Before you can force programs to open maximized, you must access the Properties window for that program. This process varies slightly based on where the shortcut icon is located.

Desktop shortcut icon: Right-click the shortcut icon and select Properties from the drop-down menu.

Taskbar shortcut icon: Forcing these applications to open as maximized requires an additional step.

1. Right-click the shortcut icon in the Windows taskbar, then right-click the program itself.
2. Select Properties in the menu.

Maximizing the program on launch

1. In the Properties window, click the Shortcut tab.
2. Locate the Run: section, and click the down arrow on the right side (red circle).
3. In the drop-down menu, select Maximized.
4. Click Apply, and then click OK.

The program still does not open as maximized

If changing the Run setting to maximized does not work, try the following options to get the program to open maximized. NoteDespite changing the Run option to “Maximized” in the shortcut properties, some program windows do not open as maximized. The way a program is developed can cause that issue, and there is often no way to change that behavior.

• Open the program, maximize the window by clicking the square icon in the upper-right corner, then close the program. Re-open the program to see if it opens as maximized.
• Open the program, maximize the window by clicking the square icon in the upper-right corner. Then, press and hold the Ctrl key and close the program. Re-open the program to see if it opens as maximized.

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