Mac Window

/ NSWindow · WindowGroup /

also called app window, document window, NSWindow, window frame

A Mac window is the movable, usually resizable frame that holds one app surface. Its top chrome can combine a draggable title bar, title, toolbar, accessories, and document tabs, while the red, yellow, and green traffic lights remain their own standard controls. Window tabs belong to the frame and group separate windows; an in-content tab view only switches content inside one window.

If you called it…

“the whole mac app box on screen”“the top of the window where you can drag it”“the little control inside the title bar”“a button next to the traffic lights”“the tabs built into the mac window frame”“the tiny corner grip for resizing the window”

…you meant a mac window.

Anatomy — every part, named

1
Title barNSWindow.titleVisibility
“The strip across the top of the window” is the title bar, which can remain present even when its title text is hidden.
2
Window drag regionNSWindow.isMovableByWindowBackground
The blank area you grab to move the window is its drag region, not necessarily the visible title text.
3
Window titleNSWindow.title
The document or screen name printed in the title bar is the window title.
4
Unified toolbarNSWindow.ToolbarStyle.unified
When the title and window actions share one top row, that chrome uses the unified toolbar style.
5
Toolbar itemNSToolbarItem
One button, field, or flexible space placed in the window toolbar is a toolbar item.
6
Title-bar accessoryNSTitlebarAccessoryViewController
“The little control inside the title bar” is a title-bar accessory, separate from both the toolbar and traffic lights.
7
Title-bar separatorNSWindow.titlebarSeparatorStyle
The hairline between the window's top chrome and its content is the title-bar separator.
8
Window tabsNSWindowTabGroup
Tabs in the window frame group separate document windows; they are not an NSTabView inside the content area.
9
Resize edge / cornerNSWindow.StyleMask.resizable
“The tiny corner grip” means the resize edge or corner, which may be interactive even when no grip is drawn.

Prompt — paste into your agent

Build this as a native Mac Window (NSWindow; SwiftUI: Window or WindowGroup). Distinguish the draggable title-bar region from NSWindow.title, use an NSToolbar for unified chrome, attach custom title-bar controls with NSTitlebarAccessoryViewController, and preserve native window tabs and resize edges.

Debug prompt — when it misbehaves

Paste this, then describe what you’re seeing — it hands your agent the classic failure modes to rule out first.

Debug my macOS window (NSWindow). Rule out: content underlapping the title bar because fullSizeContentView plus transparent title bar is set; the window not draggable where expected — isMovableByWindowBackground vs a draggable title bar area; keystrokes going nowhere because the first responder was cleared; frame autosave restoring an old position over your manual setFrame. The symptom:

In code

The exact names this thing goes by in code — each row is one framework’s word for it. Use the row that matches your project (or paste it into your prompt).

AppKit	`NSWindow`
SwiftUI	`WindowGroup`
SwiftUI	`Window`
AppKit	`NSWindowController`

If you called it…

Anatomy — every part, named

Prompt — paste into your agent

Debug prompt — when it misbehaves

In code

See also

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