Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Recovering lost windows

Given the way I use Windows, I often run into situations where windows will end up off screen and I need to get them back where I can see them. This is usually because of the way I use my dual monitors and switch one between machines. Regardless, this technique will come in handy if you've not used it before.

1) Activate the window. This may take some guesswork if the window doesn't show up on your taskbar. Either click it on your task bar, or ALT-TAB until you think you've activated the one you want.

2) Press ALT+SPACE followed by m (for “Move“). This will move the mouse to the center of the title bar of the window. You could use the keyboard to move the window if you wanted to, but we'll use the mouse instead. If you can see the window on your taskbar, you can right-click and select “Move“ instead if you prefer.

3) Carefully, without moving the mouse, click down to grab the window and drag it back to your desktop. As long as the window isn't ridiculously far away (i.e., the application is buggy and has placed your window millions of pixels away from where your desktop is, you'll be all set. For me, I usually know right where my lost windows are (over to the left where my second monitor would normally display them), so I just drag over to the right and I'm set. 

Note: If you are unable to drag it with the mouse you may also use the arrow keys to move the window

If (3) isn't working for you, the window may be maximized. Press ALT+SPACE followed by r (for “Restore“). This will restore the window if it's maximized somewhere (another monitor perhaps). Then go to (2) and try again.

I hope this helps somebody.


Posted Aug 18 2004, 11:52 AM by keith-brown
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