How to Enable or Disable Open Apps Maximized by Default in Windows 11

Method 1Turn On Open Apps Maximized Using the Settings App

The Settings ⚙️ app is the easiest and safest way to change this. Windows 11 puts a direct switch for it in the Accessibility pages, so you don’t have to edit any system files. Use this method first. Only go to the registry if the option is missing.

1. Press Windows Key + I on your keyboard at the same time. The Settings ⚙️ app opens.
2. Click Accessibility in the list on the left side of the window. The accessibility options appear on the right.

   

3. Under the “Vision” heading, click Visual effects. You now see the visual options, such as animation effects and transparency.

   

4. Find the option labeled Open apps maximized and click the switch next to it to turn it on. The switch moves to the right and shows On.

   

5. To turn the feature off later, come back to Settings › Accessibility › Visual effects and click the same switch again. It shows Off when it is disabled.
6. Click the “X” in the top right corner to close the Settings ⚙️ app. You don’t need to restart. The new preference applies right away to apps you open from now on.

Apps that are already open stay the way they are. Close them and launch them again to see the change. Some programs remember their own window size and may still open the way they did last time.

If you can’t find Open apps maximized, your PC is most likely on a version older than 24H2. Run Windows Update 🔃, then check again.

Method 2Force Full Screen Apps Using the Windows Registry

You can also set this in the Windows Registry Editor. This method is useful if the switch in Settings is missing or doesn’t work. The registry holds core system settings, so follow the steps carefully to avoid errors. You need an administrator account, or the password for one.

1. Press Windows Key + R on your keyboard to open the Run box.
2. Type regedit into the text box and press Enter.
3. If a security prompt asks whether you want to allow the app to make changes to your device, click Yes. The Registry Editor window opens.
4. Before you change anything, back up the registry. Click File › Export, choose a location, give the file a name, and click Save. If something goes wrong, you can double-click that file later to restore the settings. Be careful here: changing or deleting the wrong key by accident can cause system issues, so stick strictly to the path below.
5. Click the address bar at the very top of the Registry Editor window. Paste this path and press Enter: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Accessibility This folder holds user-specific accessibility and visual preferences in Windows. The right pane now shows the values stored in it.
6. Look in the right pane for a value named MaximizeWindowsByDefault. If it is there, go to the next step.
7. If you don't see that value, right-click any empty space in the right pane and hover over New. Choose DWORD (32-bit) Value. A new item appears with its name ready to edit.
8. Name the new item exactly MaximizeWindowsByDefault and press Enter. The name must match exactly or Windows will ignore it.
9. Double-click the MaximizeWindowsByDefault value. A small box opens with a Value data field.
10. To turn the feature on, change the value data from 0 to 1 and click OK.
11. To turn the feature off, double-click the same value, change it back to 0, and click OK.
12. Close the Registry Editor window.
13. Restart your computer so the system fully applies your new preference.

After the restart, open the Settings page from the first method and check that the switch matches what you set. If it matches, the registry change worked. To undo everything, set the value back to 0 or import the backup file you exported.

Summary

You can make apps open in full screen by default in Windows 11 using either the Settings app or the Windows Registry. The Settings switch is quicker and carries less risk, so try it first. The registry method is a fallback. Either way, you no longer have to resize every window each time you launch a program, and you can turn the setting off at any time.