How do I stop Unity from starting windows maximised?

Solution 1:

In 11.04, when Unity is the default for desktops as well as netbooks, this behaviour will be set based on screen size by default, but also customizable in Appearance Properties. You will be able to let the system decide, or configure it always to maximise (except blacklisted apps) or never to maximise.

Solution 2:

• Install CompizConfig Settings Manager.

  sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager
  

  • Warning: What are some of the issues with CCSM and why would I want to avoid it?

• Launch it by searching from the dash in Unity, or Preferences > CompizConfig Settings Manager in Ubuntu Classic

• Navigate to the Place Windows tab

• Adjust Placement Mode to your liking.

Solution 3:

The window is maximized if it is started with a size over 75% of the display.
You can unmaximize hitting the button or double clicking the title.
Note that there is a bug in this behavior, not all windows respecting that.

Why do firefox 4 and evolution always open maximized in Unity?

https://bugs.launchpad.net/unity/+bug/754214

I'm at mobile so I wiil fix the layout when I get home.

Solution 4:

I can't comment because my OpenID is broken so I can't log in as a privileged user, but (at least on 11.10) you can address the 75% rule in Compiz, too: it is currently under Desktop > Ubuntu Unity Plugin > Experimental

Set this value to 100% and all windows should open at their previous size.