How to restore a minimized app window?

Aquinax

New Member
Messages
3
Hi,
I'm using StrokeIt software (which executes actions on mouse gestures), and I'm so used to it that when a Windows 8 app is open (let's say the 'Reader') I often minimize it with a mouse stroke hoping to return to the desktop but the app is simply minimized and an empty blue screen replaces it. How can the app be restored? Win+Up button don't work in this case. Can I set it somewhere that focus is switched to the desktop screen automatically after a Windows 8 app is minimized to which I can later return with let's say an Alt-Tab command ?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    none
    CPU
    Intel Core i3-3225
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8H77-M PRO
    Memory
    Kingston DDR-III 8GB (PC3-15000) 1866MHz Kit (2 x 4GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    none
    Browser
    Opera
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Upper Left Corner, move your mouse there and you'll see whatever tile is opened. Unless they changed that in 8.1
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro with Media Center/Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus § DualCore AMD Athlon 64 X2, 2300 MHz (11.5 x 200) 4400+ § Corsair Value Select
    CPU
    AMD 4400+/4200+
    Motherboard
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus/Asus A8M2N-LA (NodusM)
    Memory
    2 GB/3GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 8400 GS/GeForce 210
    Sound Card
    nVIDIA GT218 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Hitachi 40" LCD HDTV
    Screen Resolution
    "1842 x 1036"
    Hard Drives
    WDC WD50 00AAKS-007AA SCSI Disk Device
    ST1000DL 002-9TT153 SCSI Disk Device
    WDC WD3200AAJB-00J3A0 ATA Device
    WDC WD32 WD-WCAPZ2942630 USB Device
    WD My Book 1140 USB Device
    PSU
    Works 550w
    Case
    MSI "M-Box"
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    Mouse
    Microsoft Intellimouse
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    Cable Medium Speed
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    Chrome/IE 10
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    Eset NOD32 6.x/Win Defend
    Other Info
    Recently lost my Windows 8 on my main PC, had to go back to Windows 7.
Hello Aquinax, and welcome to Eight Forums.

You should be able to use App Switcher to be able to switch between opened apps and your desktop.

Brink, alt-Tab switches to the blue screen of the minimized app. My problem is how to get a minimized app back from the blue screen to its window interface, switching to an application doesn't deliver it.

Thinking of it generally, Windows 8 doesn't have a feauture of minimizing an app (in my relative layman's view) as much as it does not allow to run an app in the truly windowed mode, i.e. when an app "window" could be arbitrarily resized or run with other app "windows" visible in the background etc. So when I use a mouse stroke command it performs an action (minimizing) which is somewhat alien to the Windows 8 metro-mode workings and so then Windows 8 "does not know" how to retrieve the app which was minimized with the old style win command triggered by the StrokeIt mouse stroke.

And that is the dilemma. Perhaps someone can point me to a command which would restore a minimized (as different to an unfocused) Windows Metro app?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    none
    CPU
    Intel Core i3-3225
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8H77-M PRO
    Memory
    Kingston DDR-III 8GB (PC3-15000) 1866MHz Kit (2 x 4GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    none
    Browser
    Opera
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Brink,
that is what I do to resolve this issue. But I thought there is a simple way to restore a minimized metro app. I can always switch to desktop with alt-Tab. I'm just used to StrokeIt and sought for ways to keep this habit in Windows 8. Ahh, alright, I'll keep searching for a solution. Thanks for the replies.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    none
    CPU
    Intel Core i3-3225
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8H77-M PRO
    Memory
    Kingston DDR-III 8GB (PC3-15000) 1866MHz Kit (2 x 4GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    none
    Browser
    Opera
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
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