I know WindowsKey + Down Arrow is supposed to do this but I have to hit this shortcut twice because my window first snaps to the bottom quarter of the screen before finally being minimized to the taskbar.
I want the window to do the exact same thing as when I click the horizontal line (minimize button) at the top right-hand corner of the window. Is there a different keyboard shortcut for this?
From Help Docs on Keyboard shortcuts in Windows:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Win+D | Display the desktop. |
| Win+M | Minimize all windows. |
| Win+Shift+M | Restore minimized windows to the desktop. |
| Win+↑ | Maximize the window. |
| Win+← | Maximize the window to the left side of the screen. |
| Win+→ | Maximize the window to the right side of the screen. |
| Win+↓ | Change (reduce) window size from Maximized to Restored/Normal, or from Restored/Normal to Minimized. |
| Win+Home | Minimize all but the active window. |
| Win+Shift+↑ | Stretch the window to the top and bottom of the screen. |
Currently as per my experience in Windows 10:
Restore Down The Maximized Window OR Minimize The Restored Window
Win + Down Arrow
Minimize The Maximized Window
Win + Down Arrow (twice)
Maximize The Restored Window
Win + Up Arrow
Videos
What is the shortcut key to minimize all windows in Windows 10/11?
Can I customize the minimize shortcut keys?
How do I minimize one window only?
Hello Nathan Sokalski,
The closest you can get is using Windows + M, which will minimize all windows.
Although you can use Windows + D (to show desktop). Using this shortcut will allow you to use Windows + D to now show the last window previous to showing the desktop.
Hope this helps
Chris.H
Microsoft Answers Support Engineer
Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.
Accessing my open windows without the need for maximizing and minimizing is NOT my problem. My problem is being able to return to a window using something such as alt+tab and have the window be maximized like it was before it was minimized. What I am basically trying to say is that when a maximized window is minimized using Windows Logo Key+Down Arrow twice is not the same as clicking the button in the upper right of the window. Once again, I am not trying to complain, I am simply trying to figure out if there is a key combination that either minimizes a window regardless of whether it is maximized, or a key combination that does the same thing as things like alt+tab, Windows Logo Key+tab, and others except it maximizes the window.
--
Nathan Sokalski
*** Email address is removed for privacy ***
http://www.nathansokalski.com/
"ashleytalbot" wrote in message news:0b39d433-93ab-41a8-a7aa-d7d065f2d71d...
hi nathan,
i do understand your question and the closest option i can suggest for you is the alt+tab (left-side of keyboard) to quickly access your open windows without the need for maximizing and minamizing.
hope this helps
yours
ASHLEY NO:1 FAN OF MICROSOFT AND WINDOWS 7 dont forget if you mark answer as correct,vote for it as helpful to help other user's find a solution quicker
Nathan Sokalski *** Email address is removed for privacy *** http://www.nathansokalski.com/
I often use the Win+Up arrow shortcut in order to maximize the current window.
However, while officially the function of this key shortcut is to maximize the current window, in practice, sometimes it does something else - it sometimes tiles it to the top corner (right or left) and prompts to choose another window to tile. When this happens, it's very confusing, because I need to get out of the tiling, by pressing Esc, then press Win+Up arrow again.
Is there any shortcut (or setting) to always maximize the current Window, without tiling functionality? I also never tile 4 windows (only 2 windows side-by-side), so if I can disable that functionality, it'd be even better.
I've been using the shortcut Alt+Space followed by N for years. Works on any Windows version, all the way back to Windows 3.0! It should work with all keyboard layouts and probably even all Windows localizations.
Alt+Space opens the general windows menu. You can open it manually by left-clicking with the mouse on the top left window corner.
The menu contains the options to maximize, minimize, close the window, etc. It also underlines the key you need to press to select the appropriate option ("miNimize").
The N is not a general "hotkey" but an access key – a keyboard shortcut to an entry in a GUI menu that works only if/after the menu opens. The menu items texts differ across localizations (languages), which is why a different letter might be underlined and serve as the access key.
A small workaround is Alt + Esc – it doesn't minimize the active window but places it behind all other windows. The effect is similar however.
I know it's not precisely what the question asker wanted, but it's a built-in Windows one-step solution that works in a similar way.
The windows key plus the up and down arrow keys don't minimize and maximize them, it just makes them a small rectangle in the corner of my monitor. But before it makes it a rectangle it does this below on the left, shows all my windows in tiby boxes...also super annoying.
Then I have to press escape to get rid of the tiny boxes and the small rectangle appears.
Windows key + up arrow does maximize it to half screen again, but not before all those tiny windows pop up, so I have to again hit the esc key before I can even see the window.
This is insane. I thought maybe I was the dumb one but clearly it's Microsoft. It shouldn't be hard for windows to keep their shape when you minimize and maximize them. It should be standard. It shouldn't pop back up as a huge rentangle in the middle of your screen covering all your other windows. Why is that even a thing?
I think you may have responded to the wrong person. This has nothing to do with my outlook.
If you are referring to Maximizing back the same window immediately after minimizing (otherwise how would it know which window you want to maximize? And Alt+Tab would be the way to go) then +Up Arrow should do the trick to restore the Window.
When using Win+Down-Arrow to minimize the current window, you may immediately restore it by pressing Win+Up-Arrow. However, this has to be done without letting go of the Win key, since letting go of it causes Windows to forget which window it just minimized.
You may use the free AutoHotkey V1 to add this feature to Windows.
The following script will define the following hotkeys:
- Ctrl+Down : minimize the currently active window
- Ctrl+Up : restore the last-minimized window
Here is the script :
win := ""
^Down::
WinGet, win, ID, A
WinMinimize, ahk_id %win%
return
^Up::
WinRestore, ahk_id %win%
win := ""
return
After installing AutoHotKey, put the above text in a .ahk file and
double-click it to test. You may stop the script by right-click on
the green H icon in the traybar and choosing Exit. To have it run on login,
place it in the Startup group at
C:\Users\USER-NAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup.
Useful AutoHotkey documentation:
- List of Keys
- Hotkeys