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 2 program windows to fit both windows on the same screen. The post-obit 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 image beneath, at that place are two buttons for resizing a window automatically.

  • Minimize - Clicking this push button, which looks like a dash, collapses the window to the Taskbar.
  • Maximize / Resize - Clicking this button, which looks like a box or two boxes, toggles the window between full and nearly total (non 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 manner," meaning you can use the mouse cursor to make the window any size you lot want. To do so, move 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 pointer does non appear, the window cannot exist resized.

The blitheness below shows a double-headed pointer on the lesser, left, and corner of a window and how it resizes a window. To brand the window horizontally bigger, move the cursor to the left or correct edge of the window until information technology changes to the double-headed pointer. 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 aforementioned fourth dimension, use i 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 10, or Windows 11, yous tin can utilise Windows cardinal keyboard shortcuts to resize and arrange windows on your estimator. For example, pressing the Windows cardinal and left arrow key resizes the window to fit the left half of the screen. Pressing the Windows key and the correct arrow key resizes the window to fit the correct half of the screen.

A window can be resized using a series of keyboard shortcuts. Below are the steps for resizing a window but using the keyboard.

  1. Printing Alt+Spacebar to open the window'southward card.
  2. If the window is maximized, arrow down to Restore and press Enter.
  3. Press Alt+Spacebar once more to open the window menu, arrow downward to Size, and printing Enter.
  4. Press the up or downwards pointer key if you want to resize the window vertically or the left or right arrow cardinal if you desire to resize horizontally.
  5. Once an arrow key is pressed, you can press the same or opposite arrow key to continue resizing the window.

How to resize a game window

Playing a computer game most likely defaults to a fullscreen mode that prevents the game from resizing. To resize a game window, the game must first be capable of playing in a windowed fashion. If available, the setting is plant in the game's video settings and may exist labeled equally borderless fullscreen, window mode, or a checkbox. Once in a window style, it may be possible to resize the window using any method mentioned on this page. However, go along in mind that some games only have a window mode for functioning reasons and may still not support the power to exist 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 button (greenish circumvolve), which looks like a box or two boxes, toggles the window between full and well-nigh total (not maximized) screens.
  • Custom size - First, make sure the window is not maximized. Then, hover your mouse cursor over the corner, bottom, or top of the window. Click-and-elevate to resize the window.