How do I get rid of the Python Tkinter root window?

Sometimes while testing a Tkinter application, you may need to hide or close the default root window. Python Tkinter provides two main methods: destroy() to permanently close the window and withdraw() to temporarily hide it.

Using destroy() Method

The destroy() method permanently closes the Tkinter window and terminates the application ?

from tkinter import *

# Create an instance of window
win = Tk()
win.geometry("700x400")

def close_window():
    win.destroy()

# Create a Label
Label(win, text="Type Something", font=('Helvetica bold', 25), 
      fg="green").pack(pady=20)

# Create a Text widget
text = Text(win, height=10, width=40)
text.pack()

# Create a Quit Button
Button(win, text="Quit", command=close_window, fg="white",
       bg="black", width=20).pack(pady=20)

win.mainloop()

Using withdraw() Method

The withdraw() method hides the window from the screen but keeps it in memory. You can restore it later using deiconify() ?

from tkinter import *

# Create an instance of window
win = Tk()
win.geometry("700x400")

def hide_window():
    win.withdraw()

def show_window():
    win.deiconify()

# Create buttons
Button(win, text="Hide Window", command=hide_window, 
       bg="red", fg="white", width=15).pack(pady=10)

Button(win, text="Show Window", command=show_window, 
       bg="green", fg="white", width=15).pack(pady=10)

win.mainloop()

Hiding Root Window at Startup

You can hide the root window immediately when the application starts ?

from tkinter import *

# Create root window
root = Tk()

# Hide the root window immediately
root.withdraw()

# Create a popup dialog instead
from tkinter import messagebox
messagebox.showinfo("Hidden Root", "The root window is hidden!")

# Optionally show it again
root.deiconify()
root.geometry("300x200")
Label(root, text="Root window is now visible").pack(pady=50)

root.mainloop()

Comparison

Conclusion

Use destroy() to permanently close the Tkinter window and exit the application. Use withdraw() to temporarily hide the window while keeping it accessible for later use.