While using Microsoft Windows, I had a window that had somehow fallen completely off of my screen. Right-clicking the window in the Taskbar and selecting Maximize brought it back, but there was no way I could get the window restored to where I could move it around my screen with my mouse.
Luckily, there are a couple of ways to bring off-screen windows back to the desktop screen.
Fix 1 – Resolution Trick
Windows 10 & 8
- Start the problematic application.
- Right-click a blank area of the Desktop, then choose “Display settings“.
- Select “Advanced display settings” at the bottom of the window.
- Temporarily change the “Resolution” to another value, then choose “Apply“.
- See if you can see the window on your screen now.
- Change the resolution back to the previous value, then select “OK“.
Windows 7
- Start the problematic application.
- Right-click a blank area of the Desktop, then choose “Screen Resolution“.
- Temporarily change the “Resolution” to another value, then choose “Apply“.
- See if you can see the window on your screen now.
- Change the resolution back to the previous value, then select “OK“.
Fix 2 – Move Option
- In Windows 10, 8, 7, and Vista, hold down the “Shift” key while right-clicking the item in the taskbar, then select “Move“. In Windows XP, right-click the item in the task-bar and select “Move“.
- Use your mouse or the arrow keys on your keyboard to move the window back onto the screen.
Fix 3 – Cascade Windows
- Right-click a blank area of the task-bar, then select “Cascade windows“.
Fix 4 – Maximize
Sometimes a single app will get stuck in a state where it cannot redraw onto the Window. You can usually alleviate this by doing the following.
- Hold “Shift” and right-click on the program icon in the taskbar, then choose “Maximize“.
FAQ
How do I prevent my application from starting off the screen every time I launch it?
Most applications will stop doing this if you properly exit out of the application while it is on the screen. If you have already properly exited the application, you might need to uninstall and reinstall it.
Hope says
I had the same problem in Windows 10 & could not maximize my PDF files in PDF X-change editor. I tried following your instructions and could not see “Maximize” when I right-clicked on the app. I did see Restore, so I clicked on this and it worked. Thank you for getting me to think!
Hope
Rossano Pozzo says
thanks :)
Gerald says
THANK YOU!!!! I have been battling with this issue for a couple years now with the chrome developer console always going off screen. I would have to mount and dismount in order to have it reappear. Huge time saver!
vladimir says
This is save a lot of headaches! Thanks!
Bob Keller says
I firmly believe it is better to prevent a problem than it is to have to repeatedly fix a problem. Since the computer is doing this against my will or directions, then this is a fault that we would like to not have to deal with, instead of repeatedly having to fix what a fault in the software is causing. A Band-aid is not a solution. And a permanent solution is the desired fix. I want to stop Windows from doing this undesirable action. If Windows can be made to do this hiding of the window then it can be prevented from doing it.
If this simple issue cannot be addressed correctly, then how can anyone think the same companies can do Artifical Intelligence, without totally screwing everything up completely. What we’ll get is Artificial Stupidity.
And what the hell is with this light gray lettering on a white background. Whose dumb idea was that? I want control of this too.
Valentin Rossebø says
SHift + ALT + SPACEBAR
This gives you the menu With the MOVE option, without you having to be able to Reach the Task Bar (which may well be out-of-Reach….)