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This article shows you how to Move Off-Screen Window Back in Windows 11/10 and macOS computers. If you’ve ever had a window move off your screen and you couldn’t get it back, you know how frustrating it can be. You can get these windows back to your desktop in a couple of ways, though.
There are a few things that can cause this small problem. Most of the time, this happens when you have a second monitor that you sometimes connect and sometimes don’t. This is common for laptop users. If you turn off “extend desktop” in Windows or move your windows back to your main monitor before you turn off the second monitor, windows that were on the second monitor can get stuck there.
A PC with more than one screen is another good example of this. When working on a laptop with an external display connected, it’s easy to forget about a window on the external display and then disconnect it. Most of the time, the window should move to the main screen, but sometimes it stays off screen.
Ways to Move Off-Screen Window Back in Windows 10/11
Cascade Windows
Windows 11/10’s desktop arrangement settings are the best way to find a window that isn’t on the screen. It is most often used to move windows around on a desktop, but it can also be helpful here. You can also go to the official Microsoft support site to know more information about this.
- To start, right-click on the Windows Taskbar and select Cascade windows.
- If Windows knows that the other monitor isn’t working, the window you lost on that monitor should appear on the one that is working. If you prefer, you could also use stacked or side by side. All of them do the same thing.
Using a Keyboard Shortcut to Recover a Window
If you use two monitors at home but bring your laptop with you everywhere, this could be a problem for you all the time. If you know the right keyboard shortcuts, you won’t have to waste time looking for documents, web pages, and programs that aren’t on the screen.
Almost every part of Windows has a keyboard shortcut, and this is no different. If you lose a window, you can bring it back with the move cursor. It only takes a few seconds, but the same thing happens.
- Press Alt + Tab to select the missing window.
- Press Alt + Space + M to change the mouse cursor to the move cursor.
- Use the left, right, up or down keys on your keyboard to bring the window back into view.
- Press Enter or click the mouse to let the window go once recovered.
You can quickly switch between open apps and windows by pressing Alt + Tab on your keyboard. If you hold Alt and tap the Tab button, a list of everything you have open will show up. You can also use the arrow keys to get back to the window. This will only work if your taskbar buttons are set to appear both on the main taskbar and in the window.
- Again, press Alt + Tab.
- Now, press the Windows key + the arrows key. It might vary which direction to hit, up, down, left, or right.
As Sai said in the comments, here’s another keyboard shortcut that could be very helpful.
- Again, press Alt + Tab to select the missing window.
- Now, press Alt + Space + X to recover the window.
Using the Taskbar to Recover a Window
This one seems to be pretty easy and work well. Assuming that the app or program is already running (go ahead and open it if not).
- Simply right-click on the program’s icon in the taskbar at the bottom of the screen.
- From the small pop-up select Move and use the arrow keys on your keyboard to walk the program back into view. Unfortunately, if you’re unsure where this window is you’ll have difficulty knowing which way to move it. If that’s the case, keep reading. There are more solutions available.
Change the Multiple Displays Settings
If you want, you can make Windows notice that a monitor is gone and bring back the missing window. As long as everything else works, this should force the desktop to move to your main monitor if everything else is fine.
- Again, right-click an empty space on your desktop and select Display Settings.
- Now, select Detect to encourage Windows to see you have a monitor out of action.