MacOS keeps hiding my windows

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Level 1

4 points

MacOS keeps hiding my windows

I use spaces to organize my workflows. Mail in one space, numbers in another, several spaces dedicated to different Safari windows, Adobe apps, Quickbooks, etc. Often after my MacBook Pro sleeps, all of my apps will be hidden. I just swipe around thru empty desktops showing no open windows. Once I click on the app in the dock everything reappears.

It also doesn't seem to be connected to any specific period of inactivity. Sometimes I walk away from the computer for only a few minutes and come back to everything being hidden. Sometimes I'm away for hours, or even over night, and everything is fine.

I have an M1 MacBook Pro now, but I remember dealing with this on my previous intel MacBook Pro as well, so I don't think this is something isolated to just this machine. And definitely not just Ventura. I assumed this was a feature, or setting in macOS, but I cannot find anything, anywhere referring to it.

None of my apps are full screen.

Thanks

MacBook Pro Apple Silicon

Posted on Dec 15, 2022 5:32 AM

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Answer 1

Dec 15, 2022 12:06 PM in response to dengreco

As you say, Command-H hides an application, but it is not even possible (in normal circumstances) to hide them all: each time one presses Command-H, the next application comes forward, and so on; but whence we have just one application showing, Command-H does not work anymore.

So your system is doing something that I cannot even reproduce manually...

That is really weird.

The fact that this happens somewhat randomly makes it harder to troubleshoot still.

I would suggest restarting in Safe Mode, but that is not viable for something that may or not happen in a long period of time.

Maybe an Etrecheck report will tell us something.

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Answer 2

Dec 15, 2022 7:22 AM in response to dengreco

Maybe you accidentally pressed F11 or Fn-H?

When this happens, try pressing Fn-H - that is, hold down the Fn key and press the H key.

Does everything come back?

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Answer 3

dengreco Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 15, 2022 7:58 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Nope. Fn-H clearly moves everything out of the way. My problem is that all of my windows are just hidden/invisible. And only happens when I am not actively using the computer.

Thanks though!

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Answer 4

dengreco Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 15, 2022 11:11 AM in response to dengreco

Speaking of keyboard shortcuts, it is more like CMD-H, except I am definitely not CMD-Hing. It seems like the OS is automatically hiding all of my apps after some period of inactivity.

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MacOS keeps hiding my windows

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