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
    2013-11-24T23:29:31+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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  4. Anonymous
    2013-11-14T20:55:22+00:00

    But it can be fixed so easily. Have you never installed a 3rd party application because the Windows offering was too basic and didn't do the job that you wanted it to do?

    The PDF issue can be rectified with Foxit Reader which is a much better choice than either the Windows 8 app or Adobe Reader.

    What email client do you use? Windows Live Mail or Outlook? Or maybe one of the 3rd party clients like Thunderbird?

    How about media players? Do you like WMP or would you rather use VLC which will play anything without having to add 3rd party codecs from uncertain sources?

    Which anti-virus solution do you use? MSE or one of the other freebies, Avast, Avira , AVG etc..?

    The Windows 'winner' has always been the huge amount of software available, much of it free or priced for pockets of all depths..

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