Wednesday, April 24, 2024

How to enable Microsoft Edge full-screen mode

Share

Microsoft Edge has gone from the bottom of the web browser pile to the second most popular option after Google Chrome. In April of 2017, Microsoft Edge features and functionality improvements were a highlight of the Windows 10 Creators Update, but not everyone was happy with Edge’s advancements. Microsoft pundit Paul Thurrott, for example, called out some of the browser’s most crucial failings, and these limitations were definitely glaring.

One of his complaints at the time was the lack of a full-screen view, and that unlike Chrome, hitting the F11 key did nothing in Edge. However, updates to Edge have remedied this, and users can now enter and exit full-screen by pressing F11. In fact, there are three options for using full-screen, and each can be used interchangeably with the others. Check out our helpful guide to learn more about full-screen options in Microsoft Edge.

How to use F11 to make Microsoft Edge full-screen

Open Microsoft Edge by clicking on the icon or typing Edge in the Windows search bar. Once Edge has been opened, you can press the F11 key to engage full-screen mode regardless of the size of the browser window. Using the F11 key allows you to toggle full-screen on and off with ease, or you can swipe the mouse to the top of the browser and click the minimize button.

Daniel Martin/Screenshot

How to use a keyboard shortcut to open Microsoft Edge full-screen

While much was made of the lack of F11 toggle a few years ago, there was also a secret option for putting Edge into the same kind of full-screen mode that still works today, which is typing Shift + Windows + Enter.

Here’s Edge in normal view:

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Here’s Edge in full-screen view when you hit Shift + Windows + Enter:

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

There has been some confusion over the fact that this full-screen key combo works for any Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app, or Windows 10 app as they’re commonly called. While the effect varies by app depending on how many user interface elements have been implemented, it works for Edge much like hitting F11.

How to use Microsoft Edge’s Zoom menu to enable or disable full-screen

A third option can also be found within Microsoft Edge’s Zoom menu. Open your Edge browser and select the three horizontal dots in the upper right to access Settings and More drop-down menu. Move down the list to the Zoom option and click on the icon that resembles a diagonal arrow with two heads to open full-screen. You can also exist out of full-screen by going to the top of the window and selecting the same symbol.

Daniel Martin/Screenshot

Read more

More News