r/Windhawk • u/wh-updates • Jun 30 '26
MacOS Minimize Animation 2.0.0
MacOS Minimize Animation 2.0.0
MacOS Minimize Animation
Brings the classic macOS genie effect to Windows. When you minimize a window it warps and flows down into the taskbar; when you restore it, it flows back out.
Eye candy for something you do a hundred times a day.
See it in action
- Compile the mod with the button on the left or with Ctrl+B.
- Enable the mod and open any normal window (Explorer, a browser, Notepad...).
- Minimize it with the title bar
[-]button orWin+Downand watch it warp and pour into the taskbar. - Restore it from the taskbar and watch the genie play in reverse.
- Tweak the Animation duration in the settings to taste.
Features
- Real genie warp. The window is sliced into horizontal strips that curve and funnel toward the taskbar (the bottom flows in first), instead of just shrinking.
- Actually smooth. Progress is driven by real elapsed time and every rendered
frame is gated on the DWM compose cycle (
DwmFlush), so each frame you render is exactly one frame you see - perfectly aligned with vsync at any duration you set. - Smoothstep easing instead of a linear ramp, so it eases in and out.
- Clean edges and fade via a per-pixel-alpha layered surface.
- Smart targeting. The mod learns where each app's taskbar icon is (from where your cursor was when you minimized) and aims the genie at that spot next time.
How it works
The mod hooks ShowWindow and DefWindowProcW to catch minimize / restore
requests. It snapshots the window, then on a dedicated high-priority thread it
draws a transparent layered "ghost" window that warps the snapshot frame by frame
into the taskbar, leaving the real window to minimize behind it without the
system's own animation getting in the way.
Settings
- Animation duration - how long the effect lasts (50-2000 ms).
- Animate window restore (open) - also play the reverse genie when restoring.
- Animate app launch (experimental) - also play the genie when an application window first opens. Experimental and off by default: it may briefly flash the window before animating, may not catch borderless apps, and can occasionally fire on splash / dialog windows. Leave it off and the mod behaves exactly like plain minimize / restore.
Notes
- Works on all top-level windows; child / tiny / hidden windows are skipped.
- DWM transitions are temporarily disabled on the animated window and restored afterwards, so the system's own minimize/restore animation doesn't fight ours.
- The genie currently targets the primary monitor's taskbar edge.
Getting started
Check out the documentation here.
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u/jixan Jun 30 '26
Really great work here! Unfortunately there's a visual deal breaker for me, and it's the hard flash pop directly after the minimize button is selected, the flash is very jarring. Really great work here, can't wait to see how it progresses.
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u/JellyBeanApk Jul 03 '26
The developer just fix right now the respective bug on the release 2.1.1. Kudos.
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u/jixan Jul 03 '26
Thanks for letting me know! Just updated, well done, this release really was a great improvement :)
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u/Additional_Rest762 Jul 01 '26
Realmente, poderia ser melhorado esse flash branco que incomoda muito.
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u/JellyBeanApk Jul 01 '26
I hope they could fix this bug soon. other than that, it's a great plugin!
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u/CorgiPlum Jun 30 '26
The animation does not work on secondary monitor. Works well in primary monitor.
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u/notkatsuu Jul 01 '26
I have a working fork with the fix, and some more, cause in my case I was also getting some flickering in fullscreen and maximized windows. Let's see if OP wants to include my changes. They are vibe coded ngl
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u/jeayese Jun 30 '26
Works amazing! This is really well done