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How to Make a Half-Screen Window Fill Your Screen

The right way to switch from half screen to full screen depends on whether you are using Windows Snap, Mac Split View, or a video in PowerPoint.
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To turn a half-screen window into a full-size one, select the window and use its maximize control. The exact steps depend on what “half screen” means: Windows may have snapped two windows side by side, macOS may be using Split View, or you may want a video inside PowerPoint to fill the display. These are different controls, so use the instructions for your device and app.

First, identify what you want to fill the screen

  • One app window: Maximize the window, or use the app’s separate full-screen mode if it has one.
  • Two apps side by side on a Mac: You are likely using Split View. Focus on one app by changing the window arrangement or entering full screen for that app.
  • A video inside a PowerPoint slide: Set the video to play full screen; this does not expand the PowerPoint window.

Windows: expand a snapped window

  1. Click the window in the half-screen position to make it active.
  2. Click the Maximize button in the title bar—the square control beside the close button. The window expands to fill the display.

Windows Snap arranges windows on screen rather than providing a universal full-screen mode. Microsoft documents Snap layouts through the maximize/restore control or by pressing Windows key + Z. Snap Assist may offer windows to place in the remaining space; maximizing the active window instead gives that window the display. A program can also have its own immersive or video full-screen mode, with controls that vary by app. Microsoft Support: Snap Your Windows

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Mac: enter full-screen view or simply maximize

Use full screen to hide desktop distractions

  1. Move the pointer over the green control at the upper-left of a supported app window.
  2. Select Full Screen.

The app fills the display in full-screen view. To return to the regular window, move the pointer to the top of the screen if needed, hover over the green control, and choose Exit Full Screen. Apple notes that the menu bar and Dock can be revealed by moving the pointer to the edges where they are located. Apple Support: Use apps in full screen on Mac

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Keep the menu bar and Dock visible

If you want the window larger but still want the menu bar and Dock visible, maximize the window rather than selecting Full Screen. On macOS, maximizing and full-screen view are distinct arrangements: full screen fills the display, while a maximized window expands without entering that mode. Apple Support: Use apps in full screen on Mac

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Mac: switch from Split View to one app

Split View places two app windows side by side in a shared full-screen space. To use one app across the display, either enter full screen for the window you want or leave Split View and then make that app full screen.

  1. Move the pointer to the top of the screen to reveal the window controls if they are hidden.
  2. Use the window’s green control to choose its full-screen option, or exit Split View and then select Full Screen for the app you want to keep open.

Apple describes Split View as a two-window arrangement: after positioning the first window, you choose a second window to fill the other half. Apple Support: Use apps in full screen on Mac Apple Support: Manage windows on your Mac

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PowerPoint: make just the video full screen

  1. In Normal view, select the video on the slide.
  2. Open the Playback tab and enable Play Full Screen.
  3. Preview the result by starting Slide Show view from the current slide.

This setting applies to the selected video, not to the PowerPoint window. Microsoft says the option may be unavailable for videos inserted from YouTube or another website; its stated workaround is to download the video and insert the file from your computer. Preview the slide because the source video’s resolution can affect its appearance. Microsoft Support: Set a video to play full screen

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If the steps do not match your screen

  • Check whether you want one window to fill the display or two apps to remain side by side.
  • On a Mac, decide whether the menu bar and Dock should remain visible; that distinguishes maximizing from full-screen view.
  • If only media should fill the display, look for a playback option in the app rather than changing the window arrangement.
  • If you cannot find the described control, confirm which operating system and app you are using. Window behavior depends on the arrangement and the application.

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