a gray box appears around the desktop's edges, which cuts off 1mm on all sides of any image I've chosen and any writing on the desktop. A bit annoying as file names can't be seen completely. I've tried different settings on the system preferences "desktop &screen saver" - fill screen, fit to screen, stretch. Nothing gets rid of that border.
any ideas?
MacBook Pro 15", macOS 10.14
Well, in that case, you might want to consider deleting any plist files in ~/Library/preferences which are related to the desktop, finder and screensaver. Do that, reboot your machine so it can create new files, and hope for the best.
FWIW, that's the normal behavior when you select "Desktop" as a Hot Corner. It's there to let you know you're in that mode. It can't be changed.
You may want to consider zapping your PRAM. If you don't know what it is, how to use it, or why to use it, PRAM is an acroynym for "Parameter RAM". Pronounced "pee-ram", PRAM is system memory which holds certain software settings, including the current date, as well as information about the current startup disk, and other stuff. Zapping the PRAM may possibly fix your current problem with the gray borders.
How to identify PRAM-related problems:
The most obvious symptoms which point to PRAM problems, include your computer displaying the wrong time, the wrong date (e.g. 1904), or possibly a blank screen when you turn on your machine. Zapping the PRAM will reset Parameter RAM to its default settings.
How To Zap The PRAM:
1. Press and simultaneously hold down the following four keys during the startup process. You should do this from a cold boot. That is, after you have completely shut down your Mac:
COMMAND + OPTION + P + R
2. Continue holding down all four keys until one of the following conditions occurs:
a. About 20 seconds passes, during which time your Mac may appear to restart.
b. You hear the startup sound a second time.
c. The Apple logo appears and disappears for the second time.
3. Release the COMMAND + OPTION + P + R keys after one of the above three things occurs.
Maintenance Tip:
It is highly advisable to zap the PRAM about every six months or so, in order to keep your Macintosh running smoothly and efficiently.
I hope the above info helps you. Please let me know. Thanks!
Hillelnjw, I apologize. I totally misunderstood the nature of what you were describing, having never used that specific feature myself. I thought you were talking about something entirely different, which came across as being a glitch. Dialabrain is indeed correct when he states that the gray border is in fact the default behavior when you set one of the four hot corners to "Desktop" in the "Screen Saver" tab. At any rate, that is one feature which I will never use, because like you, I do not like how it behaves.
Yeah, it's intended to be a "temporary" way of showing the desktop. You can also get this by spreading the thumb and three fingers on the trackpad—System Preferences > Trackpad > More Gestures > Show Desktop.
yes, well I appreciate everyone's comments. I didn't have a chance to jump through those last hoops about deleting plist files, so no problem there. so I suppose I can tell Apple that this is annoying, but it's not a major earth shaking problem, so I'll just get used to it.
thanks, again.
Okay. I would consider at least these two:
com.apple.screensaver.plist
com.apple.finder.plist
Possibly also some stuff in the "ByHost" folder in the "Preferences" folder.
Apologies that someone had you jumping through hoops. FWIW, you can also "Show Desktop" by pressing "fn+F11".
Thanks, WordWeaver777, but it didn't work. I wonder if the problem may lay in a corruption of the desktop app in desktop and Screen Saver Preference file.there's no other problem anywhere except when I use the hot corners (it doesn't matter which one I designate as "desktop" ) the desktop has that grey frame around it. There's no other time it appears! Weird, eh?
Also, it doesn't matter what picture I use or which orientation. But if I use the screen saver - there's no border anywhere, (except of course if I use a hot corner to go to the desktop!
will try and let you know. thanks.
See?
Yep.
You're welcome. Glad to see you solved the problem. Sorry we weren't helpful.
i wouldn't exactly say the problem was solved, but rather I learned to see it not as a problem which I could solve. hmm, so I guess the problem WAS no longer a problem.....
problem about using "hot corners" and designating a corner to show desktop.
