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What do you call a computer window when it is not maximized or minimized? I have been using unmaximized, but I feel there is a more precise way.

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If it is neither iconified nor hogging the whole screen, it is being displayed normally. – tchrist Dec 3 '12 at 15:38
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Even though it is terminologically inexact, I prefer floating window over the cryptic restored or the ambiguous normal. It is usually used in tandem with docked windows. – coleopterist Dec 3 '12 at 16:19
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I wonder what the macos term is – James Mohler Dec 3 '12 at 16:54
@coleopterist I've always seen floating window used to refer to always on top windows or to the Ui style where instead of a single container window with docking of some sort each set of UI features is spawned off into an separate window. – Dan Neely Dec 3 '12 at 18:33
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I was tempted to suggest midimized, but I don't think the dictionary recognizes it. – Ross Millikan Dec 5 '12 at 22:55
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7 Answers

up vote 18 down vote accepted

In Windows, the verbs are Minimize, Maximize and Restore Down.

In official documentation, Microsoft uses restored but also normal.

A WindowState that determines whether a window is restored, minimized, or maximized. The default is Normal (restored).

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up vote 7 down vote

Java refers to the possibilities as iconified, maximized, and normal.

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I rather wonder what the “Uncleftish Beholding” versions of all these big, long, and for the most part thoroughly unwieldy words would be. I feel like we at first used to use short, regular words for all these, but now we use tantas groserías. – tchrist Dec 3 '12 at 16:41
@tchrist I've always thought IT was better about it's technical terms than many other professions. We mostly use simple words like "list" and "tree" and "memory" and "event", even when the concepts involved are really quite complex. – Jay Dec 4 '12 at 15:36
up vote 5 down vote

GNOME uses unmaximize in their official documentation and it's the only term I've ever heard. I can't imagine any more precise term.

Derived from that, unmaximized is your word.

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And why not unminimize? – Gangnus Dec 3 '12 at 16:16
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Unmaximize is the name for an action (that I know as restore), not a state. – reinierpost Dec 3 '12 at 16:18
But the question was about the state, not the action! – Gangnus Dec 4 '12 at 15:36
up vote 2 down vote

The discussion has led me to conclude that the "official" terms are bad: confusing, inexact, unintuitive, non-descriptive. A better triad of terms might be full-screen, floating, and docked.

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up vote 2 down vote

"Windowed" exists too, but it might be specific to computer games, which run either windowed or fullscreen.

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up vote 1 down vote

The most precise way I can think about is: "restored to its size." So, the shortened one-word way might be "restored" or "of set size".

Or "show as is", or simply "as is".

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But you can't really think of it as restored if it was in that state to begin with? – Samuel Edwin Ward Dec 4 '12 at 14:49
Sometimes in the past, even if you haven't done it personally, the window got its sizes. After that it could be maximized or minimized, but it still can be returned to the sizes set. Restored to its size. – Gangnus Dec 4 '12 at 15:32
I am not insisting that this meaning is the best (I don't think so), only that it is possible. – Gangnus Dec 4 '12 at 15:39
up vote -4 down vote

Restored.

Logically that should be the only option.

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Whoever voted this down is not a programmer. Unfortunately, due to lack of attention to UI perception of this window state, it is called the "restored" state. – Blessed Geek Dec 3 '12 at 15:48
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Anyone who thinks Restored should be the only option clearly hasn't done any significant programming outside of the MS world as demonstrated by the answers showing Java and GNOME do use different terms for the state. – Dan Neely Dec 3 '12 at 18:31
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I just voted this down, and I am a programmer. This site is for discussing English usage, and not specifically computer jargon. If you have to write text for people who are unfamiliar with Microsoft's technical conventions, then using "Restored" would be very poor. Indeed, the question does not specify Microsoft, nor should it. "Restored" only makes sense if there's an original state that the window has been restored to. When it's in this state and has neither been Minimized nor Maximized, can you say it's been Restored? Of course not. – Dominic Cronin Dec 3 '12 at 21:02
@DominicCronin Restored is in no way necessarily related to Microsoft. Notice that Microsoft does not find mention in the answer at all. Because of this biased view, the answer appeared incorrect to you. Of course, it is restored. Either you need to add substantially to your exposure to the terminology existing or I may have to edit the answer to add detail. (I can see many have seen the validity of the answer, and some, influenced by your hasty down vote and comment). Happy programming. Take your time to learn. – Kris Dec 5 '12 at 7:19
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I also voted this down, not because of "Restored", but because of the phrase, "Logically that should be the only option." There are plenty of options, and English isn't logical. – Lunivore Dec 12 '12 at 0:47
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