Taskbar bug? window doesn’t minimize

I have discovered that window doesn’t minimize when I click on taskbar button.

Steps to reproduce:

1) open any window

2) minimize window

3) right click on taskbar button of this window to show context menu

4) left click on taskbar button of this window to restore it

5) left click on taskbar button of this window

Window should minimize

Window stay on screen

Replies (8) 

Check if you’re able to minimize windows by clicking on taskbar by booting your computer in Safe mode.
1. Use F8 while restarting your computer.
2. Under Windows Advanced Boot Options menu, select Safe mode and press Enter.
3. Login to Safe mode and open some windows to check if they get minimized by clicking on taskbar.
Post your results.

While you’re in the normal mode, kill the existing windows explorer shell process and try creating a new explorer shell to check if you’re able to minimize the windows to the taskbar.
1. Press CTRL+SHIFT+ESC button simultaneously to open Task Manager.
2. On the processes tab, locate explorer.exe. Click on it, and then click the button to end the process.
3. This should kill the explorer shell. Now go to the applications tab, click ‘new task’, type explorer.exe and click ok to restart the shell.
Now check if you’re able to minimize windows to the taskbar.

I would also suggest you to perform an online virus scan on your computer. Visit the following link for the same.

Windows Live OneCare safety scanner is a free service designed to help ensure the health of your PC.
http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/default.htm

Post your results back.
Mouneshwar R – Microsoft Support
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>Check if you’re able to minimize windows by clicking on taskbar by booting your computer in Safe mode.
>1. Use F8 while restarting your computer.
>2. Under Windows Advanced Boot Options menu, select Safe mode and press Enter.
>3. Login to Safe mode and open some windows to check if they get minimized by clicking on taskbar.
>Post your results.

There is same results.

>While you’re in the normal mode, kill the existing windows explorer shell process and try creating a new explorer shell to check if you’re able to minimize the windows to the taskbar.
>1. Press CTRL+SHIFT+ESC button simultaneously to open Task Manager.
>2. On the processes tab, locate explorer.exe. Click on it, and then click the button to end the process.
>3. This should kill the explorer shell. Now go to the applications tab, click ‘new task’, type explorer.exe and click ok to restart the shell.
>Now check if you’re able to minimize windows to the taskbar.

There is another results:

some windows like firefox can be minimized, some windows like command prompt can’t be minimized and all newly opened windows can’t be minimized.

>I would also suggest you to perform an online virus scan on your computer. Visit the following link for the same.

>Windows Live OneCare safety scanner is a free service designed to help ensure the health of your PC.
> http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/default.htm

I have scanned my system, there are no viruses or another issues.

Have you tried to reproduce this bug?

Was this reply helpful?

Sorry this didn’t help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback.

I wouldn’t have the faintest clue where to being to reproduce this bug since I have no idea what is causing it. It is interesting to note that in safe mode some windows do minimize (though others still don’t) — I’m not sure what that means in terms of diagnosing the problem but perhaps it will become clearer as we move forward. It doesn’t sound like a device driver issue or a hardware issue — I’d bet it is some corrupt file within Vista.

Since those speciic steps didn’t work we’ll have to try some general troubleshooting guidelines to try to identify and repair the problem:

Do you know when this problem began? Try a System Restore to a point in time BEFORE the problem began. Here’s the procedure: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/using-windows-vista-system-restore/ . Be sure to check the box to show more than 5 days of restore points. If the first attempt fails, then try an earlier point or two. NOTE: You will have to re-install any software and updates you installed between now and the restore point, but you can use Windows Update for the updates. Use the recovery disk if the system prompt doesn’t work (the procedures may vary slightly with the disk but if you follow the prompts and with the above information you should be able to get through it just fine).

If the System Restore doesn’t work, do a Startup Repair by booting to the genuine Windows Vista Installation Disk (or one you can borrow from ANYONE) or from a Recovery Disk. Here’s the procedure: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial148.html . To boot to the CD you may need to change the BIOS to make the CD-drive first in the boot sequence. To do that, wait for the screen that tells you the F key to push to access the boot menu or boot setup. Push it quickly. Make the changes, save your work, and exit. Put the CD in the drive and reboot. When prompted, push any key to boot from the CD.

If you don’t have either disk, you can make a bootable Recovery Disk using http://neosmart.net/blog/2008/windows-vista-recovery-disc-download/ along with burning software like: http://www.snapfiles.com/get/active-isoburner.html and, of course, a blank CD.

If that doesn’t work, try to boot into safe mode (repeatedly click the F8 key while booting and go to safe mode with networking – or do so from the command prompt on the disk). Then let’s check some of your system files:

Go to Start / All Programs / Accessories / Command prompt and right click on command prompt and click run as Administrator (you can skip this step if using the disk).

If using the disk, cd to C:\Windows\System32. Type sfc /scannow and enter and let it run. It will scan and try to fix some of your system files. Hopefully it will complete with no corruption it could not repair (if there is such corruption post back here or try to analyze it to find the problem file(s) using http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928228 . Try to post any corrupted files here so we can see if they can be repaired with good copies from the installation disk (unless there are too many).

While in Command Prompt, type chkdsk /f /r and enter and let it run. It may want to schedule itself to start at the next startup. Agree and then reboot so the program can run. It will scan and try to fix any corruption or bad sectors on your hard drive and mostly remove that as a potential cause.

If that doesn’t work, then please post any repeating error messages from the Event Viewer concerning window controls or window minimizing (Start / Control Panel / Administrative Tools / Event Viewer – or typing eventvwr from the command prompt). Here’s how to use Event Viewer: http://www.petri.co.il/vista-event-viewer.htm .

Try doing a clean boot http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/929135?p=1 and see if the problem persists. If not, then follow the procedures in the article to identify and remove the culprit causing the problem. Be sure to reset the system back to normal status when done. If the problem persists after the clean boot, this process will not help and you can just restore the system to normal startus and reboot.

Despite that you have scanned your system and found no malware, you may still be infected. What did you use to do the scan (name and version)? Have you found any malware in the last several months even if your AV program said it was cleaned? If so, do you know the name of that malware (it may be stored in your AV program)? You need to try a number of different software packages to do an effective check since no one or two programs can find everything. Try to run anti-malware programs (in safe mode with networking if necessary ). To fix this problem (if it is a problem) download, install, and run the following two programs: http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php and http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html . You may also want to try a free trial of Pandasoft ( http://www.pandasecurity.com/usa/homeusers/solutions/global-protection/ ). Before downloading pandasoft, uninstall whatever anti-virus program you are currently using (because installing and running two at the same time can cause conflicts, freezes, and all sorts of problems). Once you’ve uninstalled your current AV program, download, install, update, and scan using Pandasoft. I think you might be amazed at how much it finds that the other software missed. Once complete, uninstall pandasoft and re-install your current AV program (unless you decide to switch which I did when I first tried it about 4 years ago). You may also want to try the new, free Microsoft Security Essentials http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/Microsoft-Security-Essentials-Download-131683.html (with the same caveat that only ONE AV program can be installed and running on your system at any one time). You may also want to try the free Avira at: http://www.free-av.com/ and Avast at: http://www.avast.com/index . Reboot after completing all the scans. You may also want to try the free OneCare at http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/default.htm and let it run all the options (except the registry cleaner) because that’s good maintenance (it will take some time to complete but can be done in the background). I realize that’s a lot, but we want to be ABSOLUTELY SURE your system is clean so we can truly rule this out as a potential caulse.

If that doesn’t work (or if SFC found corruption it could not repair), we’ll need to do a system repair/upgrade using the genuine Windows Vista Installation Disk (one you own or one you can borrow from ANYONE). Here’s the procedure: http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/88236-repair-install-vista.html . Although this will not affect your data, settings, or programs, you should still backup your data before starting just to be on the safe side. If the other procedures don’t work, THIS one is almost certain to work. You may have a lot of updates to re-install (including any service packs you had to remove). If the version on the system came with SP1 or SP2 pre-installed and the disk is an earlier version, then you’ll need to make a slipstream disk as follows: http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/151606-vista-sp1-slipstream-installation-dvd.html .

Hopefully one of these procedures will resolve your problem. If not, post back and we’ll try something else. Post back in any case so we’ll know how it turned out.

Lorien — MCSE/MCSA/Network+/A+ — If this post helps to resolve your issue, please click the «Mark as Answer» or «Helpful» button at the top of this message. By marking a post as Answered, or Helpful you help others find the answer faster.

7 ways to minimize and maximize apps in Windows 10

Minimizing and maximizing apps helps you declutter the Windows 10 desktop and focus on the apps you’re using. There are several ways to maximize or minimize a window, and while some of them are as easy as clicking or tapping a button, others require using the keyboard. You can decide which one to use depending on the situation. This tutorial illustrates seven ways to minimize and maximize apps in Windows 10, including how to minimize all windows:

First things first: Minimizing and maximizing apps in Windows 10

Before going through all the different ways to minimize and maximize app windows, let’s clarify what each of them means:

• Minimizing an app hides its window from your desktop without closing the app. An icon for that app is displayed on the taskbar. You can easily restore the minimized window to its former state and bring it back to view to continue using it.
• Maximizing an app expands its window to the size of your desktop screen. A maximized app occupies the entire screen space available, except for the taskbar.

The screen capture below shows a maximized Google Chrome window. The app is front and center, taking up the whole screen.

As shown in the screen capture below, when the Google Chrome window is minimized, it is no longer shown on the desktop screen. However, the app is still open and can be restored, as indicated by its icon, displayed on the taskbar in Windows 10.

Minimizing and maximizing apps might seem like opposite actions. However, it’s useful to keep in mind that there is an intermediate state between them – when the app window is shown but does not take up the whole screen, and you can move and resize it at will.

TIP: If you’re using Windows 10 in Tablet mode, all apps launch and remain completely expanded, so the option to maximize windows is no longer available. In this case, apps can be either minimized or maximized, and their title bar is hidden, as seen below. By default, app icons are also hidden from the taskbar.

Continue reading to find out how to maximize programs to expand them to full-screen and how to minimize an app’s screen on Windows 10.

1. Minimize and maximize apps from the caption buttons on the top-right corner of the title bar

The best-known method for minimizing or maximizing an app window is to click or tap on its Minimize or Maximize button from the title bar. All Windows 10 apps and most desktop apps show the Minimize and Maximize buttons on the top-right corner of the window’s title bar, next to the X used to close apps. The Minimize button is the caption button on the left, and its icon displays an underscore symbol.

The Maximize button is in the middle, and its icon looks like a square.

When the app’s window is already displayed in full screen, the Maximize icon changes to two overlapping squares. Hovering over the button might display a tooltip like Restore Down or Unmaximize, depending on the app. Clicking or tapping the Restore Down button returns the app’s window to its previous shape and location, before it was maximized.

2. Minimize and maximize apps from the title bar menu using the mouse

You can also use the title bar menu to minimize and maximize apps in Windows 10. If you prefer the mouse, right-click or press-and-hold on a window’s title bar to open the menu. Then, click or tap on the Minimize or Maximize option, depending on what you want to do.

If a window is maximized, you can also use the Restore button in this menu to return it to its previous size and location on your screen.

All these actions can also be achieved from the title bar menu with keyboard shortcuts, as you’re about to see in the next section. Feel free to combine elements from these two methods to find your favorite way to minimize, maximize, and restore windows from the title bar in Windows 10.

3. Minimize and maximize apps from the title bar menu using keyboard shortcuts

An alternative to open the title bar menu is the Alt + Spacebar keyboard shortcut.

As soon as the title bar menu opens, you can press the N key to minimize or the X key to maximize the window. If the window is expanded, press R on your keyboard to restore it.

TIP: If you’re using Windows 10 in another language, the keys used to maximize, minimize, and restore might be different. However, you can easily find them out by opening the title bar menu with the keyboard shortcut Alt + Spacebar and looking at the underlined letters in each word. As seen below, for English, these are N, X, and R.

4. Minimize and maximize apps using Windows keyboard shortcuts

If the title bar shortcuts are too complicated for you, and you are looking for a more straightforward way to minimize and maximize from the keyboard, you can try a different set of shortcuts that make use of the Windows key. To minimize the app you are using, press Windows + Down arrow on your keyboard. If the app is maximized, this minimize shortcut only restores it to its intermediate state, so you have to use it twice to hide the window from view.

To maximize the current app, use the Windows + Up arrow keyboard shortcut.

TIP: If you just minimized an app with the Windows + Down arrow shortcut, you can immediately use the maximize shortcut above to restore it, as long as you don’t release the Windows key.

To minimize an app, you can also use the keyboard shortcut Windows + 1 to 9. Count the icons on your taskbar from left to right and note the number of the one to minimize. In the image below, 1 corresponds with File Explorer, 2 with Mozilla Firefox, and so on.

Hold down the Windows key and press the number key corresponding to the icon of the open app you want to minimize. The Windows + 1 shortcut minimizes File Explorer, Windows + 2 for Mozilla Firefox, Windows + 3 can be used to minimize Weather, and so on.

The same shortcuts can also be used to restore the app window. When an app has multiple windows open, the Windows + 1 to 9 shortcut can only be used to restore either of them. Hold down the Windows key and press the number once to restore the first preview window displayed, two times to restore the second window shown, etc.

Another useful keyboard shortcut is Windows + D. You can use it to immediately minimize all windows and access your desktop. Press it again to restore the windows you just minimized and continue your task.

Another keyboard shortcut to minimize all the app windows from your desktop at once is Windows + M.

To reverse this shortcut’s effect and restore all the app windows to their original state on your desktop, use the keyboard shortcut Windows + Shift + M.

If you need help focusing on something, you can use the keyboard shortcut Windows + Home to minimize all the other windows, except for the active one.

5. Minimize and maximize app windows from the taskbar

The Windows taskbar offers several ways to minimize and maximize app windows. The most obvious one applies to minimizing and requires just one click or tap. When you open an app, Windows 10 automatically displays an icon for it on the taskbar. Click or tap on it, and the app window minimizes. Clicking or tapping on the same icon again restores the app to its previous state, which may or may not be maximized.

If you opened multiple windows of the same app, clicking or tapping on its icon shows a preview of both windows. Click or tap on either preview to restore or bring that window into focus.

You can bring up a preview of an app that only has one window open by hovering your cursor over its icon. Right-click on an app’s preview to open a menu similar to the title one discussed earlier. Press Minimize, Maximize, or Restore in the menu or N, X, or R respectively on your keyboard depending on what you want to do.

You can also bring up the same menu by pressing Shift + Right-click (or Shift + press-and-hold for touchscreens) on the taskbar icon of the app you want to minimize, maximize, or restore. Then, you can click or tap Minimize, Maximize, or Restore or use the corresponding N, X, and R keys.

If more windows of the same app are open, the options available in this menu apply to all of them. Since you can’t maximize more than one window, you can only click or tap to “Restore all windows” or “Minimize all windows.“ You can also use the corresponding keys R or M for the same results.

6. Maximize an app’s window using its title bar

An app’s title bar can also be used to both maximize an app and restore it to its former size and location. The easiest way to do that is to double-click or double-tap on the window’s title bar. Click or tap it twice in fast succession once more to restore it.

You can also click or tap on the app’s title bar to grab it, and then drag it to the top of your screen. A transparent overlay appears around the screen, showing a preview of the window’s placement. Release the mouse or lift your finger when you see the overlay, and the window is maximized.

You can also drag the title bar of a maximized window downwards in order to restore it.

7. Minimize all windows with one click or tap

The Show desktop button minimizes all the apps on your screen with one click or tap. You can find it in the lower-right corner of your screen. Click or tap on it to minimize all the open app windows and show your desktop.

Clicking or tapping on the Show desktop button again restores the same app windows to their initial size and place on your desktop.

BONUS: Restore minimized apps with Task switcher and Task View in Windows 10

Minimized apps are still open, so you can also restore them from the Task View or Task switcher, which both offer an overview of your open apps. To open the Task switcher, use the keyboard combination Ctrl + Alt + Tab.

The Task switcher displays previews of all the open windows of your active apps. Click or tap on the one you want to restore or use the arrow keys to highlight it, and then press Enter.

Alternatively, you can press-and-hold Alt + Tab to access the Task switcher. Continue holding the Alt key and keep pressing Tab to move the focus between the open app windows until you find the one you want to restore. Then, release the buttons, and the window is restored to its former place.

To access Task View, you can use the keyboard shortcut Windows + Tab. In Tablet mode, swipe inwards from the left side of your screen to open it. Just like Task switcher, Task View shows all the app windows you have open on your Windows 10 computer or device. Click or tap on the one you want to restore or use the arrow keys, and then press Enter.

Did you learn any new ways to minimize, maximize, or restore apps?

While some of the methods illustrated in this tutorial are intuitive, some are a bit harder to figure out. Maximizing apps is always a good idea if you are trying to focus on something – we always write our articles with the app maximized. If you need to declutter your screen, minimizing can help. However, if you’re not going to use an app for a long time, it’s better to close it. Please, let us know if you picked up any new info from our tutorial. Did you learn any new ways to minimize, maximize, or restore app windows? Are there any we overlooked? Let us know in the comments.