What the red, yellow and green window buttons do on a Mac

Why it happens

Every Mac window has the same three buttons in its top-left corner, so they work the same way in almost every app. They act on the window, not the whole app, which is why the app often keeps running after you click red. The symbols inside the buttons show up when you hold the pointer over them.

How to fix it

1. Move the pointer over the three dots at the top-left of the window. Each one shows a small symbol: an x on red, a minus on yellow, and two arrows on green.

2. Click red to close the window. In many apps the app itself stays open: a dot under its Dock icon means it's still running, and Command-Q quits it.

3. Click yellow to minimise the window. It shrinks to the right end of the Dock, and you click it there to bring it back. Command-M does the same.

4. Click green to make the window full screen. Move the pointer to the top of the screen and click green again, or press Control-Command-F, to come back.

5. To tile instead, hold the pointer over green for a moment. A menu appears with layouts such as left half, right half and fill. Pick one and the window moves there.

Still not fixed?

1. Want a window to fill the screen without going full screen? Choose Window > Fill in the menu bar. The menu bar and Dock stay where they are.

   Menu bar›Window›Fill

2. If the buttons are grey, that window isn't the one in front. Click anywhere in it first. A button that stays grey when the window is in front means that window can't do that, which is normal for some dialogs.

3. Can't see the buttons at all? The window is probably full screen. Move the pointer to the very top of the screen and wait a moment for them to appear.

4. If clicking the buttons does nothing in every app, restart your Mac from the Apple menu. If they still don't respond, contact Apple Support.