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How to Go Full Screen in a PC or Mac Game

Try Alt + Enter on Windows or Control + Command + F on Mac. If the shortcut fails, use the game’s display menu and choose fullscreen, borderless, or windowed mode based on your setup.
Length6 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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On Windows, click the game window and try Alt + Enter. If it does nothing, open the game’s Settings or Options → Video/Display menu and choose Fullscreen or Windowed Fullscreen. On Mac, try Control + Command + F if the game supports macOS fullscreen. No shortcut works in every game.

Try the shortcut first

Windows

  1. Start the game and click inside its window so the game has keyboard focus.
  2. Press Alt + Enter once, then wait a few seconds for the display to change.
  3. If the game switches to the wrong mode, press the shortcut again. If nothing happens, use the game’s display settings instead.

Alt + Enter is a common game convention, not a Windows-wide guarantee. Support depends on the game and its renderer; it may do nothing or conflict with another command. Microsoft documents the shortcut for console applications, and Bethesda confirms it for supported games. Microsoft’s Alt + Enter guidance · Bethesda support

F11 may maximize or restore the active window in supported Windows applications, but it is not a universal game-fullscreen shortcut. Microsoft’s Windows keyboard-shortcut list

Mac

For a game that supports macOS fullscreen, press Control + Command + F. Alternatively, move the pointer to the top-left of the window, click its green button, and choose Full Screen. Use the shortcut again or the green button’s Exit Full Screen command to leave. Some games manage display modes themselves and may ignore the macOS shortcut; the green button’s fullscreen mode may also differ from the game’s own display mode. Apple’s fullscreen shortcut · Apple’s window controls

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Set fullscreen in the game’s display menu

  1. Open the game’s main menu and choose Settings, Options, or Preferences.
  2. Open Video, Graphics, or Display.
  3. Find Display Mode, Window Mode, or Screen Mode.
  4. Choose a mode, select the intended monitor and resolution if those controls are available, then choose Apply, Confirm, or Save.
  5. If the image looks right, keep the change. If not, choose Revert or wait for the game’s automatic rollback before trying another setting.

For a concrete example, Fortnite’s PC path is Lobby → Profile icon → Settings → Video → Window Mode. Its options are Fullscreen, Windowed Fullscreen, and Windowed; select one and apply it. Other games may use different labels. Epic’s Fortnite display-mode instructions

Choose the mode that fits your setup

Mode What it does Useful when Trade-offs
Fullscreen (often exclusive fullscreen) The game takes control of the display mode. An older game or a specific resolution or refresh rate behaves better this way. Switching apps can cause a brief black screen, resolution change, or minimization. Performance varies by game and graphics API; this mode is not always faster.
Borderless Fullscreen (also called Windowed Fullscreen or Borderless) A border-free window fills the screen, usually at desktop resolution. You frequently use Alt+Tab, have multiple monitors, stream, record, or use overlays. Some games handle refresh rates, HDR, or performance differently in this mode. It is not automatically the best choice for every title.
Windowed The game runs in a resizable or fixed window, often with desktop borders visible. You are troubleshooting a black screen, crop, wrong monitor, or crash, or need to reach controls. It does not fill the display unless maximized; maximizing is an operating-system window action, not necessarily the game’s fullscreen mode.

Use the game’s own fullscreen mode if you need display behavior that borderless mode does not provide. Choose borderless for easier app switching, or use windowed mode temporarily to regain access to settings. There is no universal performance winner.

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Use launcher options only when the game documents them

Steam

  1. Open Library.
  2. Right-click the game or select its gear icon, then choose Properties.
  3. Find the Launch Options field and enter only a parameter documented for that game or its engine.
  4. Close Properties and relaunch. If the game stops starting or opens in an unusable mode, remove the option and relaunch.

Steam provides the launch-options field, but it does not define a universal fullscreen command. Options such as -fullscreen, -windowed, -noborder, and resolution flags are game- or engine-dependent. Steam’s launch-options guidance

Epic and other launchers

Start with the game’s Video or Display menu. Launch arguments vary across Epic, GOG, Ubisoft Connect, Battle.net, standalone games, and individual titles; use a launcher field only when the game or engine documents the option. If the game cannot open far enough to reach its settings, follow the publisher’s instructions for that game. Back up any configuration file before editing it. Epic’s Fortnite troubleshooting, for example, addresses fullscreen crashes and settings resets, including checking whether its GameUserSettings.ini file is read-only; that filename and advice are specific to Fortnite, not a universal game fix. Epic’s Fortnite troubleshooting

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Fix a black screen, distorted image, or other fullscreen problem

Alt + Enter does nothing

  • Click the game itself again; a launcher, menu, chat field, or another app may have focus.
  • Try the game’s Video or Display menu. Some titles do not implement the shortcut, and wrappers, emulators, remote-play sessions, or compatibility layers can change how it behaves.
  • If the game is unresponsive, return to the desktop and relaunch it in windowed mode using an option documented for that title.

The screen goes black or the game minimizes

  1. Wait several seconds in case the display mode is changing.
  2. Press Alt + Enter again, then try Alt + Tab to return to the desktop.
  3. If the entire Windows display appears stuck, press Ctrl + Shift + Windows + B to reset the graphics driver. This is a general Windows recovery shortcut, not a fullscreen fix. Microsoft’s Windows keyboard-shortcut list
  4. Once you can reach the game, try borderless or windowed mode. Intel identifies borderless windowed mode as an alternative for some fullscreen or Alt+Tab black-screen problems. Intel’s fullscreen and Alt+Tab guidance

If the problem appears specific to Windows display handling, test any fullscreen-optimization change only for the affected game rather than changing unrelated system settings.

The picture is stretched or cropped

  • Check that the game’s resolution matches the monitor’s native resolution and that it is using the intended monitor.
  • Check the aspect ratio. A 4:3 game resolution on a widescreen display may stretch or leave bars, depending on scaling settings.
  • Try borderless fullscreen or windowed mode, then move the game to the intended monitor before switching modes.
  • GPU scaling choices depend on the result you want: preserved proportions with bars, stretched pixels, or a native-aspect presentation. There is no single scaling setting that fixes every display.
  • For an older title, unusual display scaling or compatibility settings may contribute; change one setting at a time.

The game keeps reopening windowed

The game may not be saving its display choice, may be unable to write its settings folder, or may be restoring an older configuration through cloud sync. An invalid resolution, mod, overlay, utility, or crash during saving can also be involved. Check the game’s own support instructions before editing files. Back up the configuration first; Epic’s read-only GameUserSettings.ini check applies specifically to Fortnite, not to every game.

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Fullscreen causes a crash or freeze

  1. Switch to borderless or windowed mode if you can reach the setting.
  2. Update the game, operating system, and graphics driver.
  3. Verify the game’s files using the launcher’s repair or verification feature.
  4. Temporarily disable nonessential overlays and background utilities, then test again.
  5. Check the game’s system requirements and restore any launch options or display changes that caused the failure.

Steam’s general troubleshooting guidance includes updates, driver checks, file verification, checking system requirements, and looking for interfering software. Steam’s troubleshooting guidance

The fullscreen option is missing

A title may support only borderless or windowed play, hide a mode for the current renderer, use its own configuration file, or be running through remote play or a streaming client. Browser games and some app-style games may not expose a traditional fullscreen setting. Check the game’s support page before trying third-party fullscreen utilities.

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Windows 11: windowed-game optimizations

Windows 11 has Settings → System → Display → Graphics → Optimizations for windowed games. Microsoft says the feature applies to compatible DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 games in windowed and borderless modes; restart the game after changing it. Its scope is those compatible modes and APIs, not every game or every fullscreen problem. Microsoft’s Windows 11 guidance

Linux and Steam Deck

There is no reliable universal fullscreen shortcut across Linux games. Behavior can depend on the native Linux build, Proton or Wine, the desktop environment, display server, and game engine. On Steam Deck, the relevant control may be in the game, Steam’s Properties menu, or the desktop environment, depending on whether you are using Gaming Mode or Desktop Mode. If a title has a problem, use its own display options and the compatibility troubleshooting steps for that game rather than assuming a Windows launch argument will work.

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