Desktop arrangement lost after waking from sleep

At this point I don't even bother with the community threads. Apple may be spread to thin. I just go directly to Feedback assistant, creating timestamped, diagnostic logs with images, video, and text. Many of the issues I've reported through Feedback Assistant (already on your Mac) have been addressed through updates. So it works, even if they don't respond to every ticket.

I'd highly recommend doing the same. I suspect they need it.

often I'll attached links to threads like this to point to the scale of the problem, again, more context.

It is very annoying.

What helped me was to define the external monitor as the main display.

You have to rearrange everything initially, but it works quite well since I did it four weeks ago.

Hope this helps

-Rob

It was typical launch daemons: dropbox, onedrive, ms update, don’t remember what else.

Drop and onedrive fixed itself upon re-login, I had to reinstall MS Update. Problem with windows rearrangement is gone for me and hasn’t reappeared.

I’m still puzzled how those things are even connected, macos should have better grip on apps.

I upgraded to macOS Ventura 13.0 (22A380). For most part this issue now resolved (This time I gave a few days before replying as its always look all well and fine after a new solution). However there is one sleep scenario (short sleep) remaining that still swap the windows around. With Ventura, the sluggishness of screen re-arranging (drag and move screens) is smoother even for 4k monitors, good job Apple teams on that one! One little step to close this matter off at-least in the new OS. But I think this fix needs to be rolled down to previous OSs too where people can't upgrade to the new.

@Blazejos thanks!

The step you said to clear the LaunchDaemons worked so far for me. ie: deleting all under the folder

Macintosh HD -> Library -> LaunchDaemons.

One thing I did extra is to backup everything in there before deleting (tar -zcvf ~/Desktop/LaunchDeamonBackup.tgz /Library/LaunchDaemons).

I haven't restored anything yet but I notice Microsoft Office Update started complaining about this cleanup.

I'm also using a Mac Studio and 2 Studio Displays with MacOS 12.5.1.

I just stumbled on a work-around. If I press the Shift key to wake it up and don't release the Shift Key until all the windows are displayed on the two screens, then when I finally let go of the Shift Key all the mis-placed windows jump back into their original (desired) locations on both screens. If even put an open Finder window back on a non-primary display!!!

I have a Macbook Pro M1 Pro, and like all of you, I have the same issue. I have two external monitors, and I keep the lid closed on the Macbook. After waking from sleep, sometimes the monitors are swapped from the original configuration. Normally, I would have to go into System Preferences > Displays and swap the configuration. Annoying. I found a simple solution that is working for me. Not sure if it will work for everyone though. When the computer awakes, and the monitors are swapped, I just hit the ESC button, and then they swap back to the original configuration. Curious if it will work for anyone else. Hope this helps!

I may have found a solution. It's as simple as setting your built-in screen as the Main display instead of the external screen. It might not resolve the issue 100% but at least I haven't had to rearrange my windows every time the screen goes to sleep mode.

Today I couldn't tolerate my fancy Studio Ultra with two Studio displays messing up my open Finder window after every time it wakes from sleep. Not only do I have to move it back to my secondary display, but the Finder window frequently gets really messed up and I can't even open any of my documents without restarting. So I turned off sleeping altogether and just let it turn the screens off after 15 minutes. Now everything stays put and Finder is OK. That also solves the other problem about it NOT going to sleep as expected because some little process like Adobe Creative Cloud is doing something in the background.

You'd expect a brand new $10K 100% Apple set up to not have stupid problems like this lingering on and on for years.

Report it via Feedback Assistant so Apple gets prodded that this is a highly disruptive bug they introduced most likely in macOS 12. It's probably related to how sidebar items randomly disappear after sleep, and there's no way to script setting those up, so you have to fix it by hand every time it happens, which is a lot.

Maybe I wrote too soon. With Ventura 13.0 my displays are now opening as they were!! Maybe not 100% of the time, but certainly most of the ~10 times since I upgraded the OS. It's clearly better than Monterrey.

Note that this is a Studio desktop with permanently connected Studio displays--not a Laptop (formerly called a MacBook) with an external display connected by various means.

Occurring for me also since installing MacOS 12.6.2 update. I have 4 displays connected, all 4K displays. Mac Pro 2019, 384GB RAM, Radeon W5700X GPU.

Display 1: LG Ultra HD display connected via Port 1 Thunderbolt to Dual DisplayPort adapter (Cable Matters) connected to Thunderbolt port on GPU.

Display 2: LG Ultra HD display connected via Port 2 on Thunderbolt to Dual DisplayPort adapter.

Display 3: HS156KC UHD display connected to I/O card USB-C port 1.

Display 4: HS156KC UHD display connected to I/O card USB-C port 2.

AMD Radeon Pro W5700X:

  Chipset Model: AMD Radeon Pro W5700X

  Type: GPU

  Bus: PCIe

  Slot: Slot-1

  PCIe Lane Width: x16

  VRAM (Total): 16 GB

  Vendor: AMD (0x1002)

  Device ID: 0x7310

  Revision ID: 0x0000

  ROM Revision: 113-D1860W-213

  VBIOS Version: 113-D186A2XT-019

  Option ROM Version: 113-D186A2XT-019

  EFI Driver Version: 01.01.200

  Metal Family: Supported, Metal GPUFamily macOS 2

  Displays:

HS156KC:

  Resolution: 3840 x 2160 (2160p/4K UHD 1 - Ultra High Definition)

  UI Looks like: 1920 x 1080 @ 60.00Hz

  Framebuffer Depth: 30-Bit Color (ARGB2101010)

  Display Serial Number: demoset-1 0 

  Mirror: Off

  Online: Yes

  Rotation: Supported

  Connection Type: Thunderbolt/DisplayPort

HS156KC:

  Resolution: 3840 x 2160 (2160p/4K UHD 1 - Ultra High Definition)

  UI Looks like: 1920 x 1080 @ 60.00Hz

  Framebuffer Depth: 30-Bit Color (ARGB2101010)

  Display Serial Number: demoset-1 0 

  Mirror: Off

  Online: Yes

  Rotation: Supported

  Connection Type: Thunderbolt/DisplayPort

LG Ultra HD:

  Resolution: 5120 x 2880 (5K/UHD+ - Ultra High Definition Plus)

  UI Looks like: 2560 x 1440 @ 60.00Hz

  Framebuffer Depth: 30-Bit Color (ARGB2101010)

  Main Display: Yes

  Mirror: Off

  Online: Yes

  Rotation: Supported

  Connection Type: Thunderbolt/DisplayPort

LG Ultra HD:

  Resolution: 5120 x 2880 (5K/UHD+ - Ultra High Definition Plus)

  UI Looks like: 2560 x 1440 @ 60.00Hz

  Framebuffer Depth: 30-Bit Color (ARGB2101010)

  Mirror: Off

  Online: Yes

  Rotation: Supported

  Connection Type: Thunderbolt/DisplayPort

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I know for a fact there are no issues with my hardware set up, or the way the displays are connected to my Mac Pro, since this issue did not occur until I installed MacOS 12.6.2 update. There was some regression introduced into the CoreDisplay subsystem with that update that is causing this.

Generally, Display 2 and 3 are exhibiting having their contents swapped after a "wake from sleep".

And before anyone suggests it, I shall graciously decline either (a) creating a new user, (b) reinstalling MacOS, or (c) trying safe mode, since these are time-wasting exercises that detract from the underlying issue of a bug existing in MacOS.

Apple Support / Developers / Techs don't tend to look here.

See this: Desktop arrangement lost after waking fro… - Apple Community

They've acknowledged it's a fault to me. The more people who call, the more likely it'll get sorted.

Please take the time to hassle Apple Support about this. The more people do, the more likely it might get addresses.

They will probably insist on reinstalling the OS as part of their trouble shooting... but I highly doubt it'll make a difference.

Do not give up with them – push through to second tier support, and insist on feedback from engineering.

Hi,

Disabling Mission Control worked for me