Windows 11 stop excel from always adopting full screen mode

Hi Graeme WARD,

If Excel is consistently opening in a maximized window, it may be related to how Windows is storing the application's window state rather than an issue with individual workbooks.

As a quick test, try resetting Excel's saved window position:

1. Open Excel.
2. Restore the window so it is not maximized.
3. Resize it to your preferred size.
4. Hold Shift while clicking the Close (X) button.
5. Reopen Excel and check whether it now opens in the same size and position.

If the behavior started recently, you can also test whether it is related to your current Excel profile by launching Excel in Safe Mode:

• Press Windows + R.
• Type excel /safe and press Enter.
• Check whether Excel still opens maximized.

If Excel behaves normally in Safe Mode, an add-in or customization may be influencing the window behavior.

I hope this helps narrow down the cause. Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

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If you are seeing the Full Screen view, do the following:

(1) Click the three dots next to the Close button on the title bar (see the screen shot below).

(2) On the far right of the ribbon, click the little arrow and, from the menu, choose Always show Ribbon.