Getting the most out of your favorite video game is made easier by displaying it on a big screen. Find out how to easily display a game in full screen on PC and Mac.
There are many optimizations that make a video game experience more enjoyable. The graphics options are among the most important, whether you are on a Steam, Origin or Epic Games Store game. The full-screen mode, for example, has many advantages. In addition to allowing better immersion for the player, it also very often allows for better performance, because your graphics card focuses more on your game.
Today, there are countless games available on PC. There is something for everyone and you can find it on all platforms. Some of them open as a window by default. If you wish, you will therefore have to find a solution to make it full screen. Whether your platform of choice is Steam, Epic Games Store, GoG or Origin, the method to put your PC game in full screen will remain the same.
Normally, any good self-respecting game will offer you the possibility to ALternate between windowed and full screen directly in its settings. But it may also be that sometimes there is no such option, or even the game does not offer any option to customize your gaming experience. Luckily, on Windows, there is a very handy shortcut to skip any game (and sometimes some applications) in full screen. To do this, simply press the ALT and ENTER keys. If you need to find the windowed mode, press these same keys again and you’re done.
It is now very easy to find games on Mac, even if they are not machines dedicated to gaming. Like PC games, you may come across some Mac games that open in a window. If like with PC games you can’t find the full screen option in the game settings, there will be other solutions that will depend on your version of Mac. On macOS Monterey for example, you will have to use the Fn and F key combination. If you have an earlier version, you can use the Ctrl Cmd F combination. On OS X Yosemite, in addition to the Ctrl Cmd F shortcut, you will also have the possibility of using the green button present on the edge of the window. Unlike PC games, to exit full screen mode on Mac, simply use the ESC key on your keyboard.
Despite the rise of certain other players such as the Epic Games Store, Ubisoft with Ubisoft Connect or EA with Origin and now the EA App, Steam still remains one of the major players in the video game world. So you may come across a game that you need to switch to full screen.
Much like our PC gaming tip, the method to take your game to full screen will depend entirely on the game directly. Generally, you will find the possibility to switch to full screen directly in the options. But if you can’t find that option, you’ll still be able to use the same shortcut you would for any PC game. Namely ALT ENTER. You are then free to alternate between full screen and windowed in the same way.
