Can you set your visual studio 2012 windows to be independently active?

When using Visual Studio 2012 with multiple code windows on each monitor, I would like to be to have only one active code window.

If I am browsing a stack overflow answer in my browser and I give visual studio the focus. All visual studio windows become active and my browser window will be hidden. I would like only the selected window to become active.

This is how visual studio 2010 worked and they changed it. Is there an option or plug-in which will grant the desired functionality ?

Robotsushi

Posted 2013-02-19T19:56:00.443

Reputation: 211

I'm pretty sure this is one of the side-effects of the new window layout engine. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/vstudio/bb386063.aspx Don't know if there's a workaround.

– Der Hochstapler – 2013-02-19T20:04:29.763

I hope there is I keep looking for one. – Griffin – 2013-02-20T01:44:57.150

Answers

Does this fix the problem? Works for me with VS2013 and VS2015...

Nick Spreitzer

Posted 2013-02-19T19:56:00.443

Reputation: 439

Is this reproduceable with one monitor only? I tried to reproduce it, but didn't get the bahaviour you decribed:

Setup:

VS Main Window open with some files
Second VS window with some other files
all Windows not maximised

Behauviour

Second VS Window active, covers part of browser -> Tab to Browser -> One Tab back -> Second VS Window active, covers part of browser; VS Main stays back
Main VS Window active, covers part of browser -> Tab to Browser -> One Tab back -> MainVS Window active, covers part of browser; VS Second stays back

Tabbing seems to work as expected here. Perhaps this issue only applies, when you use maximised windows? Could that be a workaround?

Chake

Posted 2013-02-19T19:56:00.443

Reputation: 151

You did this with vs 2012 ? – Robotsushi – 2013-03-09T22:11:24.527

Yes, 11.0.60223.01 Update 2 CTP - to be exact ;) – Chake – 2013-03-09T22:17:23.323