How to Enable and Exit Full Screen in Excel? (Complete Guideline)

In this Excel tutorial, you will learn how to enable or exit the full screen view in Excel. You can enable full screen by applying a Keyboard Shortcut, using Ribbon Display Options, customizing the Quick Access Toolbar, or using VBA.

While preparing this article, we used Microsoft 365 to apply all operations. Note that a dedicated full screen option is not available from Excel 2016 and later versions. We discussed the alternative ways to enable and exit full screen view in Excel.

In Excel, we often need to make the screen full-size without any title bar while working with large datasets. It gives us better visibility and accuracy. We also need full screen mode while giving presentations or doing data analysis. Another important use of full screen mode is creating a dashboard. This gives us a maximized view and reduces distractions. But there are also some disadvantages of full screen view. It hides the ribbon and tabs. So, the user cannot use other features rapidly. It also restricts the capability of multitasking.

This image shows how Excel looks before and after enabling the full screen view.

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Why Use Full Screen in Excel?

Turning on full-screen mode expands the viewable area, allowing more columns and rows to be seen simultaneously. When you use Full Screen in Excel, the toolbar, ribbon, and status bar disappear, leaving only the spreadsheet on the screen. This gives the spreadsheet more space so that you can see more rows. On my screen, there are 30 rows available when using the full-screen mode but only 22 when using Normal mode. The actual figure may vary depending on your screen size, but it will always be easier to read when viewed on full screen. It gives you more room to work, making concentrating easier and reducing distractions. It is great for making presentations, visualizing data, and entering information quickly and easily.

How to Enable Full Screen in Excel

There are four ways to enable full screen in Excel:

1. Using a Keyboard Shortcut.
2. Using an option from Excel Ribbon.
3. Creating a dedicated button in the Quick Access Toolbar.
4. Applying VBA macro.

1. Using Keyboard Shortcut

Press Ctrl+Shift+F1 on the keyboard to make a full-screen view.

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2. Using Ribbon Display Options

There are four options visible in the Ribbon Display Options. The Always show Ribbon option will show the tabs and the commands ribbon. You will have fewer rows if you select this option. Another option is using Show tabs only. If you select this option, it will hide the ribbon and show the top tabs only. This option will increase the number of rows. In full-screen mode, you will get the highest number of rows according to your screen. You can exit the mode by clicking the Three dots icon in the upper-right corner to show the ribbon temporarily and then click the same drop-down to leave the ribbon. You can also use Ctrl+Shift+F1 to turn full-screen mode on and off.

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• To enable full screen, click on the Ribbon Display Options icon in the lower-right corner of the ribbon. Then, select the Full-screen mode from the dropdown menu.

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• It will enable the full-screen view mode in Excel.

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3. Using Quick Access Toolbar

We can enable full screen commands from More Commands in the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT).

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• First, click on the arrow icon on the left of the page under the ribbon. From the dropdown menu, select More Commands.
• Now, from the Excel Options >> Quick Access Toolbar >> All commands >> Full Screen.
• Then, select the Add button and click OK.

• Finally, you will see a full-screen icon in the Quick Access Toolbar.

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4. Using VBA to Enable Full Screen in Excel

Yes. It’s quite easy, too. You can write VBA code in the Visual Basic option from the Developer tab to enable full screen.

• First, we will open the Developer tab and select Visual Basic.

• After that, from the Insert option, we will choose the new Module to write the VBA code.

• Next, we will insert the VBA code and run the module as mentioned below.

Sub ExcelFullScreen()
    Application.DisplayFullScreen = True
End Sub

• As a result, we will get the full screen view.

How to Exit from Full Screen in Excel

You can easily exit full screen in Excel in four ways:

1. Using a keyboard shortcut.
2. Pressing the Esc key.
3. Using an option from Excel Ribbon.
4. Applying VBA macro.

1. Applying Keyboard Shortcut to Exit Full Screen

You can apply the same Keyboard Shortcut Ctrl+Shift+F1 to exit the full screen.

2. Exit Full Screen by Pressing Esc Button

You can exit full screen mode by pressing the Esc button. This option works when you activate full screen from the Quick Access Toolbar.

3. Using Ribbon Display Options to Exit Full Screen

To exit from full screen view in Excel, you can use Ribbon Display Options. Follow the steps below.

• You can find the Ribbon Display Options by clicking on the Three dots in the top right corner.
• Then, click on the Ribbon Display Options and select Always Show Ribbon.
• It will exit the full screen mode.

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4. Applying VBA to Exit Full Screen

Certainly, you can exit full screen using VBA. Follow the steps below.

• To apply VBA to exit full screen, go to the Developer tab and choose Visual Basic.
• Then, write the following code in a new module.

Sub ExcelFullScreen()
    Application.DisplayFullScreen = False
End Sub

• As a result, this code will return the default view in Excel.

Which Things You Have to Keep in Mind?

● If you work on multiple monitors, Excel’s full screen mode may only apply to a single monitor.
● You will not be able to use all the shortcut keys in full screen mode. But you can use Ctrl+S or Ctrl+Z shortcut.
● In full screen, Excel may cover the taskbar and Windows controls. You need to exit the full screen to use them.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do we open Excel in the maximized window?

Answer: Press Alt+Space on the keyboard and select Maximize from the dialog box.

2. Does Excel open in normal mode after closing full screen mode?

Answer: No, Excel always saves the last window size. So, it will open in the mode it was closed.

3. How can we switch between different workbooks or windows while in full screen mode?

Answer: You can easily switch between different workbooks or application windows when Excel is in full screen mode. Just press the Alt+Tab buttons together on the keyboard. Then you will see all the active windows, and you can choose from those.

4. Does full screen mode affect the printing or page layout of my spreadsheet?

Answer: No, switching to full screen mode only temporarily affects how your spreadsheet looks temporarily. It has no effect on how it prints or page layout. Your spreadsheet will return to its default display and printing options after you leave full screen mode.

5. If I close my Excel window, will it restore to normal mode?

Answer: Close Excel using the Esc button or Close icon. Then, it will restore and open in normal mode.

6. Why can’t I find the full screen option in Excel 2016 or Office365?

Answer: To answer your question, the full screen mode is not available after Excel version 2013. You have to use a workaround to access full screen mode. You can use the Ribbon Display Options, keyboard shortcuts, and the full-screen button on the Quick Access Toolbar will work in Excel 2016 and later.

Conclusion

In this article, we have shown you how to enable and exit full screen view in Excel. You can use the Ribbon Display Options or the Quick Access Toolbar. The Keyboard Shortcut is the fastest way to do the task. If you are a VBA enthusiast, then you can write VBA code to enable or exit full screen. We hope now it will be a simple task for you to enable or exit Excel full screen.  And if you have any questions, comments, or recommendations, kindly leave them in the comment section below.

Excel Full Screen: Knowledge Hub

• How to Show Full Screen with No Title Bar in Excel
• How to Exit Full Screen in Excel
• [Fixed!] Excel Spreadsheet Opening Larger Than Screen
• How Do I Stop Excel from Opening in Full Screen

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