Personal Computer Fundamentals

Move, Maximize or Resize Windows

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In this lesson, you will learn:

Open a blank document in Microsoft Word.

Maximized means that the window is at it's maximum size and cannot grow larger: it takes up the entire viewing area to the borders of the screen. Minimized means that the window has shrunk to a portion of the original size, but still remains on the screen and can be seen in a smaller size than the maximized window. Minimized to the Taskbar means that the window is reduced to an Icon on the Taskbar and cannot be seen in the viewing area at all. Taskbars are covered in another lesson.

In this lesson, none of the windows should be minimized to the taskbar: the windows should show on the screen, but may be different sizes.

About Moving Open Windows

Windows allows you to view the content of several windows at a time. Windows automatically places one window on top of another, and when you open a window, it usually appears on top of something else you want to see. To see the other window or more of the desktop, you have to move the window around on the desktop. Using the following techniques, you can place the windows over one another to view the contents of the window while still working in the window underneath. Contents can be copied from one window to another.

Moving Open Windows

The Title Bar is the part of the window that shows the name of the program and / or document in the window. For example, opening a new document shows the Title Bar as Document 1 - Microsoft Word.

The Title Bar contains Minimize, Maximize (or Restore) and Close Buttons on the far right side.

Close the entire Application by pressing the Red X at the top right side of ANY window.

Move the Window with the Title Bar

Windows are moved by clicking and dragging on the Title Bar.

To drag an entire window try this: Double click the title bar above. Double clicking a title bar will either maximize or minimize the window. If other windows are open it will seem to go into the background so the other window will be on top.

Move the window around by:

  1. Click the mouse in the title bar at the top of the window.
  2. Hold the left mouse button down.
  3. While holding the mouse button down, drag its title bar to another place on the desktop.
  4. As you drag the mouse, a shadow border may appear to help you reposition the window.
  5. Release the mouse button.
  6. The window stays in the new position.

Double click the title bar to maximize this window so it fills the entire desktop again. When maximized, you cannot move it.

Remember: To move any window, simply double click on the Title Bar to minimize it, then drag or resize it as needed. Double click the Title Bar again to maximize and double click again to minimize it.

NOTE: Programs run a little faster when the window is maximized.

When multiple windows are on the desktop, commands or keystrokes only affect the top, or active, window. The title bar of an active window is highlighted in Color, while the title bar of the inactive window is 'grayed out'.

Minimize and Maximize a Window

The Minimize, Maximize and / or Close buttons are located in the top right corner of almost every window. Use these buttons to quickly resize a window to fill the entire desktop, to minimize a window to the Taskbar or to close the window.

  Left Center Right
  Minimize entire application Min /Max Close WIndow

When the window is maximized, the 'Restore' button replaces the 'Maximize' button. When the Window is maximized, the Restore button has two windows offset inside the Icon. When the Window is not maximized, there is only one window inside the center Restore icon.

Follow these steps to experiment with these buttons:

  1. Click on Start > All Programs > Accessories > Paint.
  2. Open the Paint program.
  3. You should now have two windows open, this one and Paint.
  4. Click the ‘Maximize’ (center) button in this window so the window fills the entire screen. It is a toggle, which means clicking it again will restrore it to how it was.
  5. Click the ‘Restore’ (center) button to restore the Paint window. The Restore button icon changes.
  6. Click the ‘Minimize’ button (left one that looks like a - ) for both open windows.

Although this last step removes the windows from the desktop, keep in mind that the programs are still running in the computers’ memory. You can click a program on the Taskbar to bring it back onto the desktop. The Taskbar is covered in another lesson.

You can make the first Paint Window active by clicking on its button on the Taskbar or clicking its window. The title bar should be in color.

Notice that when the window is maximized, the 'Restore' button replaces the 'Maximize' button and it's icon changes, as described above. When you click this middle button, the window is restored to its original size from where it was first opened.

You will use the Maximize and Minimize tasks extensively when working in windows

Resizing a Window

Windows can be resized so you can see more of the desktop, see underlying windows, or see more or less of the contents of a window.

Try resizing this window:

  1. Make the Window resizable. ( See instructions above for help.)
  2. Point to the window border  on the bottom right corner with the mouse. The mouse pointer turns into a double-headed arrow.
  3. Left click and drag inward to reduce the size of the window or outward to increase its size.
  4. Release the mouse when the window is the right size

You cannot resize a maximized window, so if you try to resize and find you can't, click the middle 'Restore' button, or double click the Title Bar and then resize the window. Sometimes it is at the very edge, or sometimes completely off of the screen! Now you know how to move the entire window.

Note: To maintain the proportions, use the move handles located in the corners, or hold the Control key while resizing. This resizes the window in both directions. Holding the Control key also helps Windows remember the settings for the next session.

Notice that dragging a border only moves the one border. After you resize the open windows, you can move them around to get a better view of underlying objects. If you have two windows open, you can move them side by side to compare contents or move information between them.

After you manually change the size of the window, and then click 'Restore', the window reverts to the size you changed it to.

Close the windows you have open to free up memory on the computer. Click the 'Close' button on the Taskbar for each open Program, or Right click the Taskbar button and select 'Close'.