Properly maximizing WPF window with WindowStyle=None

Question

There are two problems with WPF windows when the WindowStyle=None option is used.

1. The window covers the Taskbar when maximized.
2. Once maximized, the window cannot be dragged down to unmaximize.

How can these problems be corrected? Preferably without using Windows.Forms.

Answer 1

There are other answers to these problems online. However none of them take into acount how the solution will perform on setups with multiple monitors. Especially if the primary monitor is not the left-most in the setup.

I designed this code taking into account single and multiple monitors setups.

This solution also does not bring in Windows.Forms as a reference, it uses unmanagaged calls.

XAML

<Window x:Class="WpfApplication1.MainWindow"
        xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
        xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
        Title="MainWindow" Background="AliceBlue" WindowStyle="None" Height="350" Width="525" SourceInitialized="Window_SourceInitialized">
    <Grid>
        <Rectangle Name="rctHeader" Height="40" VerticalAlignment="Top" Fill="CadetBlue" PreviewMouseLeftButtonDown="rctHeader_PreviewMouseLeftButtonDown" PreviewMouseLeftButtonUp="rctHeader_PreviewMouseLeftButtonUp" PreviewMouseMove="rctHeader_PreviewMouseMove"/>
    </Grid>
</Window>

Code Behind

using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
using System.Windows.Interop;

private bool mRestoreIfMove = false;


public MainWindow()
{
    InitializeComponent();
}


void Window_SourceInitialized(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    IntPtr mWindowHandle = (new WindowInteropHelper(this)).Handle;
    HwndSource.FromHwnd(mWindowHandle).AddHook(new HwndSourceHook(WindowProc));
}


private static System.IntPtr WindowProc(IntPtr hwnd, int msg, IntPtr wParam, IntPtr lParam, ref bool handled)
{
   switch (msg)
     {
        case 0x0024:
        WmGetMinMaxInfo(hwnd, lParam);
        break;
     }

        return IntPtr.Zero;
 }


private static void WmGetMinMaxInfo(System.IntPtr hwnd, System.IntPtr lParam)
{
     POINT lMousePosition;
     GetCursorPos(out lMousePosition);

     IntPtr lPrimaryScreen = MonitorFromPoint(new POINT(0, 0), MonitorOptions.MONITOR_DEFAULTTOPRIMARY);
     MONITORINFO lPrimaryScreenInfo = new MONITORINFO();
     if (GetMonitorInfo(lPrimaryScreen, lPrimaryScreenInfo) == false)
     {
        return;
     }

     IntPtr lCurrentScreen = MonitorFromPoint(lMousePosition, MonitorOptions.MONITOR_DEFAULTTONEAREST);

     MINMAXINFO lMmi = (MINMAXINFO)Marshal.PtrToStructure(lParam, typeof(MINMAXINFO));

     if (lPrimaryScreen.Equals(lCurrentScreen) == true)
     {
            lMmi.ptMaxPosition.X = lPrimaryScreenInfo.rcWork.Left;
            lMmi.ptMaxPosition.Y = lPrimaryScreenInfo.rcWork.Top;
            lMmi.ptMaxSize.X = lPrimaryScreenInfo.rcWork.Right - lPrimaryScreenInfo.rcWork.Left;
            lMmi.ptMaxSize.Y = lPrimaryScreenInfo.rcWork.Bottom - lPrimaryScreenInfo.rcWork.Top;
     }
     else
     {
            lMmi.ptMaxPosition.X = lPrimaryScreenInfo.rcMonitor.Left;
            lMmi.ptMaxPosition.Y = lPrimaryScreenInfo.rcMonitor.Top;
            lMmi.ptMaxSize.X = lPrimaryScreenInfo.rcMonitor.Right - lPrimaryScreenInfo.rcMonitor.Left;
            lMmi.ptMaxSize.Y = lPrimaryScreenInfo.rcMonitor.Bottom - lPrimaryScreenInfo.rcMonitor.Top;
     }

     Marshal.StructureToPtr(lMmi, lParam, true);
}


private void SwitchWindowState()
{
   switch (WindowState)
   {
      case WindowState.Normal:
           {
              WindowState = WindowState.Maximized;
              break;
           }
      case WindowState.Maximized:
           {
              WindowState = WindowState.Normal;
              break;
           }
    }
}


private void rctHeader_PreviewMouseLeftButtonDown(object sender, MouseButtonEventArgs e)
{
    if (e.ClickCount == 2)
    {
       if ((ResizeMode == ResizeMode.CanResize) || (ResizeMode == ResizeMode.CanResizeWithGrip))
        {
           SwitchWindowState();
        }

         return;
     }

     else if (WindowState == WindowState.Maximized)
     {
        mRestoreIfMove = true;
        return;
     }

     DragMove();
}


private void rctHeader_PreviewMouseLeftButtonUp(object sender, MouseButtonEventArgs e)
{
    mRestoreIfMove = false;
}


private void rctHeader_PreviewMouseMove(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
   if (mRestoreIfMove)
   {
            mRestoreIfMove = false;

            double percentHorizontal = e.GetPosition(this).X / ActualWidth;
            double targetHorizontal = RestoreBounds.Width * percentHorizontal;

            double percentVertical = e.GetPosition(this).Y / ActualHeight;
            double targetVertical = RestoreBounds.Height * percentVertical;

            WindowState = WindowState.Normal;

            POINT lMousePosition;
            GetCursorPos(out lMousePosition);

            Left = lMousePosition.X - targetHorizontal;
            Top = lMousePosition.Y - targetVertical;

            DragMove();
    }
}

[DllImport("user32.dll")]
[return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
static extern bool GetCursorPos(out POINT lpPoint);


[DllImport("user32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
static extern IntPtr MonitorFromPoint(POINT pt, MonitorOptions dwFlags);

enum MonitorOptions : uint
{
        MONITOR_DEFAULTTONULL = 0x00000000,
        MONITOR_DEFAULTTOPRIMARY = 0x00000001,
        MONITOR_DEFAULTTONEAREST = 0x00000002
}


[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern bool GetMonitorInfo(IntPtr hMonitor, MONITORINFO lpmi);


[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
public struct POINT
{
        public int X;
        public int Y;

        public POINT(int x, int y)
        {
            this.X = x;
            this.Y = y;
        }
}


[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
public struct MINMAXINFO
{
        public POINT ptReserved;
        public POINT ptMaxSize;
        public POINT ptMaxPosition;
        public POINT ptMinTrackSize;
        public POINT ptMaxTrackSize;
};


[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential, CharSet = CharSet.Auto)]
public class MONITORINFO
{
        public int cbSize = Marshal.SizeOf(typeof(MONITORINFO));
        public RECT rcMonitor = new RECT();
        public RECT rcWork = new RECT();
        public int dwFlags = 0;
}


[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
public struct RECT
{
        public int Left, Top, Right, Bottom;

        public RECT(int left, int top, int right, int bottom)
        {
            this.Left = left;
            this.Top = top;
            this.Right = right;
            this.Bottom = bottom;
        }
}

Answer 2

I have a nice quick and dirty solution. Try following code when maximize your none bordered window:

if (WindowState == WindowState.Normal)
{
      WindowStyle = WindowStyle.SingleBorderWindow;
      WindowState = WindowState.Maximized;
      WindowStyle = WindowStyle.None;
}

The trick is to set the WindowStyle to SingleBorderWindow then maximize the window and set it back to None.

Answer 3

Such a nice code leebickmtu!

I had a little issue with multiple monitors, in windows 10 : since there is a taskBar on each screen, if you maximize your window on a secondary screen his taskbar become hidden.

I just modify a bit this method, in order to have relative position from any screen :

private static void WmGetMinMaxInfo(System.IntPtr hwnd, System.IntPtr lParam)
    {
        POINT lMousePosition;
        GetCursorPos(out lMousePosition);

        IntPtr lCurrentScreen = MonitorFromPoint(lMousePosition, MonitorOptions.MONITOR_DEFAULTTONEAREST);


        MINMAXINFO lMmi = (MINMAXINFO)Marshal.PtrToStructure(lParam, typeof(MINMAXINFO));

        MONITORINFO lCurrentScreenInfo = new MONITORINFO();
        if (GetMonitorInfo(lCurrentScreen, lCurrentScreenInfo) == false)
        {
            return;
        }

        //Position relative pour notre fenêtre
        lMmi.ptMaxPosition.X = lCurrentScreenInfo.rcWork.Left - lCurrentScreenInfo.rcMonitor.Left;
        lMmi.ptMaxPosition.Y = lCurrentScreenInfo.rcWork.Top - lCurrentScreenInfo.rcMonitor.Top;
        lMmi.ptMaxSize.X = lCurrentScreenInfo.rcWork.Right - lCurrentScreenInfo.rcWork.Left;
        lMmi.ptMaxSize.Y = lCurrentScreenInfo.rcWork.Bottom - lCurrentScreenInfo.rcWork.Top;

        Marshal.StructureToPtr(lMmi, lParam, true);
    }

Hope this help...

Answer 4

leebickmtu's answer is basically correct, but has some extraneous code and picks the monitor based one where the cursor is, rather than where the window is. That would have the wrong behavior if the mouse is on a different monitor and the user presses Win+Up to maximize. We should be using MonitorFromWindow to identify the monitor to maximize to.

Put the following in your window codebehind:

protected override void OnSourceInitialized(EventArgs e)
{
    base.OnSourceInitialized(e);
    ((HwndSource)PresentationSource.FromVisual(this)).AddHook(HookProc);
}

public static IntPtr HookProc(IntPtr hwnd, int msg, IntPtr wParam, IntPtr lParam, ref bool handled)
{
    if (msg == WM_GETMINMAXINFO)
    {
        // We need to tell the system what our size should be when maximized. Otherwise it will
        // cover the whole screen, including the task bar.
        MINMAXINFO mmi = (MINMAXINFO)Marshal.PtrToStructure(lParam, typeof(MINMAXINFO));

        // Adjust the maximized size and position to fit the work area of the correct monitor
        IntPtr monitor = MonitorFromWindow(hwnd, MONITOR_DEFAULTTONEAREST);

        if (monitor != IntPtr.Zero)
        {
            MONITORINFO monitorInfo = new MONITORINFO();
            monitorInfo.cbSize = Marshal.SizeOf(typeof(MONITORINFO));
            GetMonitorInfo(monitor, ref monitorInfo);
            RECT rcWorkArea = monitorInfo.rcWork;
            RECT rcMonitorArea = monitorInfo.rcMonitor;
            mmi.ptMaxPosition.X = Math.Abs(rcWorkArea.Left - rcMonitorArea.Left);
            mmi.ptMaxPosition.Y = Math.Abs(rcWorkArea.Top - rcMonitorArea.Top);
            mmi.ptMaxSize.X = Math.Abs(rcWorkArea.Right - rcWorkArea.Left);
            mmi.ptMaxSize.Y = Math.Abs(rcWorkArea.Bottom - rcWorkArea.Top);
        }

        Marshal.StructureToPtr(mmi, lParam, true);
    }

    return IntPtr.Zero;
}

private const int WM_GETMINMAXINFO = 0x0024;

private const uint MONITOR_DEFAULTTONEAREST = 0x00000002;

[DllImport("user32.dll")]
private static extern IntPtr MonitorFromWindow(IntPtr handle, uint flags);

[DllImport("user32.dll")]
private static extern bool GetMonitorInfo(IntPtr hMonitor, ref MONITORINFO lpmi);

[Serializable]
[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
public struct RECT
{
    public int Left;
    public int Top;
    public int Right;
    public int Bottom;

    public RECT(int left, int top, int right, int bottom)
    {
        this.Left = left;
        this.Top = top;
        this.Right = right;
        this.Bottom = bottom;
    }
}

[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
public struct MONITORINFO
{
    public int cbSize;
    public RECT rcMonitor;
    public RECT rcWork;
    public uint dwFlags;
}

[Serializable]
[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
public struct POINT
{
    public int X;
    public int Y;

    public POINT(int x, int y)
    {
        this.X = x;
        this.Y = y;
    }
}

[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
public struct MINMAXINFO
{
    public POINT ptReserved;
    public POINT ptMaxSize;
    public POINT ptMaxPosition;
    public POINT ptMinTrackSize;
    public POINT ptMaxTrackSize;
}

Answer 5

If only one monitor is used another simple approach is to set the maximum height of the window. The System.Windows.SystemParameters class provides some usefull values e.g. PrimaryScreenHeight or MaximizedPrimaryScreenHeight.

In my sample code i use MaximizedPrimaryScreenHeight and subtract the ResizeBorderThickness i set in WindowChrome.

using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Shell;

public partial class MainWindow : Window
{
    public MainWindow()
    {
        InitializeComponent();

        Thickness resizeBorderThickness = WindowChrome.GetWindowChrome(this).ResizeBorderThickness;
        this.MaxHeight = SystemParameters.MaximizedPrimaryScreenHeight - resizeBorderThickness.Top - resizeBorderThickness.Bottom;
    }
}

Answer 6

Building on Dennis' excellent solution:

private void MainWindow_Loaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
    HandleWinMaximized();
    StateChanged += MainWindow_StateChanged;
}

private void MainWindow_StateChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    HandleWinMaximized();
}

private void HandleWinMaximized()
{
    if (WindowState == WindowState.Maximized)
    {
        WindowStyle = WindowStyle.SingleBorderWindow;
        WindowStyle = WindowStyle.None;
    }
}