Steps:
1. Open After Effects, make sure it's maximized
2. In Windows Explorer, open any After Effects project
AE goes to windowed mode
Another way to do it
1. Open After Effects, make sure it's maximized
2. Right click on AE icon in start bar, pick any project from Recent list
AE goes to windowed mode
System specs:
AMD Ryzen 7950x
64GB RAM DDR5 @ 5600mhz
RTX 4090
Windows 11
AE version 24.1
I have attached a video example of this bug.
This has been bugged for at least 6-7 years, if not more. Pretty sure it happens on every Windows device. I personally had this bug happen on at least 5 different Windows devices and 2 were my own PCs with different hardware. Happens on Windows 10 and 11.
This never happens in Premire, Photoshop, Illustrator, all other Adobe apps work fine. Only After Effects goes to windowed mode and only when the project is opened from outside AE.