Edit 2: Real full screen mode is available in the latest release of Google Chrome. You simply need to press F11.
Edit: For clarification – there is no full-screen mode in Google Chrome yet. This simply opens the browser maximized.
One thing that many users may find frustrating is that Google Chrome opens in window mode. Thankfully there is a simple fix for this. By editing the Google Chrome shortcut, you simply need to add the -start-maximized parameter to the end of the shortcut line.
Your new shortcut line should look something like this:
C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe -start-maximized
Problem solved! Chrome will now open in full-screen mode.
movie fan wrote on September 21, 2008 at 8:37 am
it’s funny, the more i use Chrome (for windows), the more unstable it seems to get… crashes a lot more, can’t handle sites with flash, hangs every time i close a tab… all that to say, i’m switching back to Firefox
Maarten wrote on October 5, 2008 at 9:57 pm
doing this makes it start in Maximized Window mode, but NOT in Fullscreen mode.
admin wrote on October 7, 2008 at 10:44 am
Maarten, I guess that’s the difference in terminology. Technically you are correct, but for the average Joe, that’s what a lot of people would call full-screen.
Moru wrote on November 22, 2008 at 2:32 am
I was looking for true fullscreen, like Maarten, and was disappointed when this wasn’t it. 🙁
Angry Mobster #1372 wrote on December 13, 2008 at 10:41 am
When are we going to get actual fullscreen!?
Jarne wrote on December 18, 2008 at 4:01 am
I was also looking for (real) fullscreen mode…
Pardo wrote on December 27, 2008 at 3:48 am
I also came here from Google looking for REAL fullscreen Chrome.
I’m sorry, but I just don’t buy the “average Joe” argument. To me, saying “fullscreen Chrome” is just for the sake of getting more hits, and more page views. I guess that the visits coming from Google would be *A LOT* less if the post were correctly named “Maximized Google Chrome on Open”.
Alex wrote on December 28, 2008 at 2:18 pm
@Pardo
This is Google’s implementation of full screen. There is no incentive to get more hits from Google, and I am certainly not making any money from the site.
Until Google change things, this is the best you can do. It’s unfortunate but it is better than nothing. It’s apparently on their to-do list.
Jesper Hertel wrote on December 29, 2008 at 7:15 am
@Alex
“This is Google’s implementation of full screen.”
No, maximize and full screen are two quite different concepts, and I am very sure that Google agrees with me and the others on this and that Google would not say that this is their implementation of full screen.
As you can also see from the name of the parameter, “-start-maximized”, this is not full screen, this is a simple maximizing of the window, making the window fit the available window space on the screen, not even hiding the windows process bar. The parameter is useful, but it has nothing to do with a full screen mode.
In a full screen mode, the Windows process bar, the window border and probably the minimize, maximize and close buttons are hidden, and often even the address bar and tabs are automatically hidden. Otherwise it is not full screen. Open Internet Explorer, press F11, and see what full screen is.
I also came here because I googled “chrome full screen” and was disappointed that this had nothing to do with full screen but only with maximizing Chrome when it is started.
Merry Christmas and best regards,
Jesper
chrome story wrote on March 2, 2009 at 4:24 am
this feature will be fixed with the next release !!
bologo wrote on March 20, 2009 at 2:58 am
It doesnt work!
Alex wrote on March 20, 2009 at 9:38 am
Are you sure you’re doing it right? It’s working fine here.
eofn wrote on August 22, 2009 at 6:32 pm
not workin….
rodo wrote on November 24, 2009 at 4:05 am
hah the average Joe … I’m sure the average Joe knows the difference of watching a movie in QuickTime/Windows Media full screen or with the toolbars around
maxolasersquad wrote on May 13, 2010 at 11:05 am
Since this is the first hit in Google I thought I’d post the answer. You can now start Chrome in full screen by using the -kiosk switch. For example, in Ubuntu:
google-chrome –kiost
HTH
maxolasersquad wrote on May 13, 2010 at 11:07 am
Argh! The above should read:
google-chrome –kiosk
Raman wrote on September 25, 2010 at 1:45 am
@maxolasersquad – Thanks a lot. That worked like a charm on my netbook.
Fred wrote on November 3, 2010 at 11:11 pm
Hi guys,
For those interrested, I found another way to solve the problem (on my system at least, Windows Vista, but probably works for any, as it doesn’t seem related to it), that is have the new chrome window opened maximised, with ctrl+n and even with right-clic “open in a new window” function, without having to code anything in shortcuts or else …
Here’s the trick :
When you close your “last” open chrome window, it remembers the position and the status (maximised or not). So close all windows except one, make sur that one is maximised, then close it too …
Next time you open chrome, the window will be maximised (except if you modified the shortcut to do something else), AND any new window opend even with right-clic on a link and “open in new window” will ALSO be maximised !!
Gee, finally a straightful easy solution … works on my system anyways.
Cheers,
Fred.
PS : Of course, if one day your new window doesn’t open maximised anymore, you probably inadvertenly closed once the last chrome window in a windowed mode, not maximised … and it remembered it too. Easy to re-fix now.