The three buttons in the corner (and what to do when one is missing)
Every window in Windows has the same three little buttons in its top-right corner. Beginners press them by accident, then panic. Here is what each one actually does. Same in Windows 10 and 11.
The dash ( – ): Minimize. The window leaves the screen but is NOT closed. Look at the taskbar along the bottom: it is still sitting there. Click it and the window comes back. Nothing is lost.
The square (or two overlapping squares): Maximize, then Restore. First press: the window fills the whole screen. Press it again: back to the size it was. Toggle as often as you like.
The X: Close. This ends the window. If you have unsaved work, Windows may ask “Save?” Read that box before you click. For most programs, closing the window is safe; anything you already saved stays saved.
If the X is missing. Some windows hide the buttons, and full-screen videos or games hide them on purpose. Two ways out, both work: – Hold Alt and tap F4. That closes the window in front of you. – Or right-click the window's name on the taskbar and choose “Close window”.
One thing worth knowing: the X does not delete anything. Closing a window is not uninstalling. The program is still on your computer; open it again from Start and it is there, exactly as you left it.
Try it now: open any window, press the dash, then click it back from the taskbar. That is the whole trick. One step, then the next.