Jan's Working with Windows 10:

Step-by-Step: Control the Window

Start with: Control Panel open

Minimize, Maximize, and Restore the Window

Note: Title bar buttons change background when the pointer hovers:

1. If necessary, open the Control Panel again.
   [Search on the Taskbar for Control Panel]
2. Click on the Minimize button on the right of the Title bar on the Control Panel window.
   Where does the Control Panel go? It is minimized to an icon on the Taskbar.
   
3.  Click on  the Taskbar button for the Control Panel  .
   The window pops back into view on the desktop as the active window. The color of the text and buttons on the Title bar goes gray when a window is inactive. In previous versions of Windows, the background color of the Title bar changed, which was more obvious.
   
4. Click on the Maximize button on the right of the Title bar.
   Wow! The window now takes up the whole desktop. Notice that the Maximize button has changed to the Restore button .

   

5. Click on the Restore button on the right of the Title bar.
   Your Control Panel reverts to its previous size. Tada!

Move the Window: Mouse

Be sure the Control Panel window is not maximized for the next step.

1. Drag the Title bar, using a spot that is not on a button or the control icon on the left.
   Drop the window in a new location by releasing the mouse button or lifting up your finger from the pad or screen.
   The whole window moved to a new spot on the desktop. Simple.
2. Experiment: Docking a window

   • Dock: Drag the window to the left edge of the screen until the window is about half off screen.

     Hover briefly there.
     The window docks to that edge and resizes to take up half the screen. In Windows 10, unlike previous versions, you see thumbnails of other open windows in the remaining half of the screen.

     

     Control Panel docked on left; thumbnails on right (Win10)

   • Undock: Drag by the Title bar to the middle of the screen.
     The window returns to its previous size and stays where you dropped it.
   • Drag by the Title bar to dock the window on the right edge.
   • Drag by the Title bar to dock the window at the top edge.
     Surprise! The window maximizes.
   • Undock: Drag by the title bar down, away from the edge.
     

3. Practice docking with keys: Use the key combo, Windows key + an arrow key

   + one of the arrows,

   The window will dock or undock in the direction of the arrows.
   You may need to click on the window to return the focus to that window.
   A window will not dock at the bottom edge of the screen.

Move the Window: Keyboard

Sometimes a keyboard method can be faster or easier than using any pointing device.

Be sure the Control Panel is the active window for the next step.

1. Hold down the ALT  key and at the same time press the spacebar (ALT + space).
   The control menu opens from the Title bar icon.

   Using this method the menu will appear even when the Title bar itself is not visible.
   

2. Press the key for the letter M.
   The pointer changes to the Move shape and moves to the Title bar. Do not touch any pointing device yet.
   
3. Press some of the arrow keys to move the window.
   The pointer changes to the normal shape but is over the Title bar, like it would be if you were dragging.
4. Press the ENTER key to fix the window in place and exit Move mode.

Change Window Size

To resize a window is an easy dragging job. You already worked with the Vertical Resize when you resized the Taskbar. You will add two other directions to your skills list.

When a window can be resized: When a window has three diagonal lines in the corner (even if they are hard to see!), it can be resized. Some windows don't show the diagonal lines but can be resized anyway. Oh, for some consistency!

1. Move the pointer to the top or bottom edge of the Control Panel window until the pointer changes to the Vertical Resize shape.
   
2. Drag the edge to make the window taller.
   Release the mouse button and move the pointer off the window edge.
   
3. Move the pointer to the left or right edge of the Control Panel window until the pointer changes to the Horizontal Resize shape.
   
4. Drag the edge to make the window wider.
   Release the mouse button and move the pointer off the window edge.
   
5. Move the pointer to a corner of the window until the pointer changes to or , the Diagonal Resize shapes.
   
6. Drag to resize the window in two directions at once.
   Convenient!
7. Experiment: Change size of window using arrow keys
   • Click the icon at the top left of the window.
     A menu appears.
     
   • Click on the Size command
     The pointer turns into the Move shape and is in the middle of the window.
   • Press an arrow key.
     The pointer pops the pointer over to the edge of the window in that direction.
   • Press the arrow key again.
     The window size changes in direction of the arrow.
     A pretty cool trick!!
   • Press the ENTER key to exit the Size mode.
   • Try different arrow keys.
     Warning: If you move the mouse while in this mode, the window will resize in the direction you moved the mouse!
8. Click the Close button on the Title bar to close the Control Panel.