Mac OS: "Minimize" vs "Hide" - what's the difference?
Problem
Why does OS X have both a "Hide" and a "Minimize" feature? This seems somewhat redundant to me, and also introduces some inconsistency when I am trying to find an arbitrary window. If it's hidden, I need to activate the application and use the "Windows" menu to bring it up; if the window is minimized, it appears in the dock. What are some scenarios in which you'd use these two features differently?
Unverified for your environment
Select your OS to check compatibility.
1 Fix
Fix for: Mac OS: "Minimize" vs "Hide" - what's the difference?
To start, there are cosmetic differences: Minimize does a little graphic effect and puts a shrunken icon of the window into your Dock (on the right hand side, not with the apps, although this can be changed). Hide makes all of the application's windows simply disappear from view without any changes to the Dock. But the big difference lies in how you make the windows reappear. Minimized windows require a mouse click in the Dock to summon them. Hidden apps will reappear if you Command-Tab to the …
Awaiting Verification
Be the first to verify this fix
Sign in to verify this fix