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Is there really no way that I can maximize or unmaximize a window in Mac OS X with just the keyboard? (Currently using 10.6.3)

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7 Answers 7

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Have a look at RightZoom which is a freeware application for exactly that purpose: It provides the possibility to define a keyboard shortcut for maximizing windows and can override application specific behavior for the green resize button to make it consistent for all apps.

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Most Applications have "Zoom" or "Zoom window" commands under a "Window" menu or equivalent. I think the most straightforward solution is to type the following in the terminal:

defaults write NSGlobalDomain NSUserKeyEquivalents '{"Zoom" = "@^Z"; "Zoom Window" = "@^Z"; }'

That command will set the default keyboard shortcut to +control+z

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  • How do I undo this? And how do I take a different keybinding, e.g. CMD+F5?
    – math
    Jun 8, 2010 at 8:20
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    This will override all previously defined NSUserKeyEquivalents in the NSGlobalDomain, i.e. all keyboard shortcuts defined for All Applications in System Preferences » Keyboard » Keyboard Shortcuts » Application Shortcuts. It's safer to use the preference pane for this.
    – Daniel Beck
    Apr 29, 2011 at 5:28
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  1. If you don't want to install another program...

And

  1. you have the window of interest minimized into the dock (genie or scale effect)...

And

  1. you don't want to take your hand off the keyboard or rely on the mouse...

Then |>

step 1:::: use cmd + tab to focus on the application in finder, which will focus on it but not maximize it...

step 2:::: use ctrl + F2 to focus on the menu bar...

step 3:::: arrow right to expand the Window menu...

step 4:::: arrow up (quickest) to highlight the minimized window of interest...

step 5:::: press enter to "maximize" it back into its original position.

If you want it truly maximized by definition, it would need to be maxed before minimizing it into the dock, but it works to achieve that quick snapping I want without 3rd party software.

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  • By the way, ^this works ONLY if the application has a Window menu >> for example, it won't maximize Docker Desktop because there ain't one. I prefer the mouse once in a blue moon to a third party app; except I do us Spectacle for snappy snapage. Oct 20, 2022 at 16:59
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I use SizeUp. Lots of functions via Keyboard.

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Assuming you don't mind running an additional program in the background, which I can see being a dealbreaker, try using SecondBar. It lets you maximize a window (coincidentally, true maximize rather than mac semi-random maximize) with ^⌘⌥ + up arrow. It also offers half screen options as well, if you're interested in that, on top of the primary function (duplicating your menubar on a second monitor). I believe that it is also offered in some way by BetterTouchTool, but I could be wrong on that and it's mostly aimed at the mouse, so it wouldn't help.

Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with SecondBar, just a satisfied user.

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I use ShiftIt 1.2.
It is free, small and customizable.

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Move the mouse to the corner of the window where it becomes a resizing arrow and option double click to fill the screen, WITHOUT going into full screen mode.

More details:

Double clicking on any side when the resize arrow is visible will move that side to the edge of the screen. Adding option makes it affect the opposite side as well.

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  • Please do not post the same answer to multiple questions. If the same information really answers both questions, then one question (usually the newer one) should be closed as a duplicate of the other. You can indicate this by voting to close it as a duplicate or, if you don't have enough reputation for that, raise a flag to indicate that it's a duplicate. Otherwise tailor your answer to this question and don't just paste the same answer in multiple places.
    – DavidPostill
    Aug 9, 2020 at 11:40
  • Thank, I will take that into account.
    – Andy Swift
    Aug 9, 2020 at 19:00
  • This doesn't answer the question, as it had "just the keyboard" in it
    – peetasan
    May 13, 2021 at 10:06
  • True. I got excited at having discovered the shortcut and posted it in too many places. Also it was a duplicate, as noted in the previous comment. But, because it is a simple and almost unknown technique I'll leave it up — I found this question when I was trying to find a way to maximize macOS windows.
    – Andy Swift
    May 14, 2021 at 11:43

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