Navigate applications in Windows

Once a program has started it will, almost always, appear in a new window on screen. You can then adjust how much space this window takes up on the desktop by using the three small buttons in the top-right corner of the window.

Click the left-most button (a single line) and the window will disappear. The program is still running, though, and you will be able to see it as a button on the Taskbar that runs across the bottom of the screen. Left-click that button once to bring it back.

The middle button (depending on the current mode, this will be either one or two small boxes) switches between maximised and windowed mode. When maximised, the window will take up the entire desktop, which is useful if you want to focus on that one program.

Switch to windowed mode and it’s possible to manually adjust the size of the window by clicking and dragging the sides and corners. The right-hand button, marked with a cross, lets you quickly close the window. If the program uses only one window, as many do, this will shut down the program.

Unless a window is maximised, you can move it around. Click on the bar along the top of the window and then, while holding the button down, drag it to the desired location and release the button. This ‘drag and drop’ method is used in Windows to move many types of items around.

Double-clicking the bar across the top of the window will also switch the window between windowed and maximised views, while right-clicking it brings up a handy quick-access menu.

Windows 7 includes additional window control tools that can be used by dragging windows to different areas of the desktop.

For example, click and drag the bar at the top of the window to the top of the desktop and it will automatically maximise.

Meanwhile, if you drag a window to one side of the screen it will resize itself so it takes up exactly half of the desktop – by dragging another window to the opposite side, you can quickly compare two documents side by side.

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