How to Completely Disable ‘Full Screen Mode’ (F11) via Group Policy in Microsoft Edge

Full Screen Mode (typically invoked via the F11 key or the browser’s main menu) allows Microsoft Edge to expand its rendering viewport to occupy the entire physical display, hiding the Windows taskbar, the browser address bar (Omnibox), and all navigational controls. While useful for immersive media consumption or presentations, Full Screen Mode is a significant security and usability liability in strict enterprise environments, particularly on kiosk systems, point-of-sale (POS) terminals, or shared workstations. If a malicious website intentionally forces full-screen or a user inadvertently triggers it, the lack of visible navigation controls can trap the user, prevent them from accessing critical OS functions, or be used to spoof native OS login screens (UI redressing attacks).

This guide explains how to completely disable ‘Full Screen Mode’ (F11) via Group Policy in Microsoft Edge, enforcing a strict UI configuration where the browser is cryptographically prevented from hiding its essential window controls.

Disable Full Screen Mode via Group Policy

To enforce a strict block that permanently neutralizes the full-screen rendering capability within the browser engine, we must deploy an administrative template. Note that this requires Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education editions.

1. Log into Windows 11 with an Administrator account.
2. Press the Windows Key + R to open the Run dialogue box.
3. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter to launch the Local Group Policy Editor.
4. In the left-hand navigation pane, strictly follow this exact path:

   Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Edge

5. In the right-hand pane, locate the policy named Allow FullScreen mode.
6. Double-click the policy to open its configuration window.
7. Select the radio button next to Disabled. (By explicitly disabling this policy, we instruct the Edge rendering engine to permanently block the F11 keyboard shortcut, remove the full-screen icon from the Edge menu, and ignore any JavaScript requests-such as Element.requestFullscreen()-attempting to expand the viewport).
8. Click Apply, then click OK.

Verify the Configuration Lockdown

Group Policy changes require the browser to read the registry upon its next launch.

Close all active instances of Microsoft Edge. To force the policy update immediately across the OS, open Command Prompt as Administrator and run gpupdate /force. To verify the restriction is active, launch Microsoft Edge and attempt to press the F11 key on your keyboard; the browser will completely ignore the input and remain in its standard windowed state. Open the main Edge menu (the three dots in the upper right)-the expanding arrows icon next to the Zoom controls will be greyed out or missing entirely. Finally, visit a video streaming site and attempt to click the full-screen button on the video player; the video will maximize within the browser tab, but the browser window itself will not expand to cover the taskbar. The browser is now cryptographically bound to a strict, windowed-only state.