Member Avatar for Afghan2

Hey guys, what is the defferince between apply and ok in windows?

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Short, practical summary for :

The Windows UX guidance treats these buttons distinctly: OK commits the current changes (performs the action) and closes the dialog; Apply commits the changes but keeps the dialog open so you can continue adjusting settings; Cancel abandons changes and closes. Apply is intended mainly for property sheets/control‑panel style dialogs where users may change settings on multiple tabs. (learn.microsoft.com)

When to use each one:

  • Use OK when you’re done and want the change saved and the window closed.
  • Use Apply when you want to test or make several changes across tabs without closing the dialog (click Apply between tabs so earlier edits take effect). In well‑written dialogs, OK usually does the apply+close in one click, but some older or poorly implemented dialogs require Apply to persist changes. (learn.microsoft.com)

Quick keyboard and behavior tips:

  • Enter activates the dialog’s default button (usually OK); Esc maps to Cancel.
  • The title‑bar Close button should act like Cancel/Close (not OK). Modeless dialogs often don’t use OK/Apply; they use Close or task‑specific buttons instead. (learn.microsoft.com)

Troubleshooting note: if a dialog behaves oddly (changes aren’t saved by OK or buttons are missing), the safe sequence is exactly what recommended — click Apply to commit, then OK to close. For modern apps you may also see instant‑apply UIs (no OK/Apply), which is by design in many newer interfaces. (howtogeek.com)

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Member Avatar for JorgeM

Apply will apply your changes without closing the window. OK will apply the changes and also close/exit the window.

Member Avatar for hefaz

I think apply will just apply the changes you made recently, how ever ok will confirm those changes.

Member Avatar for Afghan2

Thanks guys.

Member Avatar for Reverend Jim

In rare cases (even with Microsoft apps), clicking OK may not APPLY your changes. To be safe I usually click APPLY then OK.

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