App windows on a PC: open, move, resize, close

Each app shows its work inside a rectangle called a window. You can have many windows open at once. Learning to arrange them saves a lot of confusion later.

The three buttons

Every window has three small buttons at its top-right corner.

• – (left, a short line): hides the window down into the taskbar. Click the app's icon in the taskbar to bring it back. This is called minimizing.
• A square (middle): makes the window fill the whole screen. Click it again (it now shows two overlapping squares) to shrink it back. This is called maximizing.
• X (right): closes the window. For most apps, closing its last window also quits the app. If you had not saved, the app asks first.

Move and resize

• To move a window, drag it by its title bar: the strip along its top, where its name is. Press and hold there, slide, let go.
• To make it bigger or smaller, point at any edge or corner. The pointer turns into a double arrow. Then drag.
• Double-click the title bar to maximize the window. Double-click again to shrink it back.

Snap two windows side by side

Snap puts a window neatly on one half of the screen. You will use it to keep this guide on one side and Claude on the other.

• Drag a window by its title bar to the left or right edge of the screen until an outline appears, then let go. It fills that half.
• Or hold Windows and press the left-arrow or right-arrow key.
• On Windows 11, rest the pointer on the square button at the top-right without clicking. A small picture of layouts appears. Click the spot you want the window to go in.

After snapping one window, Windows may show the other open windows on the empty half. Click one to put it there, or press Esc.

Switch between apps

Hold Alt and press Tab. Small pictures of every open window appear. Keep holding Alt and press Tab again to move along the row. Let go on the one you want. Clicking an app's icon in the taskbar also brings it to the front.

To see every open window at once, press Windows + Tab. Click any window to go to it, or press Esc. To hide every window and see the Desktop, press Windows + D. Press it again to bring them back.

Practice

1. Open Notepad: press Windows, type notepad, press Enter.
2. Drag its window by the title bar to the right side of the screen.
3. Drag its bottom-left corner to make it smaller.
4. Click the – button. The window disappears into the taskbar. Click the Notepad icon in the taskbar to bring it back.
5. Click the square button. Notepad fills the screen. Click it again to shrink it back.
6. Hold Windows and press the left-arrow key. Notepad snaps to the left half. Press Esc if other windows are offered for the right half.
7. Close Notepad with the X. If it asks, click Don't save.