Fix: Netflix Full screen not Working

Netflix is an entertainment company which provides streaming media, video-on-demand online and DVDs. As time progressed, it also became a production company and used its currently established platform to broadcast their material.

Netflix has been there for almost 2 decades and since the start, there has been continuous development on the web interface and on its application. Despite being actively developed, many cases arise where users are unable to view the video in full screen. This is not only frustrating but also ruins the quality of the video. The video might not show full screen or it might revert back to the minimized window after some time. Check out our workarounds to solve this issue.

Tip: Before following any of the solutions, restart your browser, navigate back to the show and see if restarting fixed the issue.

Solution 1: Disabling Hardware Acceleration

Hardware acceleration is the use of computer hardware to perform some functions more efficiently than possible in software running on the machine. Hardware acceleration provides increased efficiency in numerous cases and allows the users to get good results without much effort from the software side. There are numerous reports that this very feature causes trouble. Let’s disable this feature and check if this solves anything.

1. Open Google Chrome and click on the menu icon (three vertical dots) present at the top right side of the screen.
2. Once the drop-down menu has opened, click on Settings present at the near end of the menu.

3. Once the Settings tab has opened, navigate to the very end and click on Advanced.

4. Now navigate to the end of the tab again until you find the subheading named as “System”. Under it, uncheck the option which says “Use hardware acceleration when available”
5. Once you have unchecked an option, a new option will appear right beside named as “RELAUNCH”. Click it to re-launch your browser and to implement the changes we did.

6. Now check if the video streaming in full screen got fixed. If it didn’t, you can always revert the changes by re-enabling the option.

Solution 2: Resetting Full-Screen Permissions in Silverlight

Another workaround we can try is resetting the Silverlight permissions for full-screen view of Netflix. It is already assumed that you have the latest Silverlight version out there installed on your PC.

1. Open the Silverlight application and select the Permissions

2. Now remove the Netflix full-screen permission. This will cause Netflix to ask you the next time you click full screen whether you want to stay full screen or not. Select the options Stay full screen and also check ‘Remember my choice’ and click Yes.
3. Now check if the problem got solved. You should also restart your browser.

Solution 3: Clearing Netflix Cookies

Cookies are simple computer files which are used to personalize your experience when visiting a specific website. A website can use cookies to find out if you have previously visited them or change their outlook according to your preferences. We can try clearing Netflix cookies and see if this does the trick.

Note: You will be required to re-enter your credentials in this solution. Do not follow if you don’t have your account details at hand.

1. Open a new tab. Type the address “netflix.com/clearcookies” in the address bar and press Enter.

2. The cookies will clear and you will be automatically navigated back to Netflix’s website where you have to log in again. After logging in, check if the issue got solved.

Solution 4: Ensuring Browser and Silver are updated

If all the above methods don’t work, you should make sure that your browser and Microsoft Silverlight are updated to the latest versions available. There are periodic updates on almost all mechanics which are used to make Netflix streaming possible on your computer. Even if one component is incompatible, this may cause issues like the one under discussion.

Another thing you can try is re-install Silverlight after uninstalling it. Press Windows + R and type “appwiz.cpl” to navigate to the window where all the installed programs are listed.

Tip: You should also ensure that your graphics drivers are updated to the latest build. Windows + R and “devmgmt.msc” will navigate you to the device manager where you can update them if required.