Closing the Window

When the user closes a window, that action triggers a sequence of window messages.

The user can close an application window by clicking the Close button, or by using a keyboard shortcut such as ALT+F4. Any of these actions causes the window to receive a WM_CLOSE message. The WM_CLOSE message gives you an opportunity to prompt the user before closing the window. If you really do want to close the window, call the DestroyWindow function. Otherwise, simply return zero from the WM_CLOSE message, and the operating system will ignore the message and not destroy the window.

Here is an example of how a program might handle WM_CLOSE.

In this example, the MessageBox function shows a modal dialog that contains OK and Cancel buttons. If the user clicks OK, the program calls DestroyWindow. Otherwise, if the user clicks Cancel, the call to DestroyWindow is skipped, and the window remains open. In either case, return zero to indicate that you handled the message.

If you want to close the window without prompting the user, you could simply call DestroyWindow without the call to MessageBox. However, there is a shortcut in this case. Recall that DefWindowProc executes the default action for any window message. In the case of WM_CLOSE, DefWindowProc automatically calls DestroyWindow. That means if you ignore the WM_CLOSE message in your switch statement, the window is destroyed by default.

When a window is about to be destroyed, it receives a WM_DESTROY message. This message is sent after the window is removed from the screen, but before the destruction occurs (in particular, before any child windows are destroyed).

In your main application window, you will typically respond to WM_DESTROY by calling PostQuitMessage.

We saw in the Window Messages section that PostQuitMessage puts a WM_QUIT message on the message queue, causing the message loop to end.

Here is a flow chart showing the typical way to process WM_CLOSE and WM_DESTROY messages:

Windows 10 keyboard tips and tricks

Whether it’s being productive, staying in touch, or just plain having fun, Windows 10 has lots of little tricks and shortcuts that can help you achieve more. Here are a just a few of them:

Smile and the world smiles with you

Emojis aren’t just for your phone anymore! The new emoji keyboard in Windows 10 lets you express yourself like never before. To use it:

During text entry, type Windows logo key + . (period). The emoji keyboard will appear.

Select an emoji with the mouse, or keep typing to search through the available emojis for one you like.

Type all the symbols like a pro

Sometimes you need to type a character that isn’t on your keyboard, like an em-dash (—) or the copyright symbol (©). If you have a numeric keypad on your keyboard, you don’t have to find one and copy and paste, you can just do it! Here’s how:

Hold down the Alt key on your keyboard.

With the Alt key held down, type the four-digit code on the numeric keypad for the character you want. (Include the leading 0 if that’s required.)

Note: This only works on the numeric keypad. This won’t work on the row of numbers at the top of the keyboard.

Release the Alt key.

Here’s just a few of the characters you can type with the Alt key:

how to remove keyboard layout on Windows 10?

Original Title: how to permanent remove keyboard layout?

I am French, living in Germany, but prefer to use Windows in English US. Tired of different keyboard layouts, I also have now only keyboard with US layout. So I removed French and German keyboard layouts, but Windows somehow kept them and KEEP switching back to a German layout anytime I come back from the lock screen.

I disabled the quick layout shortcut, I don’t want any, just the US layout.

So just US layout for my physical keyboard on my desktop (USB) and tablet (Bluetooth), both having a full up to date Windows 10 10586.218 (x64 on desktop, 32bits on tablet).

On the same live account, I am also using a Windows 10 Mobile device (Nokia 730) on which I only use touch keyboard and thus need all 3 layouts (French, English, German). I hope my account settings are not mixing up with the windows settings!!

Here a screenshot on my tablet: for each of the 3 languages, only the US keyboard layout is configured, but on the langage list, I also get the French and German keyboards.

How can I get rid of them for good?? This is particularly annoying since the German keyboard is set back as default at any windows lock screen!!

We regret the inconvenience caused.

The above issue might occur due to the following reasons:

1. Country & Region settings not enabling you to delete the keyboard language set on the PC.
2. Not choosing appropriate default keyboard layout.

Before we assist you further, I would like to ask you a few questions:

1. Did you try removing the keyboard layouts from Settings page?
2. If yes, does the issue persists even after removing the keyboard layout?

By removing the Keyboard layout from system Settings page, the language will be removed from the PC. However, if needed, you can download the same from system Settings page and check if the changes made are effective.

You can remove the keyboard layout either from system Settings page or Control panel. Follow either of the steps below to remove the keyboard layout and check if the issue is resolved.

Step 1 : System Settings window.

1. Press Windows logo + I keys on the keyboard to open Settings page.
2. Click on Time & language from the options and select Region & language from the left side panel of the window.
3. Click on the keyboard language you want to remove under Languages and click on Remove.
4. Close the window and check if the changes are effective.

Step 2 : Control panel.

1. Press Windows logo + X keys on the keyboard and click on Control panel from the context menu.
2. Click on View by option located at the top right corner of the window and select Large icons from the dropdown bar.
3. From the panel, click on Language.
4. Under Change your language preferences click on the keyboard layout to remove and click on the Remove button which will now be available to use.
5. Close the window and check if the changes are effective.

Write to us with the status of the issue on the keyboard layout language removed from the PC for further assistance. Your reply is most important for us to ensure we assist you accordingly.

Quickly Close Open Windows Using Shortcut Keys

How to type your way out of a mess with Windows keyboard shortcuts

One of the advantages of Microsoft Windows PCs is that you can have many different programs and windows open at the same time. This advantage becomes a disadvantage, however, when you have to close dozens of open windows. Fortunately, you can carry out repetitive actions like closing windows with keyboard shortcuts.

Instructions in this article apply to Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP.

How to Close Windows With Alt + Spacebar + C

One option for closing windows with keyboard shortcuts is as follows:

Open the window that you would like to close using your mouse.

Press and hold down the Alt key, then press the Spacebar to reveal the right-click context menu at the top of the program window you’re trying to close.

Release both keys and press the letter C. This will cause the window to close.

If you can execute this sequence using one hand while the other hand controls the mouse, you’ll be able to close roughly a dozen windows in about as many seconds.

How to Close Windows With Fn + Alt + F4

Another option is to select the window you want to close and then press Fn+Alt+F4. You’ll probably need two hands for this one.

Although the shortcut is officially listed as Alt+F4, you must hold down the Function (Fn) key for it to work.

How to Close Tabs With CTRL + W

The Ctrl+W shortcut only closes the current file you’re working on, but it leaves the program open. This feature can be handy if you want to leave the desktop program open but get rid of all the files you’re working on in quick succession.

Ctrl+W works in most browsers too, so you can close the current tab you’re looking at without taking your hands off the keyboard. If you use Ctrl+W when only one browser tab is open, then the program window will close.

How to Select Open Windows With Alt + Tab

It’s possible to select an open window without using the mouse. Press Alt+Tab to cycle through your open windows. Use this shortcut in conjunction with the other shortcuts to close all open windows without taking your hands off the keyboard.

How to See Your Desktop With Windows Key + D

Sometimes you don’t actually want to close all those windows; what you really want to do is just look at your desktop. To quickly access your desktop, press the Windows Key+D. Use the same shortcut to bring back all your windows.

If you are running Windows 7 or later, there are multiple ways to access your Windows desktop.

How to Close a Group of Windows With the Mouse

When you have numerous files open in the same program, like a bunch of emails in Outlook, Word files, or several spreadsheets in Excel, you can close all of them at once using the mouse. Right-click the program in the Windows taskbar and select Close all windows (or Close Group in older versions of Windows).

Is there a Keyboard shortcut to close a Command Prompt window?

Is there any keyboard shortcut to close the Command Prompt window in Windows 7? Alt+F4 does not seem to work on a Command Prompt window.

I close it right now by typing exit and Enter at the prompt. Hoping there is a shorter trick.

5 Answers 5

Create an alias using doskey: doskey x=exit

Wrap CMD in Console2, which would give you CTRL+W to close tabs and ALT+F4 to exit. You will also be able to use CTRL+V to Paste, if you wish, which is one of the main reasons I use it.

Here’s an autohotkey script that’ll do it.

It just sends Alt + Space , C to the window when Ctrl + w is hit (if it’s a command prompt).

It depends from your choice of command interpreter. This is, of course, because it is your command interpreter that is (largely) determining how TUI command-line editing works.

If you’re using JP Software’s TCC/LE, for example, an autoexecuting keystroke alias that does exactly this (and that doesn’t suffer from the global hotkey problems mentioned in other answers) is simplicity itself to set up using the ALIAS command:

With bash one could do the same thing, using the bind built-in command, to bind the key sequence for the Alt-F4 key to the string exit\n . The tricky part is working out what key sequence Alt-F4 generates (from the point of view of bash , at least) this week.

If you are running your command interpreter within Take Command, closing the current command tab is done with Ctrl+F4 .