Window and App Issues with Tahoe

Ever since I installed Tahoe I've been having issues with managing windows and with Apple's Pages and Numbers apps. I experienced the issues with both versions 26.0 and 26.0.1.


The issue with managing windows primarily relates to bringing a window to the front. In prior versions of MacOS, clicking a window would bring it to the front. Now that often doesn't happen. Even clicking in a window's title bar is not enough to bring the window to the front. However, clicking in a windows that is not in the front seems to give that window the focus but clicking in the front window does not return the focus to the front window. Very frustrating! I am not using Stage Manager. It seems that Tahoe broke something or there's been a significant, non-intuitive design change.


I can often work around the issue by using the dock or Command-Tab to bring an application to the front. Within an application, using the Window menu to bring a window to the front still work reliably.


Also, with Tahoe the Pages and Numbers app having been hanging or crashing much more than usual (which is practically never for me). Sometimes I try to bring one of those apps to the front and it stops responding.


Is anyone else experiencing similar issues? If so, have you found a fix, such as a setting that can be changed to prevent the issues from occurring?

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 26.0

Posted on Oct 11, 2025 6:05 PM

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Posted on Oct 12, 2025 1:28 AM

These are indeed very frustrating but I cannot reproduce it on any of the two macs running Tahoe, nor have I seen this reported before.


This suggests it’s likely something peculiar to your system.


Restart in Safe Mode and test. If the problem doesn’t occur in Safe Mode, you’ll know it’s something due to some third party software. Please run Etrecheck and post its full report here.

Use the “additional text” button and paste the report into the text box.

19 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 12, 2025 1:28 AM in response to s_0

These are indeed very frustrating but I cannot reproduce it on any of the two macs running Tahoe, nor have I seen this reported before.


This suggests it’s likely something peculiar to your system.


Restart in Safe Mode and test. If the problem doesn’t occur in Safe Mode, you’ll know it’s something due to some third party software. Please run Etrecheck and post its full report here.

Use the “additional text” button and paste the report into the text box.

Oct 21, 2025 10:17 AM in response to jdg3k9

Hi everyone, I think I may have found the problem. After toggling all startup processes on and off (very funny game :) I discovered that the Logitech daemons (two in my case) were the source of the issue. First, I disabled their startup option. Then I updated the software (the latest version was from September 29th), and now everything seems to be working fine


Hope this help

Oct 17, 2025 6:12 AM in response to davedc3

davedc3 wrote:
Very annoying and frustrating, it seems Apple has stopped testing their products

That is certainly not the case. But of course they cannot test every possible combination of every 3rd party app and extension. I have not seen this issue, either. The other two people posting about experiencing this issue did not post again, so we don't know if they followed the suggestion to see if the problem is present when you boot in safe mode, which disables 3rd party extensions and performs some system cleanup.

 

Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support


Maybe you'll try that and post your results.

Dec 9, 2025 8:04 AM in response to TimF199

I noticed the same thing about some portions of a window being sensitive to the mouse and some not.


The lack of sensitivity to the mouse even sometimes affects the controls in the upper left of the window frame, e.g.,  close or maximize the window. For instance, hovering over the close control in a window that was not in front did not cause the control to appear active (change from gray to red with an X). 


In my testing during the last several weeks, every time I experienced the problem Firefox was the front window. One time restarting Firefox resolved the issue. I also experienced a situation where hovering over a button in a Firefox window that was the front window did not cause buttons to appear active as they normally would.


After those experiences, I turned off the Firefox extensions that I use and have not noticed the issue recently. That could mean that one of the extensions is the issue or it could be related to the fact that I have been using Firefox less frequently (since the extensions are disabled).


I’m going to start turning on selected Firefox extensions, use Firefox more regularly, and see what happens.

Oct 12, 2025 1:48 AM in response to s_0

As my colleague has already mentioned " I cannot reproduce it on any of the two macs running Tahoe. . . . "


I can not reproduce this on 3 different M-Class computers that ran Tahoe 26.0 nor on current Commercially Released Tahoe 26.0.1


Your best bet is to use the suggested application and post the Full Report using the " Additional text " icon


Third to last icon



Oct 17, 2025 6:11 AM in response to s_0

Hello, I have the same issue, Mac book pro M4, Tahoe 26.0.1

Very annoying and frustrating, it seems Apple has stopped testing their products


I also disabled Setting>Destop & Dock > When switching to an application, switch to a Space with open windows for the application


As suggested but the problem persist


I'm not using stage manager

Oct 27, 2025 3:27 AM in response to s_0

I also use Firefox a lot, as I think many users do... I don't think that's the problem


Considering my recent experience, I suggest to look among the applications that interact with mouse (like drivers), keyboard (like drivers), windows management (like dockdoor apps, etc.).


I have read about disable (but did not work in my case)

"Setting>Destop & Dock > When switching to an application, switch to a Space with open windows for the application"

Dec 6, 2025 5:58 AM in response to the griffin

Adding: It *seems* that the right side of my screen switches between apps okay, but the upper left side doesn't. Put another way if I try to click away from Brave browser to Firefox on the right or the bottom of the apps, it works. If I try to click away or to an app by clicking on the upper left on an app, such as Firefox (where I habitually do), it doesn't work.


Any app.

Oct 16, 2025 12:50 AM in response to s_0

I have the same issue, Mac mini M4, Tahoe 26.0.1

Software windows cannot always be selected to bring the application to the front. Even an open window when accessing files cannot be selected if you want to go back to a previous window. Seems to be a layered structure issued to me. Again I am not using Stage manager but I feel some the issues relate to this as there are so many options or even in the Desktop and Dock settings or even Mission control.

Oct 24, 2025 6:45 PM in response to s_0

I appreciate all of the feedback and suggestions!


Before I tried booting in Safe Mode I wanted to ensure the issues happened routinely enough that I could tell if Safe Mode made a difference. Fortunately or unfortunately (for debugging purposes), the frequency of the problems for me has decreased significantly. (I now go days without experiencing window management issues or Pages/Numbers instability). I don't know if that's random, because I've been trying to be better about closing applications and windows when I'm not using them, or ...?


I have been trying to pay attention to which applications were involved (in front and trying to bring to the front) when I experienced the problem. My informal observation is that the problem most commonly happens when I'm using Firefox (143.0.4), but that could be due to the fact that I use Firefox a lot and I often have many Firefox windows open. Also, I haven't kept a log so my perception may not be accurate. To be clear, the issue may have nothing to do with Firefox.


I have not found any Logitech processes running.


I'm going to reboot again, update Firefox, and start a log to see if there are any patterns.


Window and App Issues with Tahoe

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