New to Mac, why does OS X leave space at the top/bottom when a window is maximised?

[Yoshi Yogurt]

Just wondering if there is a way to fix this, why does my desktop background show up as sliver between the menu bad and bottom and bottom of the screen?

I just want a TRUE maximized window and OS X is such a silky smooth OS, this is my only problem so far...it's kinda stupid...why have these slivers of blank space....

 

[h9826790]

Shouldn't be like this. Are you using 10.10.2 (14C109)?

 

[dyt1983]

edit: To remove personally identifying info not relevant to the conversation.

 

[Artimus12]

Just wondering if there is a way to fix this, why does my desktop background show up as sliver between the menu bad and bottom and bottom of the screen?

I just want a TRUE maximized window and OS X is such a silky smooth OS, this is my only problem so far...it's kinda stupid...why have these slivers of blank space....

Image

If I'm understanding you're question correctly, I think you'll find the problem is with the app (Firefox in this case) rather than OS X. When I click the full screen button in Safari, it's full screen ...i.e: borderless to the screen bezel all around, with the top menu only showing when I hover the pointer over it.

Edit: the image attached is of Safari at full screen, and it's all that I see on my desktop, not just the app window.

This is using 10.10.2 and all previous iterations of Yosemite. Maybe you should be posting your complaint on Firefox's forum?

 

[Skylitfly]

The top is menu bar. You don't wanna get rid of that, do you?

 

[tkermit]

It leaves a bit of space on the bottom so that you don't accidentally activate the hidden Dock when moving your cursor there to try and resize the window. You can move the Dock to the left or right screen edge to fully regain the space on the bottom.

 

[frnak]

Unfortunately, this is just the way it is. It's extremely annoying when working on a dark interface with a bright background. In Mavericks, the separation between the menu bar and the interfaces wasn't a black line, hence it was less noticeable. In Yosemite, the line does not exist in dark mode, making it a 1px line of your background. In regular mode, the menu bar overlaps just 1px with the interface, causing a black line to be between two elements.

See here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1805847/

Short answer: It's just the way it is. But it's annoying on dark mode.

 

[chillenandy321]

Mine does this too I notice with Firefox on bottom portion..

 

[dyt1983]

edit: To remove personally identifying info not relevant to the conversation.

 

[Artimus12]

He's not talking about full screen apps, he's talking about zoomed window apps (what you had to use prior to Lion).

And yes, it happens in Safari too. Except that Safari won't automatically zoom full width horizontally, you have to drag the window there... it tries to match the content.

You're quite possibly correct, but the top arrow in his image is pointing to the transparent bar in Firefox ...I see no "sliver", and the bottom arrow points to what I assume is the bottom limit of the window, but the image is cropped at that point, so maybe a little clarification is in order.

 

[dyt1983]

You're quite possibly correct, but the top arrow in his image is pointing to the transparent bar in Firefox ...I see no "sliver", and the bottom arrow points to what I assume is the bottom limit of the window, but the image is cropped at that point, so maybe a little clarification is in order.

If everyone clarified and explained clearly in their OP, MacRumors would probably not exist.

I couldn't see the sliver in his pic either, but I know that one pixel line at the bottom of the menu bar has been the topic of many a discussion here.

You kind of assumed "maximised" = "full screen" (and it doesn't).

 

[Yoshi Yogurt]

The top is menu bar. You don't wanna get rid of that, do you?

No, of course not. I'm pointing out the 1 pixel sliver of my desktop wallpaper showing.

If I'm understanding you're question correctly, I think you'll find the problem is with the app (Firefox in this case) rather than OS X. When I click the full screen button in Safari, it's full screen ...i.e: borderless to the screen bezel all around, with the top menu only showing when I hover the pointer over it.

Edit: the image attached is of Safari at full screen, and it's all that I see on my desktop, not just the app window.

This is using 10.10.2 and all previous iterations of Yosemite. Maybe you should be posting your complaint on Firefox's forum?

Safari does the EXACT same thing. It's not firefox. It's all apps/programs

but the menu bar is the same size so you're not losing anything.

p.s. that Firefox "Zoom" animation is awful.

the menu bar is fine, Its just the blank 1 pixel bar between it and the apps.

Absolutely NO idea what "Zoom animation" you are talking about.

 

[Artimus12]

Right, so we're talking about the "sliver" arrowed in the image below ..which doesn't show on your original post.

@frnak posted a link to a thread on the topic above.

FWIW: it looks like it's there so you can drag the window size to suit your needs - but what do I know?

 

[dyt1983]

No, of course not. I'm pointing out the 1 pixel sliver of my desktop wallpaper showing.

the menu bar is fine, Its just the blank 1 pixel bar between it and the apps.

That 1 pixel bar is technically part of the menu bar. It's just transparent. Meaning the opaque menu bar plus the 1 pixel transparent part is the same height as the opaque menu bar on older versions.

Absolutely NO idea what "Zoom animation" you are talking about.

When you "Zoom" the window in Firefox to get the full window (the mode about which you are complaining), it does an animation worse than what people complain about for the app store. Not relevant, just an observation about how bad it was.

 

[Yoshi Yogurt]

Right, so we're talking about the "sliver" arrowed in the image below ..which doesn't show on your original post.

@frnak posted a link to a thread on the topic above.

FWIW: it looks like it's there so you can drag the window size to suit your needs - but what do I know?

I doubt it. I could do it without that in Windows and it's fine.

That 1 pixel bar is technically part of the menu bar. It's just transparent. Meaning the opaque menu bar plus the 1 pixel transparent part is the same height as the opaque menu bar on older versions.

That is mildly irritating and stupid. The window should fill up the entire screen. The bottom gap is even bigger, something like 2-5 pixels.


When you "Zoom" the window in Firefox to get the full window (the mode about which you are complaining), it does an animation worse than what people complain about for the app store. Not relevant, just an observation about how bad it was.

I don't think there is even an animation. I just drag the window or use shiftit. I usually keep it as large as possible anyway.

 

[Paradoxally]

No way to get rid of that unless you downgrade to Mavericks where it's much more discrete (see below). It was something that annoyed me on Yosemite.

On Safari

On Firefox with the developer theme

Keep in mind this is a retina Mac, so when you view screenshots like this it will look blown up. The usage reality is much less perceivable.

 

[Artimus12]

I really don't see what the annoyance is.

I've just moved to OS X after a 20 year MS Windows experience (I started with DOS and installed Win 3.0 in 1993) and those windows didn't have a separate menu bar! When you shrank\dragged a window to a smaller size, the menu would shrink with the window frame and the top of the screen would be empty! OS X works differently, it leaves the menu bar at the top of the screen! So a separation point is needed to mark the boundary between the window and top menu, plus the fact that it's so thin you have trouble distinguishing it from a border anyway ...the borders surrounding these posts are thicker, so are they annoying too?

Sorry, but I don't see an issue.

Edit: One solution to your "annoyance" is to open a window full screen, then 3 finger swipe right, open another window\app to full screen and 3 finger swipe again, open another window\app full screen, etc. etc! now 3 finger swipe up and choose your preferred window with a mouse click ...no sliver? problem solved.

 

[diegie]

I get your question and I have the same feeling.

At the top, there's always 1 pixel "space".
At the bottom there are a few pixel "space" if you use your dock at the bottom and enable autohide.
I too try to "drag" the windows further to the bottom to maximize it from time to time, but it will never happen

 

[Yoshi Yogurt]

I really don't see what the annoyance is.

I've just moved to OS X after a 20 year MS Windows experience (I started with DOS and installed Win 3.0 in 1993) and those windows didn't have a separate menu bar! When you shrank\dragged a window to a smaller size, the menu would shrink with the window frame and the top of the screen would be empty! OS X works differently, it leaves the menu bar at the top of the screen! So a separation point is needed to mark the boundary between the window and top menu, plus the fact that it's so thin you have trouble distinguishing it from a border anyway ...the borders surrounding these posts are thicker, so are they annoying too?

Sorry, but I don't see an issue.

It's just pointless. Why have it? Just get rid of it and have windows touch the menu bar. Same with the bottom. I'm losing screen real estate on an already small screen.(I KNOW 15" isn't small, but I've been using a 21" for 5+ years)

 

[Artimus12]

It's just pointless. Why have it? Just get rid of it and have windows touch the menu bar. Same with the bottom. I'm losing screen real estate on an already small screen.(I KNOW 15" isn't small, but I've been using a 21" for 5+ years)

Sorry, but See my edit above.

Anywhooo ...maybe the reason is so you can see it on even smaller displays than yours, my wife has an 11" MB air and that really is small.