What can I do to retrieve windows that have gone off screen?

I am having a weird issue with a machine where sometimes when a window is initialized, it will shoot off screen and out of sight. I am unable to click on it to drag it back to sight.

Are there any programs or fixes for this in Windows XP?

I know Windows and other programs like to save window locations after they close so when you reopen them they are in the spot where they were closed and I cannot see any of these windows that were closed off screen.

qroberts

Posted 2011-07-28T16:16:26.030

Reputation: 4 609

8It might be useful to note that both the ALT+SPACE, M and right-click on taskbar tricks in the answers work on most UNIX-like systems' window managers as well, making this a relatively universal trick. Additionally, if you even have a tiny subset of the window on UNIX systems, you can usually ALT+CLICK on it to drag it. I know this is a Windows-specific question, which is why I'm not leaving this as a full-fledged answer, but it might help someone coming from Google. – Michael Trausch – 2011-07-28T21:20:42.483

Did You connect second monitor recently? Or maybe a projector? This happens when You add second monitor device and strech your desktop (sometimes) – Adam RichardSon – 2011-07-29T09:10:25.780

Asked 6 months ago, so, "see also": http://superuser.com/questions/239891/how-to-move-unseen-windows-cannot-access-my-application-after-switching-monito/

– Christopher Galpin – 2011-09-13T21:35:47.047

– Scott – 2013-11-26T23:49:23.740

Answers

101

Highlight in in the task bar, hit ALT+SPACE then M. That will get it ready to move. Then use your arrow keys to move it and hit Enter when finished.

Try holding the Shift key while closing. That often saves the location.

KCotreau

Posted 2011-07-28T16:16:26.030

Reputation: 24 985

Lord God, thanks for this! I'm using a windows in German and I don't understand anything – Snake Sanders – 2015-04-07T08:23:50.200

what is this feature of one letter shortcut called? I am trying to find something similar for linux environment. – r.s – 2018-08-15T17:35:51.800

4Also, right-click on the program item in the task bar, select Move, then, without moving your mouse again, press the right, left, up, or down arrow keys as appropriate until the window comes into view. – music2myear – 2011-07-28T16:21:50.330

Thank you! This worked perfectly. Will mark as the answer once the timeout expires. – qroberts – 2011-07-28T16:22:55.167

1@qroberts I am not sure why it is not universal, but the Shift trick works for some programs nicely, saving the position when it may not otherwise save. Thank you for marking it. I appreciate it. – KCotreau – 2011-07-28T16:24:49.213

I am curious as to why certain machines like to do this, it isn't just the one application either. I am thinking a driver or some input device may be messing with it, but the mouse isn't causing the move event. I am interested into what the cause may be if you know what it is (I am still going to mark you as the answer). – qroberts – 2011-07-28T16:29:03.787

@qroberts Without seeing it, it is hard to know exactly, but I just did another search, and I found this interesting thread. You might want to go through it (It is for Windows 7, but probably still relevant. It is 22 pages, which is why I did not go through the whole thing). I suspect that there might be a default window position somewhere in the registry, but I could not find it. Writing that just gave me an idea: Try opening a window, and open Computer>Tools>Folder Options>View and make a change to a setting and click "Apply to all folders", or just try the "Reset folders". If there is a... – KCotreau – 2011-07-28T16:54:40.780

default, this might reset it. – KCotreau – 2011-07-28T16:54:53.057

Do you have multiple monitors? I've had several applications that couldn't quit understand how I had my dual monitors set up and would consistently open off screen if I closed them from my secondary monitor. – aslum – 2011-07-28T17:22:55.567

18After pressing Alt+space, and then using one of the arrow buttons to move it a little, you can also then simply move the mouse and the window will jump under your mouse cursor. – Ben Richards – 2011-07-28T19:37:55.023

@sidran32 Good point, but for some reason that doesn't work sometimes. I've used this trick for ages and the keyboard always works, but sometimes the mouse just does nothing – Michael Mrozek – 2011-07-28T21:08:08.797

@qroberts @KCotreau: The shift trick only works if the program asks CreateWindowEx (or, in .Net, the FormStartLocation) to use the default start position. There are plenty of programs (and perhaps frameworks?) which don't use the default location, either with valid reason, or because the developer forgot/made a mistake/doesn't know any better (it's not a bug you'd normally notice...)

– BlueRaja - Danny Pflughoeft – 2011-07-28T22:11:26.030

@BlueRaja The program was Simply Accounting if that helps you (I believe it uses .NET) – qroberts – 2011-08-02T13:22:14.270

Works on Windows 8. Thanks for saying alt and space THEN m. That helped clarify this for me. – Mike_K – 2014-02-24T01:51:37.733

I have a geeky solution :-) Script in Python that goes through all off-screen windows and offers moving them to the left upper corner:

import winxpgui, sys, win32con

screen_width = 1920
screen_height = 1200

def WindowsListEnum(hwnd, data):
    pos = winxpgui.GetWindowRect(hwnd)
    left, top = 0, 0
    if pos[0] < 0 or pos[0] > screen_width:
        left = 10
    if pos[1] < 0 or pos[1] > screen_height:
        top = 10
    if left or top:
        print winxpgui.GetWindowText(hwnd), ',', pos, '->', (top, left, pos[2], pos[3])
        if sys.stdin.read(1) == 'y':
            winxpgui.SetWindowPos(hwnd, win32con.HWND_NOTOPMOST, left, top, pos[2]-pos[0], pos[3]-pos[1], win32con.SWP_SHOWWINDOW)

print "press 'y' to move the window, anything else to continue\n"
winxpgui.EnumWindows(WindowsListEnum, None)

You need Python and Win32all.

Lukas Cenovsky

Posted 2011-07-28T16:16:26.030

Reputation: 1 269

4Yeah, you could download and install stuff (3-5 minutes), OR you could use shortcut keys (3-5 seconds)... – TFM – 2011-07-29T10:20:04.657

2I usually use the shortcut too but sometimes it does not work or I need to move more Windows at once. – Lukas Cenovsky – 2011-07-29T11:25:30.717

3Completely overkill but I like it – Gary – 2011-07-29T15:48:20.023

6+1. This is useful if the window is completely offscreen and in an unknown direction (or very far offscreen). – Peter Mortensen – 2011-07-30T12:34:25.620

@Peter: in that case you could use alt-space followed by x, which maximizes the window – Rabarberski – 2011-08-03T11:05:58.003

In Windows 7 you can select the window and then Win + arrow keys to move it.

tidbeck

Posted 2011-07-28T16:16:26.030

Reputation: 1 365

3Note that the question asked about Windows XP, but this is a great trick for Windows 7 which I do use sometimes myself. – nhinkle – 2011-07-29T06:32:21.607

You can also right-click on the taskbar and choose one of the window-arranging menu choices. In Windows 7, they are:

Cascade Windows
Show Windows Stacked
Show Windows Side-by-side

Previous versions used slightly different terms, but did the same thing. Some versions will only arrange non-minimized windows/applications, if I recall correctly.

enter image description here

StevenV

Posted 2011-07-28T16:16:26.030

Reputation: 706

That's true @Synetech but when you are desperate to get back an offscreen window during a presentation, you don't mind getting messy... – István Zachar – 2015-05-28T15:23:00.567

This method also affects all the other visible windows. – Synetech – 2011-08-14T05:48:02.963

Set focus to the window, by clicking in the task bar or ALT+TAB.
ALT+SPACE to bring up the system menu.
M to select Move.
Tap an arrow key once to start moving the window.
Move your mouse.

The window will quickly pop in to view.

This is faster than using the arrows to move the window the whole way, especially if it is way off screen.

Jay Bazuzi

Posted 2011-07-28T16:16:26.030

Reputation: 3 780

You don’t need both axes; any arrow key will do. – Synetech – 2011-08-14T05:46:55.867

@Synetechinc: I just confirmed that in Windows 7; you are right. I learned this sequence long ago, so it may have been required in earlier versions of Windows / NT. If anyone has that info, I will update my answer. – Jay Bazuzi – 2011-08-14T18:50:09.610

Hmm, that seems strange, I can’t imagine why both would be required. I know any arrow key was sufficient at least back to Win95. Maybe you just pressed both and thought that’s what did it, like pressing a bunch keys in a game to do something and not knowing which one did the trick, so you just repeat them all each time. :-) – Synetech – 2011-08-14T18:59:44.837

One extra tip: after you have started moving it with the keyboard (one pixel), finish by just moving the mouse. That is a lot faster.

Jeff

Posted 2011-07-28T16:16:26.030

Reputation: 649

@qrobers as noted by StevenV

Right click on the taskbar window button and tell it to

Cascade Windows (stacks windows on top of each other with the windows headers showing)
Tile Windows Vertically (does its best to place all open windows re-sized on your desktop)
Tile Windows Horizontally (does its best to place all open windows re-sized on your desktop)

This is by far the easiest. I use it in a multiple monitor set on my laptop when power goes out and I loose the second monitor. I can pull all the windows onto my main monitor (laptop). Very easy, quick.

nelaaro

Posted 2011-07-28T16:16:26.030

Reputation: 9 321

This method also affects all the other visible windows. – Synetech – 2011-08-14T05:47:21.717

Some applications don't respond to activating the window plus using alt+space+m, such as FSCapture (faststone screen capture). WindowSpace (free trial) worked to move it back onto the screen.

Lames

Posted 2011-07-28T16:16:26.030

Reputation: 1

A technique that often works is this:

Right-click in the taskbar and choose "Show Desktop"
Right-click on the problem program task and choose "Restore"
Right-click on the some other program's task and choose "Restore"
Right-click in the taskbar and choose "Cascade Windows"

This normally causes the window parameters to fit onto the current screen. Having only two active windows keeps most window positions unchanged.

mgkrebbs

Posted 2011-07-28T16:16:26.030

Reputation: 266

There is (or was) an extremely good program called Shove-It for Windows. Used to be at www.phord.com but it's been taken down now. Basically just run it and it will automatically detect any windows that have opened with their contents even partially off-screen, and either "shove" them back into the viewing portal area or else resize them if necessary, all automatically. I managed to locate an old beta of it which is free, will share via Sugarsync. https://www.sugarsync.com/pf/D290041_6932435_98576

Dhry

Posted 2011-07-28T16:16:26.030

Reputation: 1

3Just an FYI, most users here would be pretty skeptical of downloading a random zip file from the internet, even with background. – Moses – 2013-11-09T16:57:14.527

Install aero snap plugin.
Move the screen with the hotkey: Win + arrows

Josep Alsina

Posted 2011-07-28T16:16:26.030

Reputation: 131