How to Change Screen Modes in Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop has a customizable interface that you can change to suit your preferred working style or screen size. If you want to quickly change Adobe Photoshop’s interface layout, you can do so by switching to another screen mode.

Screen modes are preset interface styles for Photoshop that can increase or decrease how much of the photo editing software’s interface is displayed. For instance, if you want to work faster in Photoshop without any of the panels or toolbars on display, you can quickly switch to another screen mode.

Available Screen Modes in Photoshop

There are several preset screen modes available in Photoshop. By default, Photoshop uses the “Standard Screen Mode” as your default interface layout when you open or create a new document, displaying tools and panels on each side and at the top.

You can also switch to “Full Screen Mode With Menu Bar,” which, as the name suggests, places Photoshop in full-screen while keeping the menu bar and other panels visible.

Alternatively, “Full Screen Mode” shows Photoshop at its most bare, displaying only the canvas you’re working on, although the left-hand toolbar will appear if you hover over it.

There are also two “secret” screen modes that hide certain parts of the interface, such as the left- and right-hand panels and the options bar at the top. You’ll need to trigger these using certain keyboard commands.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a way to change the default preset screen mode. The only option is to switch screen modes manually once you open a new or existing document.

Switch Screen Modes in Photoshop

There are several ways you can quickly change between different screen modes in Photoshop.

To use the menu bar, start by opening a new or existing file in Photoshop and selecting View > Screen Mode, then click one of the alternative screen modes to change your interface layout.

You can also switch between screen modes using the “Screen Mode” icon at the bottom of the Photoshop toolbar, which is usually visible on the left. Click the icon to rotate between them, or right-click it and select one of the available options to switch to that particular mode instead.

Alternatively, you can press the “f” key on your keyboard to quickly switch between different screen modes. If you’re using the default screen mode, you can also quickly hide all the displayed panels on the left and right by pressing the Shift+Tab keys.

To hide the panels and the top options bar, you’ll need to press the “Tab” key instead.