Root cause: on Windows the window is frameless and the main menu lives in the custom title bar; Distraction Free Mode rendered a bare title bar without it, the toggle has no default shortcut (as in IDEA) and the mode persists across restarts, leaving no way out.
Fix (IDEA): the bare title bar keeps the main menu when there is no native menu bar; a lone Alt opens the main menu; entering the mode (or restoring it) shows "To exit Distraction Free Mode, use View | Appearance … or Find Action" with an Exit action, in its own notification group.
Siblings covered: Distraction Free + Full Screen on Windows; other chrome-hiding settings checked (unaffected).
Verified in-app on macOS (hint, Exit action, single Don't Show Again). Windows-only parts (☰ in bare title bar, lone Alt) not verified on Windows.
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01VUYsdXA2nkF5v6zsC93dpn
l0ng-ai