How to resize a window

Updated: 12/05/2021 by Computer Hope

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

Note

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

Basic resize in Windows

As you can see in the prototype 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 button, which looks similar a box or two boxes, toggles the window betwixt full and virtually full (not maximized) screen.

Windows window resize

Custom resize in Windows

When the upper-right section of the window looks like Resize panel in Windows., your window is now in "resize style," meaning yous can utilize the mouse cursor to make the window whatsoever size y'all want. To exercise then, motion the cursor to whatever edge or corner of the window until a double-headed pointer appears. When this pointer appears, click-and-elevate to make the window larger or smaller. If this double-headed arrow does not appear, the window cannot be resized.

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

Resizing a window

How to resize a window using the Windows key and keyboard

If you are running Microsoft Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, or Windows 11, you tin can use Windows key keyboard shortcuts to resize and arrange windows on your computer. For example, pressing the Windows cardinal and left arrow key resizes the window to fit the left half of the screen. Pressing the Windows fundamental and the right arrow key resizes the window to fit the right 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'southward menu.
  2. If the window is maximized, arrow down to Restore and press Enter.
  3. Press Alt+Spacebar again to open the window menu, arrow down to Size, and press Enter.
  4. Press the up or down arrow key if you want to resize the window vertically or the left or right pointer central if you lot desire to resize horizontally.
  5. Once an arrow central is pressed, you can press the aforementioned or opposite arrow key to keep resizing the window.

How to resize a game window

Playing a computer game virtually likely defaults to a fullscreen mode that prevents the game from resizing. To resize a game window, the game must beginning be capable of playing in a windowed manner. If available, the setting is constitute in the game'due south video settings and may be labeled every bit borderless fullscreen, window mode, or a checkbox. Once in a window mode, it may exist possible to resize the window using any method mentioned on this folio. However, proceed in heed that some games merely have a window style for performance reasons and may notwithstanding non support 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 exist resized using the mouse and the buttons in the upper-left corner of the desktop.

  • Minimize - Clicking this button (yellow circumvolve), which looks like a dash, collapses the window to the Dock.
  • Maximize / Resize - Clicking this button (dark-green circle), which looks like a box or two boxes, toggles the window between full and virtually total (not maximized) screens.
  • Custom size - Get-go, make certain the window is not maximized. And then, hover your mouse cursor over the corner, bottom, or elevation of the window. Click-and-elevate to resize the window.