Move an off-screen window back on-screen on Mac OS X

Question

It seems that Mac OS X 10.6.1 Snow Leopard has a tendency to leave some windows off-screen at times, especially when I disconnect an external monitor from my MacBook. How can I move the window back on-screen when it's not possible to grab the title bar and drag it back onto the screen?

XvsXP.com recommends adjusting your screen resolution downward to have off-screen windows "snap back into view" and then adjust your screen resolution back to its original setting. In OS X 10.4 Tiger, I had a script that brought all off-screen windows back on-screen, but in my upgrades to Leopard and now Snow Leopard, I don't seem to have that script.

Any better solutions out there?

Solution 1

This method seems to work: click on the Window menu, then click Zoom

Solution 2

Haven't read through the whole thread but the easiest way I found was to change the resolution of the screen:

Go to System preferences » Displays and then change the resolution.

This will force your computer to render the display again and reposition all open windows. Then just switch it back to your original resolution settings and everything should be back in place.

Solution 3

If you can see a portion of the window, hold down the Option key and then click on one of the borders of the window. This will allow you to drag the window into full view.

Solution 4

Three ideas:

• CmdF1 (or CmdfnF1 if you've configured your MacBook's keyboard to use normal function keys) toggles your displays between mirror mode and extended desktop. A side effect is that windows get moved around somewhat unpredictably. This might move the missing window to somewhere visible. This likely requires the external monitor to be connected though.

• Turn on Spaces, hit the hot key to displays the spaces overview and see if your missing window outline is visible there. If so, drag it to where you want it to be.

• Quit the application and relaunch. Definitely a non-ideal solution and not practical if there's unsaved work.

Solution 5

Some windows can be moved by for example dragging them horizontally from the bottom edge.

You could also try running scripts like this in AppleScript Editor:

tell application "iTunes"
    set bounds of windows to {100, 100, 800, 800}
end tell

tell application "System Events" to tell window 1 of process "UltraEdit"
    set position to {100, 100}
    set size to {800, 800}
end tell

View more solutions

Comments

[Chealion]

You may want to check out a very similar question: Reset Mac OS X Windows Position after de-attaching external monitor

[Admin]

I've found that deleting the offending reference items from Interface Builder's plist sometimes helps. I've even tried to set the window's position via AppleScript with no luck.

[jyalim]

I was able to recover an x11 window by moving the spawning display over to the other side of an adjacent display. In other words, I had the following arrangement with my monitors [ 2 ][1], and the x11 window was spawning off-screen to the apparent left of [1]. By rearranging: [1][ 2 ], my x11 window correctly appeared on window [1]. I'm on OS X 10.10.

[Matthew Rankin]

For the first time in months, I just ran into this problem with Parallels. Unfortunately, they don't have a zoom menu option under the Window menu.

[Matthew Rankin]

I tried using Detect Displays and that didn't work. I didn't try the "Gather Windows" option, but I will next time.

[Matthew Rankin]

Toggling between mirror mode and extended desktop didn't work. I decided to quit Parallels, which brought up a dialog box prior to quitting. With the dialog box up, I moved the Parallels window back on screen and then selected "Cancel" from the "Are you sure you want to quit?" dialog box. Still wish there were a better way.

[Jon]

In my case, the app (xScope) didn't have a Zoom option, and my new Mountain Lion build wasn't showing a "detect displays" function, so this tip worked perfectly. Thanks!

[Rhubarb]

+1 worked for me too. (On Lion trying to get the iPhone Simulator window). Zoom was disabled for this app. What makes this easier is having the Displays button in the menu bar (System Preferences->Displays->Show displays in menu bar) - this way you can quickly change resolution or detect displays

[mwilson]

Also worked with Virtual Box, which was full screen in another (non-existent) display. I didn't have a menu bar at all. Thanks.

[Wolfgang Fahl]

this does not work with e.g. UltaEdit - there is an error message that the bounds can not be set. Also the syntax seems to be "set the bounds of the first window to ..."

[brevno]

@WolfgangFahl set bounds of windows to is also correct syntax, but I edited the answer to add a second script that worked for me with UltraEdit.

[bugloaf]

Zoom didn't work for me. Now the window is just bigger, but still not where I can reach it.

[bugloaf]

Didn't work for me. I resized the display, but the window is still sitting out of reach. I can see it in Mission Control, but I can't touch it, so maddening!

[mjhm]

Rotating 90 degrees and reverting worked for me.

[David W.]

This worked for X-Lite when everything else failed. There was no "Zoom" in X-Lite and changing the display scale didn't work since X-LIte was on another display entirely.

[Gavin Thornton]

Make the window as small as possible, then change the resolution. Worked for me with Filezilla.

[Matt Fletcher]

Worked for iTunes. Never seen that option before; I always assumed it'd be called "maximise". Jazzy!

[Dustin]

This may or may not work. I found Wireshark (an X Windows app), would be off the display when a 2nd display was connected. This was actually an XQuartz bug (acknowledged). It's unclear if this is an Apple bug, or an XQuartz bug. See xquartz.macosforge.org/trac/ticket/797.

[Tom]

Thanks! The second script (but not the first) worked for me for FileZilla. Make sure the you're on the same desktop as the app in question when running the script.

[ntgCleaner]

Your first option worked for me. I have a macbook Pro with two monitors attached. I don't use the macbook as a screen. Cmd F1 worked like a charm. Thank you

[seyiterdal]

Excellent, works on VLC too, which has a habit of getting stuck off-screen when it was previously being used on a now-disconnected external monitor.

[dza]

"Untitled" (X) checked (focused) in TextEdit doesn't reappear when pressing zoom .. Hmm .. This is one of the most annoying things about OS X.

[nukeguy]

This worked for me, unlike all the other suggestions. However, it's not an ideal solution.... I'd like to be able to keep my current arrangement if possible.

[Rayjax]

had my photoshop window out of screen. changed resolution to the maximum, resized the window to get smaller, changed resolution back. working

[slm]

This has worked flawlessly for me with a number of X11 applications that insist on opening up outside of the viewable space of my desktop. I typically see just a little bit of these windows and the above tip has worked to allow me to drag them back into view.

[Barrett Kuethen]

This one does the trick for Adobe Illustrator. If anyone is wondering how to target an application, it's the full name in the dock. I had to use "Adobe Illustrator CC 2014" in place of UltraEdit and it worked like a charm.

[Bryan Focht]

Cmd-F1 to toggle into Screen Mirror worked like a charm. And then Cmd-F1 back to my normal mode.

[GreenAsJade]

I had to hold Shift-Option for this to work ... but ... fanstastic, thanks!

[DemiSheep]

Like a similar comment above, FileZilla does not have a Window menu option...so didn't work for me.

[DemiSheep]

Neither Option or Shift-Option is working for me in Yosemite with FileZilla :|

[DemiSheep]

Didn't work for me with Filezilla - I even installed a updated version and it didn't reset the window (didn't uninstall old version)

[DemiSheep]

My resolution on my monitors were already maxed out , but setting from 'Best' to 'More Space' and then setting it back to default made the Filezilla window end up as full screen on my Macbook Pro screen

[Jorge Orpinel Pérez]

The scaling + option-drag-window-edge worked for me.

[GreenAsJade]

Drag bottom edge! How easy! Doh!

[Doktor J]

Doesn't work on modal windows either, e.g. TextWrangler's "Find" window... there is no "Zoom" option :(

[Doktor J]

This doesn't work for modal windows either, such as TextWrangler's "Find" window :(

[P. Lalonde]

Using Filezilla, enter fullscreen mode and exit, next time you'll open it, it'll be on screen.

[niieani]

This does not work with VLC. Fortunately clicking from menu "Quit and Keep Windows" (how ironic) has helped. This option appears after holding 'alt'.

[Jake Hall]

I had the same problem with the stupid little secureID app. This post saved me, thanks!

[dval]

Thanks! This also allows me to resize photoshop when it's off screen. Seems like the only answer that work on all app windows!

[durron597]

This answer worked for me, and is the only one that doesn't seem like an enormous hack.

[Krazy Glew]

Zoom makes the window visible, but if I unzoom it becomes invisible again. I.e. it remembers the unzoomed position. This for Microsoft's PowerPoint app, although I believe I have had similar problem with apps from Apple.

[Krazy Glew]

When the other answers do not work (Zoom, change resolution, etc.): Cascade Windows --- in detail: select the app in the Dock; the Windows menu for the app, WAAAY at the top of my large screen, has items like Zoom, Cascade, Arrange All, Bring All to Front. Although Zoom has the problem I mentioned in a previous comment, Cascade and Arrange All work, and are persistent. (This with PowerPoint.app; may be restricted to apps that have multiple windows.) (I dislike the app menu at the top of my large screen, but it worked here; I wish MacOS had a window manager.)

[Chuck van der Linden]

no option for that on yosemite

[Wray Bowling]

I can confirm this worked for Inkscape on El Capitan

[CodeGuyRoss]

Wow thanks for this answer! This window issue had me pretty annoyed and this was an easy fix.

[mattsoave]

This worked great for me, but I don't think it will work 100% of the time. It works by moving the opposite side of the window an equal distance inward as you drag the other side. Therefore, I think there are situations where the distance you can drag inward isn't enough to bring the opposite side in enough. Still, worked for me this time, so thanks!

[joeln]

I've made this into a command-line script with specifiable application name, and without modifying the widths and heights of windows at gist.github.com/jnothman/f794197abeb2da4ff6470ac791d014eb

[Pysis]

I usually have iTerm2 set to full-width top, and it has gotten off-center, either from some display switching/re-arranging, or some sort of accidental rogue click I just did. Sometimes I was able to full-screen it using the green icon in the upper left corner, but this didn't work when I dragged it out from a full screen space. Usually it auto-centers after that operation. This zoom approach did work however.

[Wolfgang Fahl]

Nothing else worked for me - it is fascinating why this will bring back an inkscape window on MacOS while no keyboard option no nothing will help.

[theMarceloR]

Cmd+fn+F1 worked perfectly! Thanks a million!

[ash]

After zooming the window, it can be resized in-place without 'unzooming' it first, since unzooming puts the window back where it was before.

[elixenide]

This works, but it sometimes requires several cycles of option-key dragging and regular resizing to get the window down to the right size if, say, you were using it on a much larger monitor previously.

[Najki]

This worked for me with Sequel Pro app on High Sierra. It was off screen and I couldn't see it's menu bar. Selected Display 1 and it worked. Thanks!

[w3debugger]

underrated solution IMO

[jasonology]

This doesn’t appear to work in macOS 10.14 Mojave.

[Justin]

It is still working for me in Mojave v10.14.6.

[F.S.]

The problem is that entire window is off the screen. There isn't an edge to grab on.

[qel]

This is the only simple way I've found to fix a window that gets positioned with its title bar behind the system title bar so you can't move the window.

[newyork10023]

This use to work for me on a Mac Pro 5.1 (mid-2010) with Mojave, and is great when you have a TV connected through the wall and have no access to the other screens. However, with a (new purchase) Mac mini 8.1 (2018), I am not seeing this option anymore. Does it need to be enabled? Greatly prefer this solution in my situation.

[Florian F]

What works for me in El Capitan I to press ^⌘F twice. It enters and exits full screen mode and the window remains visible.

[Admin]

haha bloody Apple again