Cmd + Tab and closing but not quitting apps

[Nick5a1]

Hi all,

I've just switched to mac from windows and am pleasantly surprised how quickly I'm picking everything up, but I do have a query regarding Cmd + Tab, which seems similar to the windows Alt + Tab.

So I notice I can change applications with Cmd + Tab, but only so long as the app is open. If the app is minimized or exited, it still shows up in the Cmd + Tab list but selecting it does not open or maximize it. What am I missing here? What is the point of having these apps display in the list if selecting them does nothing?

Secondly, when I click the red X to close an application, it "closes" it but does not quit from it unless I right click the app in the dock and choose quit. Are the apps that are "closed but not quitted" taking up system resources? And when I restart my computer, all the open apps I have restart, which makes sense, but all the "closed but not quitted" apps open up too. Again, I'm not sure what the point of this is? Am I using the close button incorrectly?

Thanks very much for any input!

Nick

 

[PlaceofDis]

quitting apps in OS X is a lot different than Windows. The red button only closes a window rather than the whole application thus it is still "open" but with not active windows. the easiest, imo, way to quit apps is to use command+q to quit them completely. most apps are probably not using much, if any, resources when the windows are all closed but it does make it quicker to switch back to them rather than having to open then from scratch again. i hope all of that makes sense.

the reason they reopen on a restart is because they were never fully quit in the first place and the system read them as active apps upon shutdown.

 

[GGJstudios]

If the app is minimized or exited, it still shows up in the Cmd + Tab list but selecting it does not open or maximize it.

If the app is not running, it won't show up. You're right, if it's minimized, Cmd-Tab will not maximize it. It changes the focus to that app, but won't affect minimized windows.

Secondly, when I click the red X to close an application, it "closes" it but does not quit from it unless I right click the app in the dock and choose quit.

The red x closes a window. For a single-window app like System Preferences or Photo Booth, that also quits the app. For a multi-window app like Safari or Word, it only closes that window, but doesn't quit the app. Use Cmd-Q to quit.

And when I restart my computer, all the open apps I have restart, which makes sense, but all the "closed but not quitted" apps open up too.

Uncheck this box before restarting:

 

[Nick5a1]

Thanks guys, what you've both said makes sense. Starting to feel at home in OS X, much appreciated.