How to exit full screen in VLC

VLC full screen mode eliminates screen clutter to give you a movie experience. This way, you can binge-watch without distractions from pop-up notifications or other applications. The challenge comes when you want to exit full screen as no toolbars are visible. How to exit VLC full screen?

This article is a step-by-step guide on how to exit VLC full screen using eight methods.

How to exit full screen on VLC

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VLC Full Screen spreads your video to every corner of the screen. All borders, toolbars and other screen features are not displayed. This gives you an immersive and focused view of your video.

Although VLC fullscreen improves your viewing experience, it does not come without challenges. Sometimes you may want to exit full screen because of the following:

Laggy video playback: If your device doesn’t have enough processing power memory, playing a high definition video in full screen will strain it. As a result, performance will be poor and playback will be choppy. Video hangs: Your video may continue to hang in full screen mode because it lacks compatibility with VLC’s video formats and codecs. Distorted viewing experience: Playback may encounter issues transitioning from a small window to full screen. As a result, you may experience stretched video content with distorted quality. Lack of control: When using VLC full screen, you may find it difficult to find playback controls such as volume, fast forward and rewind. Conflict with overlay options: Full screen mode may conflict with overlay options such as subtitles and on-screen information, causing display issues. Inability to exit full screen: Most VLC users have experienced this problem: You try to navigate from full screen to normal screen but can’t. Sounds frustrating, right?

When VLC full screen doesn’t give you the expected experience, below are some methods to end it.

Exit VLC full screen with the Escape (Esc) key

The Escape key, abbreviated as “Esc” on the computer keyboard, is designed to send multiple commands depending on the software or application you are using. When using VLC, pressing the Escape key gives the application a command to exit full screen. It is the easiest method to exit full screen in VLC. How to use:

Open a video on VLC and double-click it to use full-screen mode.
Locate the Escape key in the upper left corner of your keyboard and press it once. The video immediately exits in full screen to VLC’s default window.

Exit VLC full screen using the full screen button

VLC has a simple user interface and only shows the most important control buttons on the screen. The full screen button is one of the control buttons in the lower left corner. You can use it to enter and exit full screen mode as follows:

Open your video on VLC and press the “Square button” with an arrow pointing outwards. This will take you to full screen without any control buttons.
Tap anywhere on the screen to reveal the control buttons.
Press the square button with an inward arrow to exit full screen.

Exit VLC full screen with the F11 key

You can find the F11 key above the number keys on your keyboard. Have you ever used it, or do you assume it serves no purpose? You can use it to enable and exit VLC full screen. If you tap it while using normal screen, you will switch to full screen. On the other hand, if you are already using full screen, tapping it will take you back to the normal screen.

If you press F11 and nothing changes on the screen, it probably has multiple functions on your device (usually laptops). You need to hold down the Fn key in the lower left corner of your keyboard and press F11 for it to work.

Although the keyboard shortcut is easier, you can also access the F11 key from the settings as follows:

Pause your video and right-click on the screen.
Locate “View” from the options and click the drop-down menu next to it.
Go to “Full Screen Interface – F11″ and uncheck the box on the left. Your screen will automatically turn off full screen. You can resize it and drag it around.

Exit VLC full screen by double-clicking

Double-clicking is another simple and effective way to exit VLC full screen. You just have to do what the word suggests: double-tap your screen, and just like that, you’re back to the standard window.

Open your VLC video and switch to full screen mode.
Quickly double-click anywhere in the video display area with the mouse or touchpad. By pressing quickly but not too quickly, the system can recognize the double-tap gesture. If you double-tap again, you’ll switch back to full screen.

Exit VLC full screen Using the menu option

Right-clicking your touchpad or mouse on VLC opens a menu that lets you access more control functions. One of the controls you can access from the menu is to toggle on and off full screen mode. However, you have to dig deeper into the menu to find this option. How to use:

Open your video in full screen mode and right-click with your touchpad or mouse.
Click on “Video” in the menu to open more options.
From the drop-down menu that appears, click “Full Screen” to deselect it. Your video switches to normal screen immediately.

Quit VLC full screen using Task Manager

Have you tried quitting VLC full screen to no avail? Task Manager could be the solution. It is a tool that monitors applications on your device. If a program is not working, the Task Manager can terminate its processes to shut it down or close unresponsive parts. To use Task Manager to quit VLC full screen, do the following:

While your video is open in VLC full screen, click “Ctrl + shift +esc” or “Ctrl + alt + del” to launch a list of options.
Scroll to the bottom and click on “Task Manager.” Locate VLC from the list of programs and right-click on it.
Tap “End task” at the bottom of the screen. This will close VLC automatically.

When you use this method, you exit VLC completely. You must restart the app again to continue watching.

Exit VLC full screen by exiting VLC

Exiting VLC by exit closes the program. This is handy if you haven’t been able to exit full screen and can’t access other apps on your device. How to use:

With your video open in VLC full screen mode, click “Alt + Fn + F4″ or “Ctrl + Q.” VLC will close immediately.

Alternatively, you can use this method:

While your video is in full screen, click “Alt + M” to open the Media menu in the toolbar.
Scroll to the bottom and press “Exit.” Your VLC will exit full screen and close.

Exit VLC full screen by minimizing the screen

Quitting VLC full screen by minimizing the screen does not switch to the default screen. However, it allows you to access other programs while keeping VLC open. It’s convenient when you want to resume playback in full-screen mode, and it works great if you’re just using VLC for music playback.

To minimize VLC full screen, press “Window + M.” compresses your VLC screen, giving you access to other applications. To resume playback, click the VLC icon at the bottom of the menu bar of your window.

Return to VLC’s normal screen

Quitting VLC full screen doesn’t have to be complicated anymore. With the eight simple methods we’ve discussed above, you now have a range of options. You can use keyboard shortcuts or mouse interactions such as double-tapping. When you encounter a glitch that exits VLC full screen, any of the above methods will help you fix it.

Have you encountered a challenge when exiting VLC full screen? What method did you use to finish? Let’s discuss this in the comments section below.

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