return from maximize screen

OS X El Capitan: Focus on apps in full screen or Split View

a maximized screen (holding the option key) and hitting the green button, is different then Full screen of course.

Full screen the tool bar his hidden until your mouse moves to the top to reveal it. All full screens can be seen in mission control.

a maximized screen just expands to take up the entirety of the screen real estate, the tool bar is still present,

The command Tab will show all running apps in the heads-up view

FWIW, I'm not sure why anyone thinks the "Escape" key exits Full Screen mode however

Well, it's always worked for me.

And, it is Control-Command-F

It sounds like you are not in Full Screen but just Maximized. Press the Green button for Full Screen. You should be able to use your cursor to show your Menu bar whenever you need it by driving the cursor up to the top of the screen. To exit, fullscreen you can use the esc key or the green button again as Lanny says.

FWIW, I'm not sure why anyone thinks the "Escape" key exits Full Screen mode however, it is true that when you move the cursor to the top of the display the menu bar will reappear along with the buttons. You can also enter and exit Full Screen by using the keyboard shortcut "Command + Shift + F".

Yes I know. LOL The thing is, if you press "Command + Shift + F" in Firefox (47.0.1), it also goes into Full Screen mode and "esc" doesn't work no matter how you get there. Mozilla needs to work on Firefox it seems. 😎

dialabrain wrote:

FWIW, I'm not sure why anyone thinks the "Escape" key exits Full Screen mode

Because it does... in some applications situations, but not others.

It works in Final Cut Pro X, in Preview, in Quicktime Player, Mail, and those are just a few I have open right now. I just tested to confirm.

It does not work for the page as I'm typing this, since I'm in a text entry mode, so to speak.

It does not work in general when you are entering text, but it does work if you are viewing any other page in Safari, for example - even this one. Try it!

dialabrainwrote:

"Control + Command + F" and "esc" does indeed work unless you happen to be in Firefox which I was. 😮

Control Command F

Move the cursor to the top edge of the screen, then click on the green button again, or just press the "esc" key.

When you raise the cursor to the top edge of the screen, the title bar and the buttons will reappear.

dialabrain wrote:

You can also enter and exit Full Screen by using the keyboard shortcut "Command + Shift + F".

That should read:

Control Command F

The esc key works here too and has on every Mac I've owned.

Oh sure. No one mentions the keyboard shortcut until I bring it up. 😁

"Control + Command + F" and "esc" does indeed work unless you happen to be in Firefox which I was. 😮

So, my bad, sorta. 😎

unless you happen to be in Firefox which I was.T

The Control-Command-F does work in FireFox, but the Esc key does not.

dialabrain wrote:

Oh sure. No one mentions the keyboard shortcut until I bring it up. 😁

dialabrain, I never said a word about the keyboard short cut? Not in any replies here.