Welcome to Basic Computing’s Learning Hub. What will you learn today?WelcomeWelcome to Basic Computing’s Learning Hub.What will you learn today?
WINDOWS SHORTCUT MASTERY · LESSON 20
Maximise or minimise a window: Windows + Up arrow / Down arrow
FREE LESSON
3 minutesWindows 11Beginner
Section 1 of 33 minutes
Learn at your own pace
UNDERSTAND THE IDEA
When this helps
What am I going to do?
Read the idea, learn the key combination and answer a question about when it would help.
What will I learn?
Know when and how to maximise or minimise a window.
Sometimes one app needs more room. At other times you want it out of the way while keeping it open.
LEARN THE SHORTCUT
The keys and what happens
Where it works Windows 11
Windows+Up arroworDown arrow
Key names are shown separately, not as a keyboard layout. A + between key boxes means combine them. A box named Plus means the actual Plus key. Follow the steps below for alternatives.
1How to use it
Click the window title bar once. Hold the Windows key, press Up arrow, then release both to maximise it. Hold Windows, press Down arrow and release both to restore a maximised window to a smaller size; repeating that combination can minimise it to the taskbar.
2What to watch for
Minimising keeps the app running. Click its taskbar icon at the bottom of the screen to bring it back. Snapped windows can pass through other sizes, so watch the result of each press.
You can learn this shortcut without pressing it here. The real keys act on your computer or the app you are using.
CHOOSE THE USEFUL ACTION
When would you use it?
Your document is cramped in a small window and you want to keep reading it. Which use fits?
Give that window more screen space.
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