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Windows show separate tasks — Computing, 4–6

A window is a separate space on a screen for one app, picture or task. Computing, 4–6 years.

A window is a space on the screen

A window is a box-like space that shows one program or one part of a program. It can hold a picture, a game or a document, while other windows wait behind it. You can move a window, make it smaller or fill the screen.

Why computers use windows

A screen used to show only one thing at a time, which made comparing or moving between tasks awkward. Windows give each task its own space, so you can look at a picture while keeping a game or a writing tool open. The spaces can share one screen without becoming one mixed-up thing.

Put two windows side by side

Open a drawing in one window and a calculator in another. Drag the drawing window to the left until it fits half the screen, then drag the calculator to the right. Now you can read a number in one window and type it into the other.

Closing is not the same as hiding

It is reasonable to think that a window behind another has gone away, because you cannot see it. It is usually still open; moving the front window or choosing the app’s name can reveal it. The X often closes the window, so use it only when you mean to finish there.

Windows help with real work

Windows are useful when you look at a recipe while drawing, check a map while planning a walk or compare two pictures. They do not create extra space in the real world; they organise one screen. If the screen feels crowded, hide or close what you are not using.

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