Every time I open Inkscape, the Objects dialog is tiny, showing me only one object (see image). And for some reason, it's terribly difficult to resize.

I want the blasted thing to stay large enough to see several objects, as it did in pre–version 1 Inkscape. Is there some way to do that that I'm missing?

Thank you!

Have you looked at Edit>Preferences>Interface>Windows settings ? 

Also I have a 2nd monitor ( Samsung 1024*1280 from 2004 ! ), you can have dialogues on a 2nd monitor all the time if you want.

Inkscape remembers the layouts when I open and close Inkscape.

My apologies for not responding sooner. Things are very zoo-like here.

As for Inkscape, it thinks it is restoring everything! All the preferences are for restoring my past state.

I don't know why it isn't.  It's infuriating!

Maybe it's just because my system/computer are so very old. . . .

I don't think there is a way to have it fully open on launch.

I don't find it difficult to resize, but it might be easier to get the vertical drag handle by approaching it from below.

Yeah. I get the vertical drag handle just fine. But the blasted thing won't move! I move the vertical drag handle down, and it magically stops being the vertical drag handle and—if I'm lucky—nothing happens. If I'm unlucky, it messes with the opacity setting.

Sigh.  I guess it must be something about my system. . . .

Thanks anyway.

Please describe your OS/Version and any additional hardware like tablet/stylus, multiple monitors, screen magnifier software, etc.

Well, I'm running a late 2009 iMac with macOS 10.13.6 (High Sierra, which is the highest it will go). At present nothing extra.

I think it may have something to do with my shutdown and restarting the system. I just re-opened Inkscape for a second session on this startup, and now it remembers the dialog box size.

I think I've figured it out, so I thought I should explain, just in case this obscure issue ever bothers anyone else.

Every night, before I shutdown, I run OnyX on my drive, in the hopes of keeping my dying Mac alive a little longer. I found out that Onyx was clearing saved application states, returning every application to its default state. I changed that setting, and now my files open the way I left them.

I still don't know what was up with Inkscape not letting me resize the dialog box, but again, as I said, my machine is on its last legs, so that might just be a problem arising from that.

Thanks so much, everyone!