Simple Ways to Make a Game Fill the Screen (2024)

Table of Contents
Things You Should Know Entering Full-Screen in Windows Entering Full-Screen on a Mac Troubleshooting Expert Q&A Tips You Might Also Like References About This Article Did this article help you? FAQs
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Easy-to-follow steps for turning a Windows or Mac game into full-screen mode

Co-authored byDarlene Antonelli, MAReviewed byStan Kats

Last Updated: September 5, 2023Fact Checked

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  • Entering Full-Screen in Windows
    • |
  • Entering Full-Screen on a Mac
    • |
  • Troubleshooting

Do the games you open on your computer not open in full-screen mode? While a keyboard shortcut can be the easiest solution, you may need to take a few more steps to figure out how to get your game to fill the screen.

Things You Should Know

  • First try pressing "Alt + Enter," then use the in-game menu to enter full-screen.
  • On a Mac, use the green button in the top left corner of the window or try a shortcut like "Command + Control + F" or "Fn + F."
  • If your game won't fill the screen, try some troubleshooting steps.
  • Change the Display Scale of your display since percentages greater than 100% may prevent your games from playing in Full-Screen Mode.

Section 1 of 3:

Entering Full-Screen in Windows

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  1. 1

    Press Alt+↵ Enter. Pressing those keys together should maximize your game window to fill the screen.[1]

    • Alternatively, press Esc to minimize the game.

  2. 2

    Choose "Full Screen" from Game Settings. For games that don't recognize the keyboard shortcut, you need to navigate through the in-game menu for a "Display/Graphics" option. From there, you'll see "Display Mode" options listing Windowed or Full-Screen. Select Full-Screen.

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    See Also
    How to Full Screen a Game on PC: A Step-by-Step GuideHow to Make Any App or Game Go Full Screen in WindowsHow To Go Full Screen On A Game QuicklyHow To Full Screen A Game On PC? (Windows 11)

Section 2 of 3:

Entering Full-Screen on a Mac

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  1. 1

    Press the green icon and select Enter Full Screen. It's in the top left corner of all Mac windowed screens and will cause the window to fill the screen.[2]

  2. 2

    Try a keyboard shortcut. Unfortunately, the keyboard shortcut for entering full screen mode on Mac is not standardized across all apps. However, a few common options that may work include control + command + F, Fn + F, and command + return.

    • If none of those work, you can also open the View menu at the top of the screen and select Enter Full Screen. You will usually see the keyboard shortcut for the app you're using listed next to that option.

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Section 3 of 3:

Troubleshooting

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  1. 1

    Change the Display Scale. To do this, press Win + I then click System > Display. Click the drop-down menu under "Scale/Scale and layout" and select "100%."

    • For Mac, go to System Settings > Display.[3]

  2. 2

    Disable Full-Screen optimization (PC only). While this setting sounds like it should help you, it could be bugged and prevent you from opening your game in full-screen mode. To turn this off for PC, right-click on your game's icon and select Properties > Compatibility > Disable fullscreen optimizations > Apply > OK.

  3. 3

    Switch your main screen. If you're using dual monitors, this may help! If you're not using dual monitors, skip this step.

    • Right-click a blank spot on your desktop and select Display settings > Identify and switch the main display from the current monitor to another one.
    • You can also use this fix for Macs. To switch your display, go to System Settings > Display.

  4. 4

    Run the game in Compatibility Mode (PC only). To do this, right-click the game's shortcut on your desktop and select Properties > Compatibility > Run this program in compatibility mode for and select an older version of Windows. Finally, select Apply > Ok.

  5. 5

    Disable overlays. Sometimes, apps with overlays can prevent your game from opening in full-screen. This includes programs with overlays like Discord, Steam, and GeForce Experience.

    See Also
    How to Fullscreen a Game on Windows 10 – Try These Methods - MiniTool Partition Wizard

  6. 6

    Try some basic Windows fixes. Last, but not least, you can try a few other things to see if you can get your game into Full-Screen Mode. Update your graphics drivers using Device Manager or right-click and select Run game as administrator.

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      About This Article

      Simple Ways to Make a Game Fill the Screen (30)

      Reviewed by:

      Stan Kats

      Professional Technologist

      This article was reviewed by Stan Kats and by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA. Stan Kats is a Professional Technologist and the COO and Chief Technologist for The STG IT Consulting Group in West Hollywood, California. Stan provides comprehensive technology solutions to businesses through managed IT services, and for individuals through his consumer service business, Stan's Tech Garage. Stan holds a BA in International Relations from The University of Southern California. He began his career working in the Fortune 500 IT world. Stan founded his companies to offer an enterprise-level of expertise for small businesses and individuals. This article has been viewed 59,573 times.

      15 votes - 40%

      Co-authors: 2

      Updated: September 5, 2023

      Views:59,573

      Categories: PC Games

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      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 59,573 times.

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      Simple Ways to Make a Game Fill the Screen (2024)

      FAQs

      Simple Ways to Make a Game Fill the Screen? ›

      Common shortcut keys include Alt + Enter or F11. Try pressing these keys while in the game to see if they toggle full screen mode.

      Continue Reading ›
      How do I make my game full screen? ›

      First try pressing "Alt + Enter," then use the in-game menu to enter full-screen.

      See Details ›
      What is the shortcut for fill screen? ›

      One of the easiest ways to make your window full-screen is by using a keyboard shortcut. Just press the F11 key to switch to full-screen mode in applications. If F11 isn't working, you can try pressing Fn + F11 to go to full-screen mode in many applications.

      Read On ›
      How do I force a window into full screen? ›

      If you plan to go full screen often, remembering just one Windows keyboard shortcut will most likely get you there: F11. You'll find that key on the top row of the keyboard. With the app you want to use in full screen, open and in focus (select the window to focus on it), press F11 once to go into full-screen mode.

      Learn More ›
      How do I make games full screen without F11? ›

      To full screen Windows 10 without using the F11 key, you can use the shortcut key combination “Windows Key + Shift + Enter”. This shortcut will instantly make the current window full screen without the need to press F11.

      Explore More ›
      How do I resize my game screen? ›

      Press Alt + Spacebar to open the window's menu. If the window is maximized, arrow down to Restore and press Enter . If the window is not maximized, skip to the next step. Press Alt + Spacebar again to open the window menu, arrow down to Size, and press Enter .

      See Details ›
      What is the Ctrl for full screen? ›

      In most web browsers use F11. Some other applications might get full screen using either “Alt+Enter” or “Ctrl+Enter”.

      Know More ›
      How do I expand my screen to full size? ›

      The way a full screen works depends on what type of device you're using. On a desktop computer, simply pressing the 'F11' key will usually open an application in full screen mode. For web browsers, you may need to click on an icon in the corner to enter this mode.

      See Details ›
      What is the shortcut for full screen games? ›

      Common shortcut keys include Alt + Enter or F11.

      View Details ›
      How do you force a windowed game to go full screen? ›

      Alt + Enter shortcut key is used to switch between full screen mode and window mode.

      View Details ›

      How do I scale a window to full screen? ›

      Change the size of what's on the screen
      1. Stay in, or open, Display settings. Open your Display settings.
      2. Scroll to the Scale & layout section.
      3. Select Scale, then select an option. Typically, it's best to choose the one that's marked (Recommended).

      Keep Reading ›
      What is the shortcut for fit to screen? ›

      A very common shortcut, particularly for browsers, is the F11 key. It can take your screen into and out of full-screen mode quickly and easily. When using a document type of application, like Word, pressing the WINKEY and the up arrow can maximize your window for you.

      Continue Reading ›
      How do I make content full screen? ›

      the web page is made of many components in the <body> element, which already fills the whole screen. In case you want to use a <div> that must fill all the screen, you should set width and height to 100% or 100vw (width) and 100vh (height) via CSS. What type of page is created with the help of HTML?

      Discover More ›
      How do I expand the window on my PC? ›

      Move or resize a window using only the keyboard. Press Alt + F7 to move a window or Alt + F8 to resize. Use the arrow keys to move or resize, then press Enter to finish, or press Esc to return to the original position and size.

      See More ›
      How do I get a game back into full screen? ›

      Use a Keyboard Shortcut to Enter Full Screen Mode

      Using the Alt + Enter keyboard shortcut is the easiest way to enter full-screen mode in your games. This hotkey is compatible with nearly every game on Windows.

      Show Me More ›
      How do I change my game monitor to full screen? ›

      To move a full-screen game to another monitor, use the keyboard shortcut: Shift + Windows key + Left/Right arrow key. Alternatively, open Display Settings to set a new main display.

      Know More ›
      How to make a game maker full screen? ›

      To enable fullscreen in GameMaker, you can use the built-in GameMaker Language (GML) function window_set_fullscreen() .

      Discover More ›
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