Minimize a window on a Mac (and bring it back)

Why it happens

On Windows, a minimized window drops into the taskbar. The Mac has no taskbar, so minimized windows go to the Dock instead, to the right of the thin divider line near the Trash. The app keeps running and nothing is closed.

How to fix it

1. Click the window you want to put away, so its app is in front.

2. Press Command-M. You can also click the yellow button, the middle of the three coloured buttons at the top-left of the window, or choose Window > Minimize in the menu bar.

   Menu bar›Window›Minimize

3. To minimize every window of that app in one go, press Option-Command-M.

4. To bring a window back, click its little picture at the right end of the Dock. You can also open the app's Window menu and click the window's name.

Still not fixed?

1. Can't see your minimized windows in the Dock? They may be tucked into the app's own icon. Turn Minimize windows into application icon off in Desktop & Dock to see each one, or on to keep the Dock tidy.

   Desktop & Dock›Dock›Minimize windows into application icon

2. Want a double-click on the title bar to minimize, as on many Windows PCs? Choose Minimize for Window title bar double-click action in Desktop & Dock.

   Desktop & Dock›Dock›Window title bar double-click action

3. To clear the whole app out of the way in one step, press Command-H to hide it. Click its Dock icon or use Command-Tab to bring it back.

4. If the yellow button is grey, that window can't be minimized, which is normal for some dialogs and full-screen windows. If Command-M does nothing in every app, restart your Mac, and contact Apple Support if it still won't work.