Fix YouTube Full Screen Issue On Chrome/Chromium

Hey guys! Let's dive into a pretty annoying issue some of you might be facing with Chrome or Chromium-based browsers on Pop!_OS or any Cosmic Desktop environment. It's all about YouTube videos and that darn full-screen button not working as expected.

The Problem: YouTube Full Screen Fail

So, here’s the deal. You fire up Chrome with the default settings on your Cosmic Desktop. You head over to YouTube, find a video, and hit that full-screen button with anticipation. But instead of the video smoothly expanding to fill your entire screen, nothing happens! Or worse, it kinda-sorta goes full screen, but you have to click again to actually make it full screen. Seriously annoying, right?

And the fun doesn't stop there. When you try to exit full screen by pressing the Esc key, you get this weird message telling you to "press and hold Esc." And guess what? You actually need to hold it down to get out of full-screen mode. Talk about a user experience nightmare!

Why This Matters

You might think, "Okay, it's just one extra click and holding down a key. Big deal!" But trust me, these little annoyances add up. They disrupt your workflow, make watching videos less enjoyable, and generally make you question why technology hates you. Plus, if you're presenting or sharing your screen, these glitches can be downright embarrassing. We need that seamless, professional experience we expect from modern browsers and video platforms.

Digging Deeper: Reproducing the Issue

To make sure we're all on the same page, here’s how to reproduce this frustrating issue:

1. Start Chrome/Chromium: Launch your Chrome or Chromium-based browser with the default settings on your Cosmic Desktop environment.
2. Open YouTube: Navigate to YouTube in your browser.
3. Select a Video: Choose any video you'd like to watch.
4. Click Full Screen: Hit the full-screen button.

If you're experiencing this bug, you'll notice that the video doesn't immediately go into full-screen mode. You might need to click the button twice, or the transition might be janky and unsmooth.

The Escape Key Debacle

Now, try exiting full screen by pressing the Esc key. Instead of a clean exit, you'll likely see a message prompting you to "Press and hold Esc to exit full screen." This isn't just a suggestion; you literally have to keep the Esc key pressed down for a second or two to return to windowed mode. It’s clunky, unintuitive, and far from ideal.

Expected Behavior: Smooth as Butter

Let's be real, here’s what we should be experiencing:

• Seamless Full Screen Entry: When you click the full-screen button, the video should instantly and smoothly transition to full-screen mode without any extra clicks or hesitations. It should be a single, clean action.
• Effortless Full Screen Exit: A single press of the Esc key should immediately return the video to its original windowed state. No holding, no waiting, just a simple press and release.

That's the kind of user experience we expect, and it's what makes watching videos online enjoyable and hassle-free. When things don't work this way, it's not just a minor inconvenience; it's a break in the flow that detracts from the overall experience.

Workarounds: The Temporary Fixes

Okay, so we know the problem exists. What can we do about it right now? Well, there's one workaround that seems to do the trick, but it's not perfect:

The --ozone-platform=x11 Flag

The magic bullet (sort of) is to start Chrome with the following flag:

--ozone-platform=x11

Here’s how you can do it:

1. Close Chrome: Make sure Chrome is completely closed before proceeding.
2. Open a Terminal: Launch your terminal application.
3. Run Chrome with the Flag: Type the following command and press Enter:

chrome --ozone-platform=x11

(or chromium if you are using Chromium)

This tells Chrome to use the X11 backend instead of the default Wayland backend. With the X11 backend, full-screen mode should work as expected: a single click to enter, a single press of Esc to exit.

The Catch: Performance Issues

Before you get too excited, there's a significant downside. Using the X11 backend can lead to noticeable performance issues. You might experience:

• Choppier Video Playback: Videos might not play as smoothly as they do with the Wayland backend.
• Increased CPU Usage: Chrome might consume more CPU resources, leading to higher temperatures and reduced battery life on laptops.
• General Sluggishness: The overall browsing experience might feel less responsive.

So, while this workaround fixes the full-screen issue, it comes at a cost. It's a trade-off between functionality and performance. You have to decide which is more important to you.

Making the Workaround Permanent (Use with Caution)

If you're willing to live with the performance hit, you can make this workaround permanent by modifying the Chrome launcher. However, be careful when doing this, as it can potentially break things if done incorrectly.

1. Locate the Chrome Executable: Find the path to the Chrome executable. This might vary depending on your distribution.
2. Edit the Launcher: Modify the Chrome launcher to include the --ozone-platform=x11 flag. The exact method for doing this depends on your desktop environment. You might need to edit a .desktop file or modify a menu entry.

Warning: Making these changes can have unintended consequences. Only proceed if you're comfortable with system administration tasks and understand the risks involved.

Why Is This Happening? (Technical Deep Dive)

Okay, let's get a little technical and try to understand why this issue is occurring in the first place. The root cause likely lies in the interaction between Chrome/Chromium, the Wayland display server, and the Cosmic Desktop environment.

Wayland vs. X11

Traditionally, Linux desktops have used the X11 display server. However, Wayland is a newer display server protocol designed to replace X11. Wayland offers several advantages over X11, including:

• Improved Security: Wayland has a more secure architecture than X11.
• Better Performance: Wayland can offer better performance, especially with modern hardware.
• Simplified Architecture: Wayland has a simpler and more modern design.

However, Wayland is still relatively new, and not all applications are fully compatible with it. This can lead to various issues, including the full-screen problem we're discussing.

The Ozone Platform

Chrome/Chromium uses a platform abstraction layer called Ozone to support different display servers. The --ozone-platform flag tells Chrome which platform to use. By default, Chrome tries to use Wayland if it's available. However, as we've seen, this can lead to problems.

Potential Causes

Here are some potential reasons why the full-screen issue might be occurring:

• Wayland Bug: There could be a bug in the Wayland implementation that's causing Chrome to misbehave.
• Chrome Bug: There could be a bug in Chrome's Wayland support that's causing it to not handle full-screen transitions correctly.
• Cosmic-Specific Issue: There could be an interaction between Chrome, Wayland, and the Cosmic Desktop environment that's triggering the bug.

Without further investigation, it's difficult to pinpoint the exact cause. However, the fact that the issue is resolved by using the X11 backend suggests that it's related to Wayland.

This Issue is Persistent

The original poster mentioned that this issue has been present since the Alpha release of their system. This suggests that it's not a recent regression but rather a long-standing problem. This also means that it's likely not a simple configuration issue but rather a deeper bug that needs to be addressed by the developers.

Conclusion: We Need a Real Fix

While the --ozone-platform=x11 workaround can provide temporary relief, it's not a long-term solution. The performance hit is significant, and it's not acceptable for a modern browser to require such a drastic workaround to function correctly.

We need the developers of Chrome/Chromium, Wayland, and the Cosmic Desktop environment to work together to identify and fix the root cause of this issue. A seamless full-screen experience is essential for a modern browsing experience, and it's time to put this bug to bed.

In the meantime, if you're experiencing this issue, try the workaround and see if it works for you. And be sure to report the bug to the relevant developers so they can prioritize a proper fix.

Let's hope for a future where YouTube videos go full screen without any extra clicks or held-down keys. Happy viewing, everyone!