OS X Mavericks: Window basics

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Window basics

Most of the information on your Mac is displayed in windows, including Finder windows and windows opened by your apps.

Example of a desktop with multiple windows open

When you have multiple windows open, only one is active. When a window is active, the buttons in the top-left corner are colored or more visible. You can use these buttons even if a window isn’t active. Some windows, such as the Fonts window, always appear in front of other windows.

Open and close windows

  • To open a window, double-click an icon for a folder, disk, or device, or click an icon in the Dock.
  • To open a Finder window, click the Finder icon (smiling face) in the Dock. You can customize the sidebar of Finder windows to provide quick access to items.

    Customize Finder windows

  • To close a window, click the red close button (x) in the top-left corner of the window, or press Command (⌘)-W.

Move or resize a window

  • Drag the window’s title bar at the top.
  • Drag the window’s edges (top, bottom, and sides).
  • Click the green zoom button (+) in the top-left corner of the window to switch between a larger and smaller window size.

Some special windows can’t be moved or resized, and may require that you perform an action or answer a question before you can continue with a task.

Switch to full screen

In many apps, including Calendar and Mail, you can expand the window to fill your entire screen.

  • Click the arrows in the top-right corner of an app window:

    Button for entering full screen

  • To move from one window to another in full-screen view, swipe left and right, or press the arrow keys on your keyboard.
  • To return to standard view, click the arrows in the window’s top-right corner:

    Button for exiting from full screen

Switch between apps and windows

If multiple apps and windows are open, it may be difficult to find the one you want. Here are shortcuts to view and move among windows.

  • To quickly switch to the previous app, press Command (⌘)-Tab.
  • To scroll through all open apps, hold down the Command (⌘) key while you press and release the Tab key. Continue to hold the Command key and use the mouse pointer or arrow keys to scroll through the app icons. Then do any of the following:
    • To switch to a selected app, press Return.

    • To hide a selected app, press H.

    • To quit a selected app, press Q.

    • To resume work without switching apps, press Esc (Escape) or the period key.

Last Modified: Oct 20, 2015
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