When switching between applications on different displays, Microsoft Word (or Excel) "steals focus" and becomes the active window.

I have this problem too - very annoying that whenever I move from display 1 to display 2, MS Word steals focus, so I have to click any app twice.

I'm noticing this same problem starting today. The only thing different is that this morning my laptop installed updates for Safari, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. It is very annoying. When I open another window in another application, it appears like it didn't open because it's behind MS Word, which has moved to the front and become active. I wish there was a solution here. I just skimmed the learn about using multiple displays link at the top of this thread, but it doesn't sound like anything there would indicate a settings change in mission control would resolve this.

Others have reported the problem at Microsoft Community. One person says they observe the bug not just with MS Office applications, but with Firefox too.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/mac/forum/macoffice2011-macword/microsoft-wor d-for-mac-2011-steals-focus-when/9882c6c6-9090-4627-92a9-be1fdac944eb

More notes on the bug, for the purpose of recreating it:

If App A is the focus-stealing app, and App B has focus, and both are on display 2, when I move focus to display 1, App A hops on top of App B on display 2. If I then click once on a still-exposed part of App B on display 2, it will hop back to the front, as it should've remained in the first place.

If App A (focus-stealing) is on top of App B on display 2 before I move focus to display 1, App A will stay on top when I move to display 1. If I then move the cursor back to display 2 and click once on an exposed part of App B, it comes forward for an instant before App A jumps back in front. If App A has multiple windows open, they will ALL jump in front of App B. I then have to click App B again, which is hopefully not hidden behind windows which were originally behind it.

That's may not be clear. Just trying to describe symptoms so someone can figure this out.

I have this problem too. "Greedy" Excel jumps in front of any other App. This is the case even if I have two windows of the one App on the two monitors, e.g. two Firefox windows.

So, you have two monitors, with App A having a window on each monitor.

On Monitor 1 you also have a window open with "greedy" App B (like Excel - I haven't noticed it with other Apps, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was a MS-endemic issue).

You are going between the two windows of App A, on the two monitors.

As soon as you click on the App A window on Monitor 2, greedy App B takes the front of the windows stack on Monitor 1, forcing you to click again on Monitor 1 to get focus in the window that you actually want to look at. But annoyingly, you didn't want to click at all on Monitor 1, since you're actually working on Monitor 2.

I have the same issue. It happens only with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, and Powerpoint). I am running OS X 10.9.3 Mavericks, but I had a similar problem on OS X Lion and on OS X Snow Leopard. On those operating systems, the problem occurred when switching between spaces. For me on Mavericks it can happen both when switching spaces and when switching screens.

There is a workaround for this problem, which was posted by Highestwater on the Microsoft Community thread for this bug and worked for me as well:

Go to

System Preferences > Mission Control >

and UN-check the box labeled "Displays have separate Spaces" (see image below)

The original poster on this thread may already be aware of this workaround, because he/she mentioned that the "separate Spaces" option is checked. But if you can live without the extra Mavericks dual display features (like going full screen in 1 display only, switching spaces independently on each display, and having a menu bar on each display), then uncheck this option and the "stealing focus" bug seems to disappear. For me the bug is so annoying that it's worth it to lose the extra features. Just yesterday I closed a Word document I was working on by mistake because I clicked on a Finder window on my other display and immediately pressed command-w to close it, without realizing that the focus had switched to my word document which closed instead. It was saved, but this sort of stuff interrupted my work enough to be both an annoyance and a time drain.

I'll add my vote to PLEASE fix this (is it Apple or Microsoft? I see the reference to Firefox doing the same...). It is driving me crazy, taking focus all the time. However, I need and like the "separate spaces" feature on my machine - I don't think that is a great workaround for everyone.

Hello,

For me it was chrome grabbing focus. Chrome windows open on both displays. chrome has focus on display 2. click on x11 application on display 1, and chrome grabbed focus on display 1. It happened fast enough I couldn't tell whether x11 EVER had focus.

--jason

Natemb's solution is really not acceptable - it cripples the whole multiple monitor thing. The problem is EXTREMELY annoying. I believe it is Microsoft's problem and they probably do it on purpose because they'd prefer that you run Windows. Certainly no other app behaves in this way. I think Apple should insist that Microsoft fix it, or provide some non-crippling solution to the issue.

Michael Neale wrote:

I think Apple should insist that Microsoft fix it, or provide some non-crippling solution to the issue.

Unfortunately Apple are in no position to tell Microsoft what to do, they certainly can not 'insist'

Let Microsoft know what you want, Apple can't do anything with other peoples products (but you could stop supporting that incompetent company from Redmond)

I have let them know, (http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/mac/forum/macoffice2011-macword/microsoft-wor d-for-mac-2011-steals-focus-when/9882c6c6-9090-4627-92a9-be1fdac944eb?page=2&tm= 1411485193160#LastReply) but doubt if anything will come of it. Apple is in a position to do something - they can explain to Microsoft how the stealing focus bug is disrupting users, and presumably how to code the application so that it doesn't behave so disruptively.

It's a disaster really, one switches (cmd-tab) to e.g. pages or keynote and starts typing, but the typing ends up in a Word document instead. This causes problems for many Apple applications and ruins the multiple desktop experience.

Then it's no use telling us we are consumers just like you, but you can tell Apple (as it is their intervention you seek)

Apple.com/Feedback

I noticed in that Microsoft thread you linked your mention of ceasing to use Microsoft Word for Mac, that's the one I agree with (and gently suggested) so +1

Done, but I am not optimistic. This seems like a problem that neither vendor wants to fix, even though M$ may lose Word users, and Apple may lose OS X users.

Microsoft's sales are already down, Apples are up. It seems that consumers can discern who dropped the ball.