- Activating the new accessibility feature to force full screen mode.
- Use optional updates and advanced tools like ViVeTool to unlock the option.
- Traditional methods using shortcut properties for specific applications.
- Technical solutions based on the system file checker and clean boot.
I'm sure it's happened to you a thousand times: you open a program and, instead of filling the entire screen, it pops up in a tiny window that forces you to click extra to maximize it. Although Windows usually remembers the size of the last time you closed an application, it doesn't always work as we'd like , especially when using shortcuts pinned to the taskbar or devices with touchscreens.
The good news is that Microsoft has finally begun rolling out a definitive solution to this problem. We no longer have to struggle with each window, as there's now a global accessibility setting that forces compatible apps to launch directly in full screen—a godsend if you use compact laptops or tablets.
The new official feature: Open maximized windows
Microsoft recently introduced an option called " Open apps maximized ." This tool is primarily designed to improve the experience for users of screen readers, magnifiers, or 2-in-1 devices, where tapping tiny buttons can be a nightmare. By enabling this switch, the system ignores the previous window size and prioritizes maximizing the use of available screen space.
To use this feature, you'll need the optional update KB5124010 . Installing it is simple: just go to Settings, then Windows Update, navigate to Advanced options, and finally to Optional updates. After restarting your computer, you can activate it by going to Settings > Accessibility > Visual effects , where you'll find the toggle switch.
What to do if the option does not appear?
As with almost everything in Windows, the rollout is gradual, and even if you have the patch installed, the button might not appear anywhere. In those cases, more tech-savvy users can use ViVeTool , an external application that allows you to activate hidden system features. To do this, you need to run the terminal as administrator in the tool's folder and execute the command vivetool /enable /id:62915050.
After restarting your computer, the setting should magically appear in the Visual Effects menu. If you ever change your mind and want to revert to the classic behavior, simply use the /disable command with the same ID. It's worth noting that this feature is especially useful on 7- to 14-inch screens , such as those on the ROG Ally or Surface Go handheld consoles, although it might be a bit excessive on giant 27-inch monitors.
Traditional methods and solutions to common failures
If you don't want to install experimental patches or only need a specific program to open maximized, you can use the shortcut trick. Find the program's executable file, right-click on it, go to Properties, and on the Shortcut tab, change the Run option from "Normal window" to "Maximized ." Note that this sometimes fails if you run the program from an icon pinned to the taskbar, as Windows may create a separate instance.
In more serious situations, where File Explorer folders refuse to stay maximized, the problem could be a system file corruption issue. In that case, the best course of action is to run the System File Checker . To do this, open Command Prompt as administrator and first run DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth , and then the command sfc /scannow to repair any internal errors.
Special cases and system behavior
There are devices, such as some Legion Go models with clean installations of Windows 11 24H2, where the system forces maximization by default because it detects that it's a hybrid device. In these cases, the user may notice that even the Task Manager opens in full screen and that the system doesn't remember window sizes, behaving contrary to what most users expect.
Furthermore, it's interesting to note that once you've enabled the global maximize function, if you decide to disable it, Windows doesn't automatically restore the previous window sizes. This is because the maximize command acts independently on the saved window positions, so you'll have to manually rearrange your windows one last time.
In short, we now have several ways to control the size of our windows, from the new accessibility switch in recent updates to system repair commands and manual property adjustments. Whether through the KB5124010 patch, using ViVeTool to force the feature, or cleaning corrupted files with SFC, Windows 11 now offers more flexibility to make the workspace adapt to our needs, not the other way around.