Maximize, restore, resize, arrange and hide. GNOME Documentation Project gnome-doc-list@gnome.org Window operations and modes

Windows work in a very similar way to windows on other operating systems.

Minimize, restore and close Minimize

To minimize a window, you can:

Click the - in the top right hand corner of the window, or

Press AltSpace to bring up the window menu. Then press n.

The window 'disappears' into the top left hand corner. It can be retrieved from the Activities overview or by pressing AltTab to tab through the different open application windows.

Maximize and unmaximize (restore) a window:

To maximize or unmaximize a window, you can:

Click the square in the top right hand corner of the window to toggle between maximizing and restoring the window, or

Press AltSpace to bring up the window menu. Then press x .

To maximize, you can also click and drag or Alt+ Click and drag the window to the top of the screen. When the cursor touches the very top of the screen during the drag, the entire screen becomes hilighted. Now, unclick and the window will maximize.

You an also restore the window in a similar way. Click and drag to separate the window from the top panel. The window separates and restores itself to an unmaximized state.

Close

To close the window:

Click the x in the top right hand corner of the window, or

Press AltF4, or

Press AltSpace to bring up the window menu. Then press c.

Resize a window

To resize a window, your window first needs to be unmaximized or in the restore state.

The simplest way to resize your window in the horizontal and/or vertical direction is to move the mouse pointer up to the top left corner of the window until it changes into a 'corner-pointer'. When it becomes a 'corner-pointer', click+hold+drag to resize the window in any direction.

You can also resize only in the horizontal direction by moving the mouse pointer to the left side of the window until it changes into a 'side-pointer'. When it becomes a 'side-pointer', click+hold+drag to resize the window in the horizontal direction.

To resize in the vertical direction, move the mouse pointer to the top or bottom of the window until it changes into a 'top-pointer' or 'bottom-pointer' respectively. When it does, click+hold+drag to resize the window in the vertical direction.

Ways to arrange windows in your workspace

You can automatically arrange two windows side by side. Alt + click and drag one window towards the left until the cursor touches the left side of the screen. The left half of the screen becomes hilighted. Unclick, and your window should automaticaly take up exaclty half your screen. Do the same thing for another window, dragging it to the right side.

Hide windows from view

To hide a window from view, you can just minimize it. It will 'disappear' into the top left hand corner of the window. To be able to access it, enter the Activities view.

Briefly explain the different window states that exist and how you can use and recognize those states. Discuss interesting ways of arranging windows (i.e. if there is a "Tile" option or something like that). Mention, in passing, how you can move and resize windows in multiple ways.