Opening and closing applications

Opening and closing applications is a common task when using a computer. Here's how you can open and close applications on Windows and macOS:

Opening Applications:

Windows:

1. Click on the "Start" button (Windows logo) in the bottom-left corner of the screen to open the Start Menu.

2. From the Start Menu, you can:

   - Scroll through the list of installed applications and click on the desired one to open it.

   - Start typing the name of the application in the search bar at the bottom of the Start Menu. Windows will display relevant results, and you can click on the application you want to open.

   - If the application is pinned to the taskbar (the bar at the bottom of the screen), you can click on its icon to open it directly.

   - Alternatively, you can navigate to the location where the application is installed (e.g., the "Program Files" folder) and double-click on the application's executable file (ending with ".exe") to launch it.

macOS:

1. Click on the Finder icon (the smiley face) located in the Dock, typically at the bottom of the screen.

2. In the Finder window, select "Applications" in the sidebar on the left.

3. Scroll through the list of applications or use the search bar in the top-right corner to find the desired application.

4. Double-click on the application icon to open it.

Closing Applications:

Windows:

1. Locate the application window you want to close.

2. Click on the "X" button in the top-right corner of the window. Alternatively, some applications may have a "Close" or "Exit" option in their menus, which you can select to close the application.

3. The application window will close, and the application will exit. However, some applications may continue running in the background even after closing their windows. To completely exit those applications, you may need to right-click on their icons in the system tray (the area near the clock) and select "Exit" or a similar option.

macOS:

1. Select the application window you want to close.

2. Click on the red circle button in the top-left corner of the window. This button typically has a small dot inside it. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Command+W to close the active window.

3. The application window will close, but unlike Windows, most applications on macOS remain running even after their windows are closed. To completely quit an application, click on the application name in the top-left menu bar, and then select "Quit [Application Name]." Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Command+Q to quit the application.

Remember that some applications may have autosave features, so closing a document or window may not necessarily close the entire application. To fully exit an application, follow the steps mentioned above to quit it completely.

Note: The specific steps for opening and closing applications may vary slightly depending on the version of the operating system you are using and any customizations you have made to your computer.