Sometimes older games have trouble communicating with modern, high-resolution monitors. Instead of stretching to fill your entire screen, the game may appear in a small window, stay stuck in the top-left corner, or fail to switch into full-screen mode at all.
This is usually caused by a Windows feature called DPI Scaling, which tries to 'protect' your screen resolution from the older settings used by the game. You can usually fix this by following the steps below.
Use the Keyboard Shortcut
Before changing any settings, try the quickest fix.
While the game is open, press the Alt and Enter keys on your keyboard at the same time.
This tells Windows to 'snap' the active window into full-screen mode.
In-Game Menu Reset
Open the game's options/settings menu.
Uncheck the 'Full Screen' box and save the change.
Put check back into the 'Full Screen' box and save again.
Adjust High DPI and Full-Screen Optimizations
Windows often tries to 'scale' older games, which can push them into a corner or keep them small.
Right-click the game icon on your desktop and select Properties.
Click the Compatibility tab.
Check the box for Disable full-screen optimizations.
Click the Change high DPI settings button.
At the bottom, check the box for Override high DPI scaling behavior.
Set the dropdown menu to Application.
Click OK, then click Apply on the main Properties window.
Force a Lower Resolution
If the game refuses to expand, it may be because your monitor's modern resolution is too high for it to handle.
Go back to the Compatibility tab in the game's Properties.
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Check the box to run in one of the following common screen resolutions:
640x480 (480p)
1280x720 (720p)
1920x1080 (1080p)
Click Apply and try the game again.
Run in Compatibility Mode
If the game was designed for an older version of Windows, it may need to 'think' it is running on that older system to display correctly.
On the Compatibility tab, check the box for Run this program in compatibility mode for:.
Select Windows XP (Service Pack 3) or Windows 7 from the dropdown menu.
Click Apply and launch the game.
Check Game-Specific Settings
Many Big Fish games have their own internal display settings that can override Windows.
Look for an Options or Settings menu on the game's main screen.
Ensure the Full Screen box is checked.
If it is already checked but the game is small, try unchecking it, closing the game, and then re-opening it to 'reset' the display.
Update Your Video Card Drivers
If your video card drivers are out of date, it may not know how to scale older graphics to your new monitor.
Click HERE for instructions on how to update your video card drivers.