View a video using the entire screen in Windows Media Player

Applies to all editions of Windows Vista.
Which edition of Windows Vista am I using?

You can watch a video, TV show, DVD, or song with a visualization in Windows Media Player in full-screen mode. When the Player is in full-screen mode, you can control playback with either the on-screen controls that appear on top of the video or you can use the buttons and other controls on a compatible mouse.

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To control playback with the on-screen controls

While a video is either playing or paused, click the View full screen button Picture of the View full screen button , or press ALT+ENTER.

When you switch to full-screen mode, the Player controls may appear for a short period of time (depending on the capabilities of your video card and the functionality of the video or DVD that you may be viewing). If you are unable to see the playback controls and you have not configured full-screen controls to be off, move your mouse to make them reappear.

Click the playback controls near the bottom on the screen.

To return to full mode, press ESC or move your mouse and press the Exit full-screen mode button Picture of the Exit full-screen mode button .

To control playback with the mouse

Turn off the full-screen controls by doing the following:

a.	Click the arrow below the Now Playing tab, click More Options, and then click the Performance tab.
b.	In the DVD and Video Playback section, clear the Display full-screen controls check box.

While a video is either playing or paused, click the View full screen button Picture of the View full screen button , or press ALT+ENTER.

The following table shows the various mouse playback controls. Use your mouse to perform any of the following tasks.

To do this	Use this mouse control
Play or pause an item	Click the left button
Fast forward an item	Press and hold the front thumb button
Rewind an item	Press and hold the back thumb button
Skip to the previous item	Click the back thumb button
Skip to the next item	Click the front thumb button
Increase or decrease the volume	Roll the mouse wheel away from you to increase the volume or toward you to decrease the volume
Mute the volume or restore the volume	Press the wheel button
Display other commands	Click the right button

To return to full mode, press ESC.

NoteNot all mice are compatible with this feature.

View a video using the entire screen in Windows Media Player

To control playback with the on-screen controls

To control playback with the mouse

See also