Get out of full screen on your Mac, or go into it

Why it happens

Full screen gives an app the whole display as its own space, so the menu bar and Dock hide until you need them. It's easy to switch on by accident with the green button or a shortcut. The app hasn't gone anywhere, it's just in its own space.

How to fix it

1. Press Control-Command-F. This works in most apps and switches full screen off, or on again if you press it once more.

2. No luck with the keys? Move the pointer to the top edge of the screen and wait a second. The menu bar slides down. Choose View > Exit Full Screen. In a few apps it's in the Window menu instead.

   Menu bar›View›Exit Full Screen

3. You can also click the green button at the top-left of the window once it appears. The window shrinks back to its normal size.

4. To go into full screen on purpose, click the green button on any window, or press Control-Command-F. Videos in many apps and websites also let you press Esc to leave full screen.

Still not fixed?

1. Lost a window that was in full screen? It's in its own space. Swipe left or right with three or four fingers on the trackpad, or press Control-Left Arrow and Control-Right Arrow to move between spaces.

2. If windows keep jumping to fill the screen when you drag them, turn off Drag windows to menu bar to fill screen in Desktop & Dock.

   Desktop & Dock›Windows›Drag windows to menu bar to fill screen

3. If you want the menu bar to stay visible while an app is full screen, set Automatically hide and show the menu bar to Never in Menu Bar settings.

   Menu Bar›Automatically hide and show the menu bar

4. If the app is frozen and nothing responds, force quit it from the Apple menu and open it again. It may reopen in full screen; press Control-Command-F once it does.

   Apple menu›Force Quit…

5. If Control-Command-F does nothing in every app and other keys also misbehave, test with another keyboard. If the built-in keyboard is at fault, that's hardware, so contact Apple Support or a repair shop.