Is it possible to maximize, minimize or get the state of my figure programmatically in MATLAB?

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I would like to maximize, minimize or restore my figure programmatically in MATLAB.
I also want to get the position of a maximized window to know where I can place figures on the screen.

Accepted Answer

MathWorks Support Team
MathWorks Support Team on 27 Jan 2024
Edited: MathWorks Support Team on 27 Jan 2024
MATLAB R2018a and later
Starting in MATLAB R2018a, you can use the "
WindowState"
 property to maximize, minimize, or display a figure in full-screen mode.
Please run the below command in the MATLAB R2018a command window to get the release specific documentation:
web(fullfile(docroot, 'matlab/ref/matlab.ui.figure-properties.html#d119e305946'))
This is the recommended approach for versions of MATLAB R2018a onward.
To maximize a window and retrieve its full position in the monitor:
>> f = figure('WindowState','maximized');
>> pause(1);
>> f.Position
Unfortunately if the "pause" command is not present inside the script, it returns the original position faster than the figure maximizes, so in your function, I recommend including this "pause" to ensure the full screen position is calculated. The length of the "pause" may need to be increased for older systems.
MATLAB R2017b and earlier
As a workaround for MATLAB 7.4 (R2007a) through MATLAB R2017b, the attached files maxfig.p, minfig.p and figstate.p (with help files maxfig.m, minfig.m and figstate.m) allow you to perform these actions as follows:
minfig(F,1) % Minimizes the figure window for the figure with handle F
minfig(F,0) % Restores figure F if F is minimized
maxfig(F,1) % Maximizes the figure window for the figure with handle F
maxfig(F,0) % Restores figure F if F is maximized
s = figstate(F) % Returns the state of figure { Maximized | Minimized | Normal }
Please note that querying the figure position immediately after using these functions may not work reliably unless the figure resize is complete.
There are no workarounds for versions prior to MATLAB 7.4 (R2007a).
Please follow the below link to search for the required information regarding the current release:
https://www.mathworks.com/help/
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More Answers (1)

Jan
Jan on 27 Sep 2014
Edited: MathWorks Support Team on 15 May 2023
In reply to Max Müller's comment: I'm not sure if this works under 2006a already, but it fails under R6.5:
jFrame = get(handle(FigureHandle), 'JavaFrame');
jFrame.setMaximized(1);
Other useful methods:
jFrame.setMaximized(0);
jFrame.setMinimized(1);
jFrame.isMaximized % Thanks Image Analyst
jFrame.isMinimized
Alternatively you can use FEX: WindowAPI under Windows.

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