Can an app window be minimized by clicking its Dock Icon?

Question

Something that bothers me as Windows User on OSX that I can't minimize an App Window by clicking the Dock Icon of the application. Is there a hidden setting for enabling this behavior or an utility that someone could recommend?

Answer 1

Simple answer is it'll bring the window to the front. Apple + H hides the window however, so that might be a bit more useful to you.

Answer 2

⌘+M or double-click the window title bar to minimize the window.

Answer 3

You can hide an active application by option-clicking (alt-clicking) its icon in the dock. You can also hide the active window and open another window by alt-clicking whatever application you want to open in the dock.

But I agree with you that it would be more symmetrical to be able to click to minimize all the open windows in an application. I am a long-time PC user and this is one area where PCs got it right. That and combining closing and quitting (and the related window management issue).

Answer 4

click and hold on the applications icon in the dock and choose hide

Answer 5

As you can see, there isn't a way to click the dock. Another option past the accepted answer of using a keyboard shortcut is to enable hiding from clicking the window's title bar.

Open System preference, select General, select Double-click a window's title bar to minimize'. On Lion this is above the control for Sidebar icon size.

Answer 6

Right click on the Icon and choose Hide

Answer 7

One thing that is significantly different between Windows and OSX is how OSX treats, well, windows in an app. An application can have more than one individual window. Each window is treated independently of the application itself.

So, if you want to minimize a specific window, instead of the Dock icon (which is for the application) you want to use any of the options for window minimization:

• Click the yellow ball in the title bar
• Command + M

You can't actually minimize an application (you can get that effect if there is only one open window and you minimize that window). The "Hide" effect is probably what you are looking for.

Answer 8

Press and hold ⌘, use tab to select the application and then press H to hide it. Now release ⌘.

Do the same to unhide the application.