Red Button On Top Left Actually Quitting Apps Now

catalina

So yesterday, I noticed that when I click the top red button on the top left of my browser (Safari and Chrome), instead of simply hiding the window, it quits the browser and closes all my tabs. The dot under the browser icon is still visible, but when I click on it, it doesn't allow me to resume my prior browsing session and basically opens a new browsing session. My Mac is up to date (macOS Catalina 10.15.6). I'm really confused and was wondering if there's any issue with my MacBook or if anyone has been experiencing something similar?

Best Answer

No, the red dot acts as it always had. The dot under (or next to) the app icon in the Dock indicates the app is still running. You can verify this by doing several things:

  • Running Activity Monitor and looking for the app in the list of Process names (You'll see a lot of Google Chrome processes)
  • Use the Command - Tab app switcher, which will show the apps as active and available.
  • The app name should still be showing to the right of the Apple menu item in the menu bar.