How to Activate Full Screen Mode in Google Chrome

Last Updated : 5 Dec, 2025

Full-screen mode in Google Chrome hides the toolbar, tabs, and taskbar, giving you a distraction-free browsing experience. Whether you’re watching videos, presenting, or simply focusing on a webpage, Chrome’s full-screen mode helps you stay focused. Chrome’s full-screen mode expands the browser window to cover your entire display by hiding:

  • Tabs and address bar
  • Bookmarks bar
  • Windows taskbar or macOS menu bar

How to Enable Chrome Full Screen on Windows

There are two main ways to enable full-screen mode in Chrome on Windows 11 without using the F11 key:

Method 1: Use Chrome Menu (No Keyboard Shortcut)

Step 1:

  • Open Google Chrome and visit any webpage.
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A webpage opened in Google Chrome browser

Step 2:

  • Click the three dots (⋮) in the top-right corner.
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Click the three vertical dots icon

Step 3:

  • Click the Full Screen icon (diagonal arrows).
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Click the Fullscreen icon in the dropdown opened

Step 4:

  • Chrome switches to full screen mode.
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Fullscreen mode activated in Google Chrome browser

Exit: Press F11 or hover at the top and click Exit full screen.

Method 2: Press F11 (Windows/Linux Shortcut)

If you're wondering how to make Chrome full screen, the easiest way is by pressing the F11 key. This shortcut works on both Windows and Linux systems. Here's how:

Step 1:

Open Chrome.

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A webpage opened in the Google Chrome browser in Normal mode

Step 2:

  • Press F11 to enter full screen.
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Full-screen mode is activated in the Google Chrome browser

Step 3:

  • Press F11 again to exit.

How to Automatically Open Chrome in Full Screen

You can force Chrome to launch in full-screen mode every time.

Step 1:

  • Click the 'Start' icon from the taskbar of your computer.
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Click the Start icon from the taskbar

Step 2:

  • In the search bar of the panel opened, type 'Google Chrome'. The search results for Google Chrome appear.
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Type in the search bar

Step 3:

  • The Google Chrome software tops the search results. Right-click on it.
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Right-click on the Google Chrome app in the search results

Step 4:

  • The Right-click menu opens. Select 'Open File Location' in it.
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Click 'Open file location'

Step 5:

  • A window opens. Locate the 'Google Chrome' in that window and right-click on it.
     
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Right-click on 'Google Chrome' in this window opened

Step 6:

  • The right-click menu opens. Click 'Send To' in it. Another sub-menu opens. Click 'Desktop (Create Shortcut)' in it.
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Select 'Send to' -> 'Desktop' to create a new shortcut for Google Chrome in the desktop

Step 7:

  • A second shortcut for Google Chrome is created and is now present on the Desktop along with the main shortcut for Google Chrome. 
     
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Newly created Google Chrome shortcut icon

Step 8:

  • Right-click on the newly created shortcut for the Google Chrome icon. Select 'Properties' in it.
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Select 'Properties' in it

Step 9:

  • Now Properties dialog box will open and navigate to the 'Shortcut' tab and click on it.
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Click the 'Shortcut' tab

Step 10:

  • In the target, you can see the file location of the executable Google Chrome software. Add --start-Fullscreen after a space to the location of that executable file
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Appending --start-Fullscreen in Target

Step 11:

  • Click 'Apply' and then click 'OK' at the bottom of the Properties dialog window. The properties dialog box is closed now.
     
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Click 'Apply' and then click OK

Step 12:

  • Restart your computer to apply the changes made to the newly created Google Chrome icon on the Desktop.

Step 13:

  • Now after restarting your computer, in the desktop icons, double-click the newly created Google Chrome icon to open it
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Double-click the newly created Google Chrome icon

Step 14:

  • The Google Chrome web browser automatically opens in Full Screen mode on your computer showing the home page of your browser.
  • Now we have set Google Chrome to automatically open with Full-Screen mode on your computer successfully. To exit from this Full-Screen mode back to Normal mode, press the 'F11' key on your keyboard.
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Google Chrome browser opened automatically with Full-Screen mode

How to Go Full Screen in Google Chrome on Mac

Learn how to enable full-screen mode Mac in Google Chrome with these easy steps:

Step 1:

  • Open Google Chrome.
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Google Chrome browser opened on device running Mac OS

Step 2:

  • Click the three dots (⋮) in the top-right corner. 
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Click the three dots icon

Step 3:

A dropdown appears. Click the Full-screen icon on it.

Keyboard Shortcut: Press Control + Command + F to activate full screen mode.

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Click the Fullscreen icon
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Full-screen mode activated in Google Chrome browser on Mac OS device

How to Use Full Screen in Chrome on Mobile (Android & iOS)

Chrome mobile does not support a full browser-wide full-screen mode, but you can still maximize content:

1. Rotate to Landscape Mode

Most pages automatically expand to full width.

2. Use Full-Screen Video Mode

When watching video:

  • Tap the full-screen icon inside the video player.

Note:Chrome for Android/iOS doesn’t offer a true full-screen browser mode due to system UI restrictions.

How to Enable Full Screen on Chromebooks

  1. Open Google Chrome.
  2. Press the Fullscreen key (rectangle with arrows) located on the top row.
  3. Press the key again to exit.

This is the fastest full-screen toggle on ChromeOS.

How to Exit Full-Screen Mode in Chrome

  • Windows/Linux: Press F11
  • macOS: Press Control + Command + F or click the green window button
  • Android: Tap the Exit full screen icon in videos
  • iOS: Swipe up and tap Exit Full Screen

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