Title bar

Title bar of GNOME Calculator.

In computing, the title bar is a graphical control element and part of the window decoration. As a convention it is located at the top of the window as a horizontal bar.

Default title-bar text often incorporates the name of the application and/or of its developer. The name of the host running the application also appears frequently. Various methods (menu-selections, escape sequences, setup parameters, command-line options — depending on the computing environment) may exist to give the end-user some control of title-bar text. Document-oriented applications like a text editor may display the filename or path of the document being edited. Most web browsers will render the contents of the HTML element title in their title bar, often pre- or postfixed by the application name. Google Chrome and some versions of Mozilla Firefox place their tabs in the title bar. This makes it unnecessary to use the main window for the tabs, but usually results in the title becoming truncated.

The title bar often contains widgets for system commands relating to the window, such as a maximize, minimize, rollup and close buttons; and may include other content such as an application icon, a clock, etc.

In many graphical user interfaces, including the Mac OS and Microsoft Windows interfaces, the user may move a window by grabbing the title bar and dragging.

Types of titlebar

Typically titlebars can be used to provide window motion enabling the window to be moved around the screen by using a drag action.

Titlebar buttons

Some window managers provide titlebar buttons which provide the facility to minimize, maximize, roll-up or close application windows. Some window managers may display the titlebar buttons in the taskbar or taskpanel, rather than in the titlebars.

The following buttons may appear in the titlebar:

• close
• maximize
• minimize
• resize
• roll-up

Note that a context menu may be available from some titlebar buttons or by right-clicking.

Titlebar icon

Some window managers display a small icon in the titlebar that may vary according to the application on which it appears. The titlebar icon may behave like a menu button, or may provide a context menu facility. Mac OS X applications commonly have a proxy icon next to the window title that functions the same as the document's icon in the file manager.

Document status icon

Some window managers display an icon or symbol to indicate that the contents of the window have not been saved or confirmed in some way: Mac OS X displays a dot in the center of its close button; RISC OS appends an asterisk to the title.

Tiling window managers

Some tiling window managers provide title bars which are purely for informative purposes and offer no controls or menus. These window managers do not allow windows to be moved around the screen by using a drag action on the titlebar.

List of OS specific window managers and the types of titlebar they use

OS	Icon	Back	Close	Maximize	Menu	Meta	Minimize	Resize	Roll-up	Status	Context menu	Notes
OS X	Yes		Yes	Yes			Yes			Yes
RISC OS		Yes	Yes	Yes			Yes			Yes
Windows	Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes				Yes	Icon is context menu

Many X window managers for Linux/Unix allow customization of the buttons shown in the title bar, some with much greater flexibility than others.

See also

• Window manager
• Desktop environment

External links

• Example and discussion using Microsoft Paint's title bar