Active apps and windows move from second monitor to primary monitor if I turn the second monitor off.

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Level 1

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Active apps and windows move from second monitor to primary monitor if I turn the second monitor off.

I have a Wacom Cintiq tablet as a secondary monitor connected to a Mac Studio with a Studio Display as a primary monitor.

Any windows that are arranged on the Wacom get switched to the Studio Display if I turn the Wacom off.

This is particularly frustrating when using apps like Photoshop or Illustrator since all the toolbars and panels are disarranged and spawned into the primary monitor and need to be dragged and re-arranged manually to the Wacom every time the Mac goes to sleep or if I turn the Wacom off without minimizing the apps first.

I had a similar setup with my (very) old iMac 2013 and never experienced anything like this, but in that case the monitor is integrated to the Mac so that might be related.

Also, the solution here didn't work for me.

Any ideas, tips or help?

Mac Studio (2022)

Posted on Mar 31, 2023 10:13 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Grant Bennet-Alder

Level 10

140,753 points

Apr 1, 2023 4:48 AM in response to Aeon9

That is the way it was designed to work. if you turn off a display with active windows on it, those windows will bee-appear on the nearest edge of the nearest working display.

The alternate is that those windows become dead to you, and they continue to appear on the second display which is now off) and those windows cannot be accessed in any way whatsoever.

Stop turning it off with active windows on it, or clear the display before turning it off, or switch to Mission Control 'Spaces' instead of 'Extended Desktop'

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Answer 2

Apr 1, 2023 2:42 AM in response to Aeon9

Don't turn the secondary monitor of?

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Active apps and windows move from second monitor to primary monitor if I turn the second monitor off.

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