If you’re a Google Chrome user you may have encountered a bug where the browser window gets stuck in full screen mode. In such cases, hitting F-11, or clicking the Exit Full Screen link does nothing.
After searching for fixes, many of which were ineffective, the only fix I found to work was deleting my user preference directory. If you’re a Linux user, here’s how:
First, go to the google-chrome directory in your home path:
cd ~/.config/google-chrome
Next, verify you have a Default directory. Rename it as a backup resource, just in case you need it.
mv Default/ Default_backup/
Then restart Chrome. You should see that a new Default directory is created. You should also notice Chrome starts normally and is no longer stuck in full screen. The only drawback here is that your preferences are trashed, but most will find that more than acceptable since Chrome is now usable again.
Hi,
it is not the best solution to this problem. For me this workaround works the best and does not require throwing away the profile:
– Open new window
– Exit fullscreen on that new window
– Exit that stucked-in-fullscreen-window
– In the new window you can go to History and open all the closed tabs again
– New window with old tabs is not in fullscreen anymore
– Now the empty window can be closed
Hope this helps and you could update your post if this solution works for yoo, so that people see this alternative solution too. (your post is on the first page of google search)
With best regards!
Appreciate it Dimitry!
I’ll give your method a shot next time I’m stuck in full screen mode and report back.
Worked for me, Dimitry! An easy and elegant solution. Thanks!
I have just tried this and it isn’t working. I have reinstalled Chrome and it is still stuck in full screen mode and it is driving me nuts. Anyone know how to fix this bug?
I had this issue. There were no buttons to shrink the window or open new tabs. Nothing to enable leaving the chrome Full Screen. Press “Ctl-Alt-Del”. The Windows menu will appear and allow you to start Task Manage. Open Task Manager and open the Processes window. Select “show processes for all users”. Sort the processes. Kill each process showing “chrome.exe *32”. That will close all the Chrome windows. I suspect you had a chrome process running in full screen and it was hogging the entire desktop Full Screen. You should be able to open chrome normally. Don’t select to restore the previous chrome process. Just click on the “X” to the right and you can move on.
It worked!! Thank you so much!!
It worked for me too! Thanks so much!
Thanks
this does not work for me in Chrome OS. I am using a Chromebook 11 3180. The Chromebook automatically boots in to a full screen google page. You cannot move the mouse to the top right, or use the keyboard functions to exit full screen mode. I already restored the device to factory settings and tried browsing it as a guest. The problem still persists.
I found this fix that worked for me.:
1) change screen resolution to any other setting and hit apply
2) when the window asking you if you want to keep the new settings or Revert, click revert.
3) close the screen resolution window.