How to resize a window

Updated: 12/05/2021 past Computer Hope

Resizing a window can be helpful in many situations. For example, you can resize a DOS command window or resize ii program windows to fit both windows on the same screen. The following sections show y'all how to resize a window in Windows and macOS.

Note

A window that is maximized cannot exist resized. Furthermore, certain types of windows cannot be resized at all.

Basic resize in Windows

As you can see in the epitome beneath, there are two buttons for resizing a window automatically.

  • Minimize - Clicking this button, which looks like a dash, collapses the window to the Taskbar.
  • Maximize / Resize - Clicking this push button, which looks like a box or two boxes, toggles the window between full and nearly total (not maximized) screen.

Windows window resize

Custom resize in Windows

When the upper-correct section of the window looks like Resize panel in Windows., your window is now in "resize fashion," meaning you tin can utilize the mouse cursor to make the window whatsoever size you desire. To practice then, motion the cursor to any border or corner of the window until a double-headed arrow appears. When this arrow appears, click-and-drag to make the window larger or smaller. If this double-headed arrow does not appear, the window cannot be resized.

The blitheness below shows a double-headed arrow on the bottom, left, and corner of a window and how it resizes a window. To make the window horizontally bigger, move the cursor to the left or right edge of the window until information technology changes to the double-headed arrow. To make the window vertically bigger, do the same thing at the pinnacle or bottom of the window. To resize horizontally and vertically at the same fourth dimension, use one of the corners of the window.

Resizing a window

How to resize a window using the Windows key and keyboard

If y'all are running Microsoft Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows ten, or Windows 11, you can use Windows key keyboard shortcuts to resize and arrange windows on your calculator. For instance, pressing the Windows key and left pointer fundamental resizes the window to fit the left half of the screen. Pressing the Windows key and the right arrow key resizes the window to fit the correct half of the screen.

A window can exist resized using several keyboard shortcuts. Below are the steps for resizing a window only using the keyboard.

  1. Press Alt+Spacebar to open the window's menu.
  2. If the window is maximized, arrow downwards to Restore and printing Enter.
  3. Press Alt+Spacebar again to open the window menu, arrow downward to Size, and press Enter.
  4. Press the upward or down arrow cardinal if you desire to resize the window vertically or the left or right pointer key if you want to resize horizontally.
  5. One time an pointer key is pressed, you can press the same or reverse arrow cardinal to go on resizing the window.

How to resize a game window

Playing a figurer game nigh likely defaults to a fullscreen mode that prevents the game from resizing. To resize a game window, the game must starting time be capable of playing in a windowed mode. If bachelor, the setting is establish in the game's video settings and may be labeled as borderless fullscreen, window manner, or a checkbox. One time in a window fashion, it may exist possible to resize the window using whatsoever method mentioned on this page. However, continue in mind that some games simply accept a window mode for performance reasons and may nevertheless not back up the ability to be resized.

How to resize a window on a Mac

Buttons used to close, minimize, and maximize a window in macOS.

A Mac window can be resized using the mouse and the buttons in the upper-left corner of the desktop.

  • Minimize - Clicking this push (yellow circle), which looks like a dash, collapses the window to the Dock.
  • Maximize / Resize - Clicking this push button (green circumvolve), which looks like a box or 2 boxes, toggles the window between full and nearly full (not maximized) screens.
  • Custom size - First, make sure the window is non maximized. Then, hover your mouse cursor over the corner, bottom, or summit of the window. Click-and-drag to resize the window.