the game is trying to output and what your second monitor supports. Open the game’s display settings and make sure the resolution and refresh rate match your monitor’s native specs. Also check if your GPU drivers are up to date, since outdated drivers cause issues with multi-monitor fullscreen. Switching the game to Borderless Windowed mode often eliminates this problem entirely.
What’s the difference between maximized and fullscreen on Windows 11?
Maximized means the window fills the screen but the title bar and taskbar are still visible. Fullscreen means the app takes over the entire display, hiding the taskbar, title bar, and everything else. Some apps, like browsers, give you true fullscreen with F11. Others, like most desktop productivity apps, only support maximized through the maximize button. Games can run in exclusive fullscreen, borderless windowed fullscreen, or regular windowed mode, all of which look different and perform differently.
