how do I disable full screen apps in windows 8

Anonymous
2013-02-13T23:14:09+00:00

For instance - I read a PDF file, and it fills my 24 inch monitor with 1 file. I really only need it to fill about a third of my screen so I can see the pdf while I create the Word file I am working on. I also want several browser windows, a power point window, and an excel window, all in WINDOWS, not in full screen. I NEVER do anything in fullscreen since it is so limiting.

Start with something simple - like PDF reader? How do I make it NOT be full screen, since I NEVER want it to be fullscreen?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Email and communications

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Anonymous
2013-03-06T17:58:53+00:00

Windows 8 has a built-in MS PDF reader, which always defaults to fullscreen, and cannot be changed. The "issue" here comes from the MS implementation of the Windows 8 Tiled apps.

Download an external app, like Adobe Reader, and open the PDF with that app, and you can open the PDF in a window just fine.

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-11-28T20:16:52+00:00

    Windows 7 had touch features too, but I never heard anybody mention removing them..

    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/features/touch

    Microsoft have never expected anybody to buy Office, but they would like it if you did. Microsoft have offered Windows Live Essentials for a good while now. It includes a photo editor, blog writer, email client (Windows Live Mail), parental controls, and it is FREE. 

    " I certainly won't get any money for them on eBay."

    Nope, the Windows 8 apps are worth no more than MS Paint or WordPad in $$..

    The pre-installed apps hardly take up any disk space. The problem is that the SSD's are too small for the OS and the kind of things that computer users do these days.

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-11-28T16:29:24+00:00

    Actually, I feel much better with the 8.1 upgrade.  I just set it to start on the desktop and pin my most frequently used windows applications to the taskbar.  For some other third party things that have windows 8 full screen apps you can often install the version they intended for windows 7 and use that instead.

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-11-28T13:46:40+00:00

    Thanks Bounceone I've had to do this.

    To Mike Hall , my point is, I've bought Windows 8 with all these pre-installed features that don't work but fill up my hard drive.

    It's like buying a car with square tyres as soon as you get it home you have to change them and put on round ones.

    Sure the square tyres got you around but boy was it uncomfortable (eg PDF reader).

    The seats are also uncomfortable and some of them don't work (Windows Media player - which won't play videos!).

    Lots of us have had to move the steering wheel (Start Button) from the back seat back into the front again. Microsoft has been putting steering wheels in the front for years but have come up with this new theory and will not acknowledge, despite the number of complaints, they're wrong.

    My garage (Hard Drive) is now filling with my own stuff and the Microsoft useless stuff I want to remove.

    I'm a great fan of 3rd Party programs and the clever and dedicated people who do such a great job writing them.

    My love of them started when Microsoft removed Outlook Express from Windows expecting me to buy Office just to have a mail client.

    This prompted the search for a program to replace it. Long live Mozilla and Thunderbird.

    Then I found a browser, Firefox, (and I was disgusted when Microsoft wrote code to deliberately slow it down). And so it's gone on.

    I wish I could have bought Windows 8 on-line ticking the boxes of the features I required and leaving blank the one's I don't want (touch screen features).

    Anyway, I have to go and try to clear out my garage of all these worthless items, which I paid for, don't work and take up space on my SSD. I doubt if I'll be able to remove them and I certainly won't get any money for them on eBay.

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  4. Anonymous
    2013-11-24T23:29:31+00:00

    Yes, just download adobe reader. I never work in full screen. I have about 10 windows open when I'm working and full screen was frying my brain.

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