diff --git a/common/general.h b/common/general.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c9253267
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/general.h
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+#ifndef H_COMMON_GENERAL
+#define H_COMMON_GENERAL
+
+int max(int first, int second)
+{
+	return (first < second) ? second : first;
+}
+
+#endif
diff --git a/darwin/button.m b/darwin/button.m
index c3a6e075..1813e1f7 100644
--- a/darwin/button.m
+++ b/darwin/button.m
@@ -1,5 +1,36 @@
 // 13 august 2015
 #import "uipriv_darwin.h"
+#import "../common/general.h"
+
+@interface libui_NSButton : NSButton
+@property int minWidth;
+@property int minHeight;
+- (id)initWithFrame:(NSRect)frameRect;
+@end
+
+@implementation libui_NSButton
+
+- (id)initWithFrame:(NSRect)frameRect
+{
+	self = [super initWithFrame: frameRect];
+	if (self) {
+		self.minHeight = -1;
+		self.minWidth = -1;
+	}
+	return self;
+}
+
+- (NSSize)intrinsicContentSize
+{
+	NSSize s;
+
+	s = [super intrinsicContentSize];
+	s.width = max(self.minWidth, s.width);
+	s.height = max(self.minHeight, s.height);
+	return s;
+}
+
+@end
 
 struct uiButton {
 	uiDarwinControl c;
@@ -78,6 +109,20 @@ void uiButtonSetText(uiButton *b, const char *text)
 	[b->button setTitle:uiprivToNSString(text)];
 }
 
+void uiButtonSetMinSize(uiButton *b, int width, int height)
+{
+	libui_NSButton *libui_btn = (libui_NSButton *)b->button;
+	libui_btn.minWidth = width;
+	libui_btn.minHeight = height;
+}
+
+void uiButtonPreferredSize(uiButton *b, int *width, int *height)
+{
+	NSSize s = b->button.intrinsicContentSize;
+	*width = s.width;
+	*height = s.height;
+}
+
 void uiButtonOnClicked(uiButton *b, void (*f)(uiButton *, void *), void *data)
 {
 	b->onClicked = f;
@@ -95,7 +140,7 @@ uiButton *uiNewButton(const char *text)
 
 	uiDarwinNewControl(uiButton, b);
 
-	b->button = [[NSButton alloc] initWithFrame:NSZeroRect];
+	b->button = [[libui_NSButton alloc] initWithFrame:NSZeroRect];
 	[b->button setTitle:uiprivToNSString(text)];
 	[b->button setButtonType:NSMomentaryPushInButton];
 	[b->button setBordered:YES];
diff --git a/examples/controlgallery/main.c b/examples/controlgallery/main.c
index c0d536c1..4ba5cc8a 100644
--- a/examples/controlgallery/main.c
+++ b/examples/controlgallery/main.c
@@ -37,6 +37,11 @@ static uiControl *makeBasicControlsPage(void)
 	uiBoxAppend(hbox,
 		uiControl(uiNewCheckbox("Checkbox")),
 		0);
+	uiButton *btn = uiNewButton("Wide");
+	uiButtonSetMinSize(btn, 150, -1);
+	uiBoxAppend(hbox,
+		uiControl(btn),
+		0);
 
 	uiBoxAppend(vbox,
 		uiControl(uiNewLabel("This is a label. Right now, labels can only span one line.")),
diff --git a/ui.h b/ui.h
index e73e35b6..9ce47d34 100644
--- a/ui.h
+++ b/ui.h
@@ -144,6 +144,8 @@ _UI_EXTERN char *uiButtonText(uiButton *b);
 _UI_EXTERN void uiButtonSetText(uiButton *b, const char *text);
 _UI_EXTERN void uiButtonOnClicked(uiButton *b, void (*f)(uiButton *b, void *data), void *data);
 _UI_EXTERN uiButton *uiNewButton(const char *text);
+_UI_EXTERN void uiButtonSetMinSize(uiButton *b, int width, int height);
+_UI_EXTERN void uiButtonPreferredSize(uiButton *b, int *width, int *height);
 
 typedef struct uiBox uiBox;
 #define uiBox(this) ((uiBox *) (this))
diff --git a/unix/button.c b/unix/button.c
index 00a87f49..6c23dbb5 100644
--- a/unix/button.c
+++ b/unix/button.c
@@ -33,6 +33,18 @@ void uiButtonSetText(uiButton *b, const char *text)
 	gtk_button_set_label(b->button, text);
 }
 
+void uiButtonSetMinSize(uiButton *b, int width, int height)
+{
+	gtk_widget_set_size_request(b->widget, width, height);
+}
+
+void uiButtonPreferredSize(uiButton *b, int *width, int *height)
+{
+	gtk_widget_show(b->widget);
+	gtk_widget_get_preferred_height(b->widget, NULL, height);
+	gtk_widget_get_preferred_width(b->widget, NULL, width);
+}
+
 void uiButtonOnClicked(uiButton *b, void (*f)(uiButton *, void *), void *data)
 {
 	b->onClicked = f;
diff --git a/windows/button.cpp b/windows/button.cpp
index d8913ec7..3acaaa67 100644
--- a/windows/button.cpp
+++ b/windows/button.cpp
@@ -1,11 +1,14 @@
 // 7 april 2015
 #include "uipriv_windows.hpp"
+#include "../common/general.h"
 
 struct uiButton {
 	uiWindowsControl c;
 	HWND hwnd;
 	void (*onClicked)(uiButton *, void *);
 	void *onClickedData;
+	int minHeight;
+	int minWidth;
 };
 
 static BOOL onWM_COMMAND(uiControl *c, HWND hwnd, WORD code, LRESULT *lResult)
@@ -44,8 +47,8 @@ static void uiButtonMinimumSize(uiWindowsControl *c, int *width, int *height)
 	size.cx = 0;		// explicitly ask for ideal size
 	size.cy = 0;
 	if (SendMessageW(b->hwnd, BCM_GETIDEALSIZE, 0, (LPARAM) (&size)) != FALSE) {
-		*width = size.cx;
-		*height = size.cy;
+		*width = max(size.cx, (LONG)(b->minWidth));
+		*height = max(size.cy, (LONG)(b->minHeight));
 		return;
 	}
 
@@ -57,6 +60,9 @@ static void uiButtonMinimumSize(uiWindowsControl *c, int *width, int *height)
 	uiWindowsGetSizing(b->hwnd, &sizing);
 	uiWindowsSizingDlgUnitsToPixels(&sizing, NULL, &y);
 	*height = y;
+
+	*width = max(*width, b->minWidth);
+	*height = max(y, b->minHeight);
 }
 
 static void defaultOnClicked(uiButton *b, void *data)
@@ -76,6 +82,18 @@ void uiButtonSetText(uiButton *b, const char *text)
 	uiWindowsControlMinimumSizeChanged(uiWindowsControl(b));
 }
 
+void uiButtonSetMinSize(uiButton *b, int width, int height)
+{
+	b->minHeight = height;
+	b->minWidth = width;
+	uiWindowsControlMinimumSizeChanged(uiWindowsControl(b));
+}
+
+void uiButtonPreferredSize(uiButton *b, int *width, int *height)
+{
+	uiButtonMinimumSize(uiWindowsControl(b), width, height);
+}
+
 void uiButtonOnClicked(uiButton *b, void (*f)(uiButton *, void *), void *data)
 {
 	b->onClicked = f;
@@ -88,6 +106,8 @@ uiButton *uiNewButton(const char *text)
 	WCHAR *wtext;
 
 	uiWindowsNewControl(uiButton, b);
+	b->minHeight = -1;
+	b->minWidth = -1;
 
 	wtext = toUTF16(text);
 	b->hwnd = uiWindowsEnsureCreateControlHWND(0,
diff --git a/windows/uipriv_windows.hpp b/windows/uipriv_windows.hpp
index 52d74c51..9f487eb9 100644
--- a/windows/uipriv_windows.hpp
+++ b/windows/uipriv_windows.hpp
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 // 21 april 2016
+#define NOMINMAX
 #include "winapi.hpp"
 #include "../ui.h"
 #include "../ui_windows.h"