Top 6 Ways to Fix Games Not Opening in Full Screen on Windows 11

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Fix 1: Use the Keyboard Shortcut

Sometimes, the games may open in windowed mode by default, and you might have hit the Maximize window shortcut on your computer. You can use theAlt + Enterkeyboard shortcut to enable full-screen mode for a game that opens in windowed mode.

So, next time you launch a game, press Alt + Enter to switch to its full-screen mode.

Fix 2: Change In-Game Settings

Most modern games allow you to customize their display settings and configure them to launch in full-screen mode. Here’s how to do that:

Step 1:Launch a game and open its settings.

Step 2:Switch to theGraphics settings.

Every game may have a different structure or labeling system, which may be referred to as Graphics or Video.

Step 3:ChooseFullscreenfor the Display Mode settings.

Then, save the changes and restart your game. Check if the game launches in full-screen mode. If not, try the next solution on the list.

Fix 3: Turn Off Full-Screen Optimization

Another quick solution you can try if games are not opening in full screen on Windows is to disable full-screen optimization. But do note that it can cause different display issues and not run the game properly.

Step 1:Right-clickon your game’s shortcut and choosePropertiesfrom the context menu.

Step 2:Click theCompatibilitytab.

Step 3:Uncheck theDisable fullscreen optimizationbox.

Step 4:ClickApplyand thenOKto save the changes.

Next, restart your computer and relaunch the game to check if it opens in full-screen mode.

Fix 4: Use Windows Compatibility Mode

You can use theWindows compatibility mode featureto play older or classic games on your Windows 11 PC. This feature creates an environment that emulates an older operating system, enabling the game to run on your computer.

Step 1: Right-clickon your game’s shortcut and choosePropertiesfrom the menu that crops up.

Step 2:Switch to theCompatibilitytab.

Step 3:Check the box next toRun this program in compatibility mode for. Then, choose the Windows version (ex., Windows 8) from the drop-down menu.

Step 4:ClickApplyand thenOKto save the changes.

Fix 5: Change Windows Settings

Windows allows you to manually adjust the display scale according to your monitor. However, certain games may encounter issues entering full-screen mode if the display scale is set to a higher number than the recommended value for the game.

In such cases, the solution is to adjust the display scale value to the recommended number the game supports. You can do that by following the below steps:

Step 1:Press theWindows + Ikeyboard shortcut to open the Settings app.

Step 2:ChooseSystemfrom the left sidebar and click theDisplayoption in the right pane.

Step 3:Select the drop-down icon next to theScale optionand chooseRecommended value.

After that, restart your computer and check for the issue.

Fix 6: Update the Graphics Driver

If the full-screen still keeps minimizing or the game fails to enter full-screen mode at all, you can try updating the graphics driver.

So, visit your graphics card manufacturer’s website (NVIDIA,AMD, orIntel) and download available updates for your graphics driver. Alternatively, you can use the Device Manager to download the update. Here’s how:

Step 1:Press theWindows + Xkeyboard shortcut to open the Power User menu and chooseDevice Managerfrom the list.

Step 2:Double-clickon the Display adapters.

Step 3: Right-clickon your graphics driver and selectUpdate driver.

Step 4:Choose theSearch automatically for driversoption.

Windows will search for and download the latest available graphics driver. After that, restart your computer, and you will see that you are no longer facing the issue.

Sometimes, games might fail to launch in full-screen mode for various reasons. Fortunately, you can stop games from minimizing and enjoy them in full-screen mode using the above solutions.

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Last updated on 16 August, 2024

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