How to Activate Full-Screen (Kiosk Mode) in Internet Explorer

Full-screen mode becomes handy when you are viewing rich content (videos) without distraction or have an application run in a kiosk mode.

Via Internet Explorer settings: Here the steps below
– Click on the Settings gear

– Click on file and
– Select Fullscreen

Via the Keyboard short cut: Use F11 🙂

Note: By default, Internet explorer does not open in full screen mode. He steps above does not help in ensuring it opens in full screen mode when next we wish to run it. To ensure Internet Explorer open in full screen mode, without the unnecessary Internet Explorer’s menus, toolbars and title bar etc., the Kiosk Mode should be implemented. This can be implemented in the following ways.

The program location can be accessed as shown below.

– Click on the open file location,
– Right-click on Internet Explorer and select properties
– Add the “-k” or “k” switch as shown below.

In my case, I am using “-k” switch, i.e., Add -k to the end of that path (string), so it looks like this as shown below

“C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe” -k

Note: The next time you choose Internet Explorer from the Start menu, it will open to fill the entire screen. Pressing F11 won’t toggle Internet Explorer back to normal size; it still hogs the entire screen.

Here windows shortcut become handy and you can close your internet explorer by using Alt + F4. For other shortcuts, see below

1. Press the Windows key to see the Start menu and taskbar, where you can launch other programs.
2. Hold down the Windows key and press Tab to see all your open windows, as well as your desktop, displayed as thumbnails. Keep pressing tab until you’ve highlighted the window you want, then let go of the Windows key.
3. Press Alt+Space to bring up a menu letting you minimize or close the window.
4. Hold down the Windows key and press D to minimize all your windows, letting the desktop come into view.

Via Group Policy: Use the Group Policy Object Editor to make Internet Explorer always start in full-screen mode
– Click Start, click Run, type gpedit.msc in the Open box, and then click OK.
– Expand Computer Configuration, expand Administrative Templates, expand Windows Components, and then click Internet Explorer.
– In the right pane, double-click the Enforce full-screen mode setting.

– Click Enabled, and then click OK.
– Exit the Group Policy Object Editor.

Via the registry: The full-screen mode can also be configured via the registry settings as shown below. Locate and then click the following subkey in Registry Editor via the following hives.
– HKEY_CURRENT_USER
– Software
– Microsoft
– Internet Explorer
– Main

Locate and then double-click FullScreen in the right pane.

• If this is not available, you can create a new string value called “FULLScreen” or FullScreen”
• Type “yes” in the data field, and then click OK.

Note: Internet Explorer is no longer the default web browser in Windows 10.