Abstract: Expanding and contracting a display screen container. Data is stored in a computer readable medium. The data represents a screen container such as a graphical desktop user interface displayable to a user on a computer display of a computing device. Data is stored representing artifacts, including one or more application graphical user interface artifacts for applications that are instantiated on the computing device. Information is stored specifying locations where each of the artifacts should be graphically located in the screen container. The graphical size of screen container is determined by the locations of the artifacts. Based on user input, a portion of the screen container is displayed to the user on the computer display of the computing device. The screen container may be expanded or contracted based on opening or closing graphical user interface artifacts, adding or removing artifacts, or repositioning artifacts.