Minimizing and maximizing windows is one of the most common activities on a PC, so you can use multiple programs together.
Minimizing a program, application or folder means hiding the window from the desktop, making it disappear from view without closing the application.
When a window is minimized, you can then return it to its previous state, in the foreground on the screen.
The minimized window can then return to view by pressing on its icon in the system tray.
Maximizing a window, on the other hand, means making it as large as the desktop and seeing it occupy the entire available screen space, with the exception of the Windows taskbar.
While everyone knows how to minimize and maximize a window or a program, it is still interesting and productive to know that it is possible to enlarge and minimize windows in different ways, not only by using the low bar button located at the top right of the windows, but also by using faster shortcuts as with the keyboard.
1) The first way to minimize a window and maximize it is by using the buttons on the top right .
This is surely the best known method, that of pressing with the mouse the Minimize button (in the shape of a bar) or the Maximize button (which has the shape of an empty square) which are close to the closing button, that is the one with the X easily recognizable.
In Windows, practically all open programs have these buttons and with Windows 10 they are also present in the Store applications.
When a window is displayed full screen, the button to maximize changes shape and becomes a double square, which means to return it to a window in its original shape.
2) You can minimize the window of a program or application by clicking on its icon on the taskbar .
This is perhaps the fastest way to minimize applications and quickly hide windows by clicking the icon that represents it on the taskbar.
3) Minimize or maximize windows using the menu
The context menu of each open window has its own buttons for enlarging or minimizing it.
To open this menu, you can click the right mouse button in the title bar of the window or you can simultaneously press the Alt and Space keys on the keyboard.
In this menu, particularly useful if the position of the window hides the buttons on the side, you can press the Minimize or Maximize keys.
NOTE: This menu can be managed entirely from the keyboard as follows:
- Alt + Space + D brings up the arrow to resize the window.
In this mode, you can use the arrows on the keyboard to zoom in or out.
- Alt + Space + N, to zoom in full screen.
- Alt + Space + I to minimize
- Alt + Space + S to move the window on the screen using the keyboard arrows.
NOTE 2: The same menu can also be displayed by pressing the right mouse button on the miniaturized preview of the window.
In practice, go with the cursor on the icon of an open program, then move on the preview that appears and press the right button on it.
If it is a minimized window, you will only see buttons to restore or maximize it.
and it's already minimized, you can only get the option to optimize it. Even if the application is already maximized, you only have the option to minimize it.
5) Minimize or maximize a program or window using the keyboard
As already seen on several occasions (see the main combinations of keys and shortcuts for Windows), using the keyboard to perform operations on the desktop is often much more comfortable than using the mouse, especially if you are working on writing text and not you want to take your hands off the keyboard.
To minimize a window or a program, you can press the Windows key and then, repeatedly, the up or down arrow keys.
The down key leads to iconize the window, while the up key maximizes it.
Between the minimized and maximized states, there are also intermediate states and you will see how the window changes position, going down or up.
6) Minimize all windows and all programs on the desktop using the " Show desktop " button
When you want to hide all app windows together in one go, you can simply use the Show Desktop key on Windows.
This key is not immediately visible, but you just need to press the lower right corner on the desktop.
Alternatively, you can press the Windows-D keys together.
NOTE: If you have several windows on the screen and none of them are maximized, you can press the Windows-M keys to minimize them all together and then the Windows-Shift-M keys to restore them all in their position.
Finally, in other articles you can find all the tricks to organize windows on the Windows desktop .
Minimizing a program, application or folder means hiding the window from the desktop, making it disappear from view without closing the application.
When a window is minimized, you can then return it to its previous state, in the foreground on the screen.
The minimized window can then return to view by pressing on its icon in the system tray.
Maximizing a window, on the other hand, means making it as large as the desktop and seeing it occupy the entire available screen space, with the exception of the Windows taskbar.
While everyone knows how to minimize and maximize a window or a program, it is still interesting and productive to know that it is possible to enlarge and minimize windows in different ways, not only by using the low bar button located at the top right of the windows, but also by using faster shortcuts as with the keyboard.
1) The first way to minimize a window and maximize it is by using the buttons on the top right .
This is surely the best known method, that of pressing with the mouse the Minimize button (in the shape of a bar) or the Maximize button (which has the shape of an empty square) which are close to the closing button, that is the one with the X easily recognizable.
In Windows, practically all open programs have these buttons and with Windows 10 they are also present in the Store applications.
When a window is displayed full screen, the button to maximize changes shape and becomes a double square, which means to return it to a window in its original shape.
2) You can minimize the window of a program or application by clicking on its icon on the taskbar .
This is perhaps the fastest way to minimize applications and quickly hide windows by clicking the icon that represents it on the taskbar.
3) Minimize or maximize windows using the menu
The context menu of each open window has its own buttons for enlarging or minimizing it.
To open this menu, you can click the right mouse button in the title bar of the window or you can simultaneously press the Alt and Space keys on the keyboard.
In this menu, particularly useful if the position of the window hides the buttons on the side, you can press the Minimize or Maximize keys.
NOTE: This menu can be managed entirely from the keyboard as follows:
- Alt + Space + D brings up the arrow to resize the window.
In this mode, you can use the arrows on the keyboard to zoom in or out.
- Alt + Space + N, to zoom in full screen.
- Alt + Space + I to minimize
- Alt + Space + S to move the window on the screen using the keyboard arrows.
NOTE 2: The same menu can also be displayed by pressing the right mouse button on the miniaturized preview of the window.
In practice, go with the cursor on the icon of an open program, then move on the preview that appears and press the right button on it.
If it is a minimized window, you will only see buttons to restore or maximize it.
and it's already minimized, you can only get the option to optimize it. Even if the application is already maximized, you only have the option to minimize it.
5) Minimize or maximize a program or window using the keyboard
As already seen on several occasions (see the main combinations of keys and shortcuts for Windows), using the keyboard to perform operations on the desktop is often much more comfortable than using the mouse, especially if you are working on writing text and not you want to take your hands off the keyboard.
To minimize a window or a program, you can press the Windows key and then, repeatedly, the up or down arrow keys.
The down key leads to iconize the window, while the up key maximizes it.
Between the minimized and maximized states, there are also intermediate states and you will see how the window changes position, going down or up.
6) Minimize all windows and all programs on the desktop using the " Show desktop " button
When you want to hide all app windows together in one go, you can simply use the Show Desktop key on Windows.
This key is not immediately visible, but you just need to press the lower right corner on the desktop.
Alternatively, you can press the Windows-D keys together.
NOTE: If you have several windows on the screen and none of them are maximized, you can press the Windows-M keys to minimize them all together and then the Windows-Shift-M keys to restore them all in their position.
Finally, in other articles you can find all the tricks to organize windows on the Windows desktop .
