How do I disable split screen for opening links?

Anonymous
2013-10-21T19:00:24+00:00

I am running Win 8.1 on a TABLET.  I have about 9 inches of screen real estate to work with.

If I click a link in, say, the Mail app, it will launch IE in 50/50 mode with the existing mail app (which then rearranges itself to only show the single message I was looking at).

This is not at all helpful.  This gives me a four inch web browser, which isn't big enough to see clearly at all.  The controls are all too close together to operate by touch, etc.  I am then forced to manually drag to expand the IE window to full screen.  Unfortunately, the control to do this is also rather small, and I usually miss the first two times.  It typically takes me about 10-15 seconds between clicking a link in email and being able to read the corresponding web page.

Windows 8 handled this correctly.  I would like to revert to the behavior of always opening apps in full screen mode.  How can I accomplish this?

I know it should be possible.  If I hold the tablet in portrait mode, the annoying split window thing does not happen.  (It's not natural for me to hold it this way all the time.)

Is there a registry setting or something for "Always open new apps in full screen mode"?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Accessibility

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

49 answers

Sort by: Newest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2014-02-13T12:57:12+00:00

    I agree. I WANT TO BE ABLE TO TURN OFF SPLIT SCREEN! Shouting intended! It's really annoying, especially on an 8" tablet screen. Come on, Microsoft, let us choose.

    Was this answer helpful?

    100+ people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2014-02-12T17:09:39+00:00

    I don't know how to disable it.  But if you move your cursor to the top of the new app till it turns into the hand, you can double-click and it will make the app full screen.  If you double-click the hand again, it will go back to split-screen.

    Thanks, it helps but it's still jacked up (when I swipe back to the mail app for instance, it stays at half the screen size, I have to double click everytime to make it full screen).

    I still hate that automatic split/snap so hard that I had to come back to this thread to complain. Let me be full screen all the time it's simple I never want to be half and half, I am a whole milk man. Wait.

    It was great in 8 and I don't understand the need to kill a feature that works beautifully with modern apps, on laptops or tablets. At least make it an option. I really don't get it. You can't handle full screen? Stay on the desktop or 7.

    Please someone tell me it's being fixed forever.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2014-02-12T10:48:46+00:00

    I totally agree. It is not at all helpful on an 8" tablet! Please Microsoft, how can I disable it?

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2014-01-28T21:28:01+00:00

    OP here.  Little Fly has it right.

    Using a tablet, the "cursor" solution just doesn't work.

    Still waiting on an answer from MSFT.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  5. Anonymous
    2014-01-28T21:12:55+00:00

    I don't know how to disable it.  But if you move your cursor to the top of the new app till it turns into the hand, you can double-click and it will make the app full screen.  If you double-click the hand again, it will go back to split-screen.

    The original poster as well as myself are using touchscreens so therefore there is no cursor and this is not even a viable workaround let alone a proper solution to the original question.  Microsoft should let consumers decide how they would like to use their device not force them to use them the way Microsoft wants them to be used.  Microsoft please don't be like Apple.

    In the meantime can someone at Microsoft please tell us how to turn off this automatic split screen feature of the 8.1 update?  I would like the split screen feature to behave the way it did under Win 8.0

    Thank you in advance for your anticipated assistance.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments