How to maximize a Mac window without full screen and keep the Dock
By the Windsify team Wondering Works ·
On macOS 15 or later, choose Window → Move & Resize → Fill, or press Fn+Control+F on a supported keyboard, to maximize a window on the current desktop without full-screen mode. Use Fn+Control+R to restore its previous size. To keep the Dock visible, also turn off its system auto-hide setting.
Why does the green button go full screen instead of maximizing?
Full screen puts an app in its own Space. If you want a larger window while keeping the desktop, menu bar and other windows available, choose the native Fill action instead. On macOS 15 or later, Window → Move & Resize → Fill is the clearest place to check the action; use the menu when your external keyboard does not send Fn.
Zoom and Fill are not interchangeable: Zoom can fit the app’s content, while Fill uses the available desktop area. A non-resizable dialog cannot be made into a full-size window by either shortcut. If the Dock still disappears, check its system auto-hide setting separately.
For the Windows Win+Up habit, Windsify Pro can fill a regular floating window and restore its saved placement with Win+Down. Window management requires Pro; ordinary editing shortcuts remain in Free. The layout-dependent Win+Up behavior and restore/minimize distinction are explained below.
1. Try native Fill first
On macOS 15 or later, select a regular window and look under Window → Move & Resize for Fill. Supported keyboards can use Fn+Control+F to fill and Fn+Control+R to restore. Menu wording can vary by macOS version. Control+Command+F is a different action: full-screen mode. See Apple’s tiling shortcuts. Use the menu if a PC keyboard does not send Fn to macOS.
Try the difference with one window
- Open a resizable TextEdit window and leave it floating on the desktop.
- Choose the native Fill action. The window grows while staying on the same desktop.
- Choose Return to Previous Size to restore the window.
- Now choose full screen from the green-button menu and compare the separate Space. Choose Exit Full Screen when finished.
For two windows side by side, see Mac window tiling and split screen.
2. Fill, zoom and full screen are different
This illustration reserves Dock space. Its visibility still depends on the system auto-hide setting.
This illustration hides the menu bar and Dock. Move the pointer to reveal them; menu-bar settings can also affect visibility.
Layout illustrations, not application screenshots.
| Goal | Action |
|---|---|
| Occupy the current desktop | Fill or resize |
| Use a separate full-screen space | Full-screen mode |
| Keep two windows side by side | Tile windows or use Split View as appropriate |
| Put a window in the Dock | Minimize |
Zoom can size a window to its contents rather than the whole desktop. Fixed-size dialogs and application size limits can prevent a window from filling the screen.
3. Fill and restore with Windsify Pro
- Enable window management, grant Accessibility access and confirm an active Pro trial or license.
- In General → Maximized window area, choose Keep Dock visible. This reserves space; it does not change the system’s Dock auto-hide preference.
- Select a regular floating window and press Win+Up. On an Apple keyboard, Command is the corresponding Win key.
- Press Win+Down to restore the saved placement. Without a saved placement to restore, this shortcut minimizes the window.
Win+Up is layout-aware: a side-half window moves into an upper quarter instead of filling the desktop. Start with a floating window when testing this example.
If the Dock is hidden or the window stays smaller
Check the macOS Dock auto-hide setting, full-screen state, application size limits, display arrangement and Windsify’s window engine. Reserving Dock space does not override a system preference to hide it. Window management is a Pro feature; after the trial, it requires an active license.
macOS 15 or later · 14-day Pro trial · Free features remain after the trial