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How to Minimize a Full Screen Computer Program Download ArticleExplore this Article methods 1 On Windows 2 On Mac Other Sections Questions & Answers Tips and Warnings Related Articles References Written by Jack Lloyd
Last Updated: October 25, 2022 Tested
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This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher. The wikiHow Tech Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work. This article has been viewed 572,922 times. Learn more...
This wikiHow teaches you how to minimize a full-screen window on your Windows or Mac computer so that you can view your desktop. Keep in mind that some programs (e.g., video games) will take longer to minimize than others.
Things You Should Know
On Windows, click the - in the top right corner of the window. You can also press ⊞ Win and click the app's icon in the taskbar to minimize it.
On Mac, press the yellow - button at the top left of the window or press ⌘ Command+M to minimize the window. Alternatively, hide a window by pressing ⌘ Command+H.
On Windows and Mac, pressing Esc will help you exit full screen mode (unless you are playing a game).
Steps
Method 1 Method 1 of 2:
On Windows
Download Article
1 Look for the "Exit full-screen" button. If you can find a button in your window that exits full-screen mode, you can simply click it and then click the - button in the top-right corner of the window to minimize it.
Double-clicking most video player windows (e.g., VLC or YouTube) will take you out of full-screen mode.
2 Press Esc to exit full-screen. If you're watching a video or viewing photos in full-screen mode, this key will exit full-screen mode. Advertisement
3 Use the Windows key (⊞ Win) to display the taskbar. Pressing this key, which resembles the Windows logo, will force the desktop's taskbar to display at the bottom of the screen. You can then click the full-screen program's icon to minimize it, or you can press the "Show Desktop" bar in the far-right corner of the taskbar.
4 Press ⊞ Win+M to minimize all open windows. This will exit any full-screen windows and minimize each window to the taskbar. Keep in mind that re-opening any of these windows will prompt them to resume in full-screen mode.[1]X Trustworthy Source Microsoft SupportTechnical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source
Press ⊞ Win+⇧ Shift+M to open all minimized programs again.
5 Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to interrupt the program. Especially if you're playing a game that's freezing, pressing this combination of keys will almost always take you out of the window. To get to the desktop:
Click Task Manager.
Click the Processes tab.
Click the full-screen program.
Click End task.
6 Manually shut down your computer. If you're encountering a full-screen program that won't close, press and hold your computer's Power button (or, if it's a desktop, remove the power cable) until the computer shuts down. When you restart your computer, all previously open windows will be closed.
Advertisement Method 2 Method 2 of 2:
On Mac
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1 Use the ⌘ Command+Ctrl+F shortcut. This command removes windows from full-screen mode, at which point you can click the yellow "Minimize" button in the top-right corner of the window.
2 Try using the Esc key to exit full-screen mode. It's in the top-left side of the keyboard. The Esc key is ideal for exiting full-screen YouTube videos or photos on your computer. You can click the window's yellow "Minimize" button after disabling full-screen mode.
Pressing Esc while playing a game won't minimize the game.
3 Press ⌘ Command+M to minimize the current window. Return to it by clicking the new minimized icon in your Dock, next to the Trash icon.
Some programs will simply exit full-screen after using this shortcut, meaning you'll need to click the yellow "Minimize" button to fully minimize the program.
4 Hide your window by pressing ⌘ Command+H. This will turn all windows in the program invisible. Specific windows will not show up in your Dock; you will need to click the application icon, such as TextEdit or Safari, instead.
5 Toggle off full-screen mode with ⌘ Command+F or ⌘ Command+⏎ Return. If none of the above shortcuts work, one of these key combinations might force the window to minimize.
If you have a game window open, look at the key bindings to see if there is an option for minimizing or exiting full-screen.
If you are playing a game through Steam, the Steam application may interfere with your ability to minimize programs.
6 Force-quit the full-screen program. If the program is frozen and none of the previous options have worked, press ⌘ Command+⌥ Option+Esc, click the program, and click Force Quit.
7 Manually shut down your computer. If you're encountering a full-screen program that won't close, press and hold your computer's Power button (or, if it's a desktop, remove the power cable) until the computer shuts down. When you restart your computer, all previously open windows will be closed.
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Community Q&A
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Question Why do we minimize pages? Community Answer The minimize function is meant to hide programs in your dock or taskbar so that you can keep multiple programs running, but also keep your desktop from getting super cluttered. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 11 Helpful 10
Question How do I change it to full screen? Community Answer In most cases, all you have to do is hold down Shift and press F11. But there are some programs that simply can't be changed to full screen. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 16 Helpful 13
Question How do I change a program to windowed mode? Community Answer Alt-Enter will change most Windows programs to a windowed mode. Games may not do this, but there may be a setting within the game to change it to a window. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 2 Helpful 8
See more answers Ask a Question 200 characters left Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Submit Advertisement
Tips
In the case of games especially, you may have to save and quit in order to get back to the desktop without causing the game to freeze or glitch. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Most modern games have an option for "Windowed Mode" or "Full Screen Windowed Mode", which allows you to play the game in borderline full-screen mode without losing total control over some of the keyboard shortcuts. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Name Please provide your name and last initial Submit Thanks for submitting a tip for review! Advertisement
Warnings
Older programs can crash due to attempts to minimize them. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 3
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References
↑ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/126449
About This Article
Written by: Jack Lloyd wikiHow Technology Writer This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher. This article has been viewed 572,922 times. How helpful is this? Co-authors: 25Updated: October 25, 2022 Views: 572,922 Categories: Basic Computer Skills In other languages Spanish Italian Russian Portuguese French Indonesian Dutch Arabic Chinese Vietnamese Thai Hindi Turkish Korean Japanese
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Download Article Explore this Article methods 1 On Windows 2 On Mac Other Sections Questions & Answers Tips and Warnings Related Articles References Written by Jack Lloyd 
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Written by: Jack Lloyd wikiHow Technology Writer This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher. This article has been viewed 572,922 times. How helpful is this? Co-authors: 25 Updated: October 25, 2022 Views: 572,922 Categories: Basic Computer Skills In other languages Spanish Italian Russian Portuguese French Indonesian Dutch Arabic Chinese Vietnamese Thai Hindi Turkish Korean Japanese 
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1 Look for the "Exit full-screen" button. If you can find a button in your window that exits full-screen mode, you can simply click it and then click the - button in the top-right corner of the window to minimize it. 
2 Press Esc to exit full-screen. If you're watching a video or viewing photos in full-screen mode, this key will exit full-screen mode. Advertisement 
3 Use the Windows key (⊞ Win) to display the taskbar. Pressing this key, which resembles the Windows logo, will force the desktop's taskbar to display at the bottom of the screen. You can then click the full-screen program's icon to minimize it, or you can press the "Show Desktop" bar in the far-right corner of the taskbar. 
4 Press ⊞ Win+M to minimize all open windows. This will exit any full-screen windows and minimize each window to the taskbar. Keep in mind that re-opening any of these windows will prompt them to resume in full-screen mode.[1] 
5 Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to interrupt the program. Especially if you're playing a game that's freezing, pressing this combination of keys will almost always take you out of the window. To get to the desktop: 
6 Manually shut down your computer. If you're encountering a full-screen program that won't close, press and hold your computer's Power button (or, if it's a desktop, remove the power cable) until the computer shuts down. When you restart your computer, all previously open windows will be closed. Advertisement 
1 Use the ⌘ Command+Ctrl+F shortcut. This command removes windows from full-screen mode, at which point you can click the yellow "Minimize" button in the top-right corner of the window. 
2 Try using the Esc key to exit full-screen mode. It's in the top-left side of the keyboard. The Esc key is ideal for exiting full-screen YouTube videos or photos on your computer. You can click the window's yellow "Minimize" button after disabling full-screen mode. 
3 Press ⌘ Command+M to minimize the current window. Return to it by clicking the new minimized icon in your Dock, next to the Trash icon. 
4 Hide your window by pressing ⌘ Command+H. This will turn all windows in the program invisible. Specific windows will not show up in your Dock; you will need to click the application icon, such as TextEdit or Safari, instead. 
5 Toggle off full-screen mode with ⌘ Command+F or ⌘ Command+⏎ Return. If none of the above shortcuts work, one of these key combinations might force the window to minimize. 
6 Force-quit the full-screen program. If the program is frozen and none of the previous options have worked, press ⌘ Command+⌥ Option+Esc, click the program, and click Force Quit. 
7 Manually shut down your computer. If you're encountering a full-screen program that won't close, press and hold your computer's Power button (or, if it's a desktop, remove the power cable) until the computer shuts down. When you restart your computer, all previously open windows will be closed. Advertisement 
Community Answer The minimize function is meant to hide programs in your dock or taskbar so that you can keep multiple programs running, but also keep your desktop from getting super cluttered. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 11 Helpful 10 
Community Answer In most cases, all you have to do is hold down Shift and press F11. But there are some programs that simply can't be changed to full screen. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 16 Helpful 13 
Community Answer Alt-Enter will change most Windows programs to a windowed mode. Games may not do this, but there may be a setting within the game to change it to a window. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 2 Helpful 8 
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