Level 1

22 points

Menu bar shows twice on dual monitor, dock moves around

Mac Pro (early 2008) w/ Yosemite and dual monitor display

The menu bar at the top of the screen appears on BOTH monitors ALL the time. However, the one on the secondary monitor is dimmed out, and can be two or three app switches behind. For example, awhile ago I worked in Illustrator, and the Illustrator menu bar is visible in the second monitor (but dimmed). On the main monitor I have been in several apps since, but currently it is showing Firefox. If I mouse click on that dimmed out menu it will go right to Illustrator - and the Illustrator menu will appear on BOTH monitors. It will remain this way until switching to another app which has palettes on the second monitor, so just now I went to InDesign, and now that menu bar is visible. Also visible are the usual items in the right part of the menu, such as the time.

The Dock can also switch monitors, but that has only happened once.

Finally, but I think related. When in Adobe apps, with all the palettes located in the second monitor, when I click on something which should pop up more choices (anything in the character palette) - sometimes the pop-up will appear all the way across both screens, and on the main monitor. That is a ridiculous pain.

Other than that the system seems stable, and the apps do work. I did go back down to one desktop in spaces, but that seems to make no difference. Ideas ???

Mac Pro, OS X Yosemite (10.10), Double Monitor Display

Posted on Oct 28, 2014 7:52 AM

24 replies

Dec 3, 2014 10:57 AM in response to Diegus83

This gets a bit involved. The "each screen has its own space" option in the mission control control panel is turned on by default in Yosemite. (I don't know about earlier versions). Turning it off will remove the second menubar after reboot. I tried this before but I think I didn't notice the little blurb about having to log out to make the changes. At this point, if you only have one user login, the menu issue is resolved. But if you have multiple users, as I do, you need to go to each user and turn off the "each screen has its own space" option for all of them. Otherwise you can develop really strange issues. If I have the option turned on in some users and turned off in others every time you switch users the Mac will lose all its display settings background, screensaver, etc. This problem may be specific to my late 2009 Mac Pro.

If you're using the multiple screens with the "each screen has its own space" option turned on and want to prevent the dock from leaping from screen to screen you can pin the dock the right or left side. That seems to keep it in place, even if it's not the precise place where you'd like it kept. I have yet to see the dock change screen with the "each screen has its own space" option turned off. I doubt it will.

So for me it seems that turning off the "each screen has its own space" option in the mission control control panel for all user accounts and rebooting resolves my issues. Your results may vary.

L.Shaner

Level 1

30 points

Jan 15, 2015 1:01 PM in response to Barney-15E

Thanks, Barney!

I did think to try toggling the setting, already and it doesn't help.

In fact instead of dragging the iTunes window to the correct display after a display-sleep, I have started just changing the "Assign To" to All and back to Display 2 and that moves it. But on the next display sleep, iTunes has moved to Display 1, again.

Reading around on lots of loosely-related posts, I saw someone mention that the physical ports that the displays are plugged into could be a factor. :S It reminded me that back in 2010, when I first installed my Mac Pro, I plugged my two displays into arbitrary ports and the login screen and dock came up on the monitor to the left. I wanted the login screen and dock on the monitor to the right, so I simply changed the display arrangement in the Display Preferences and drug the dock to the right.

I now wonder if when waking from display-sleep, iTunes is "magnetized" to the "Display 2" which was the default / physical "Display 2" not the logical "Display 2" (as per re-arrangement in Display Preferences).

Next time I have to reboot the Mac Pro, I think I shall try physically swapping the display connections and then re-reverse them in Display Preferences to see if the problem goes away. :S

Lazlow Author

Level 1

22 points

Oct 29, 2014 8:34 AM in response to Diegus83

Thanks, it is helpful to know others see this too. Like I said earlier, I am not sure this is a necessary feature - and could be confusing to new users.

jinet

Level 1

65 points

Nov 24, 2014 5:29 PM in response to Diegus83

Just curious what settings are needed to show the second menu bar on a second monitor. I'm not able to reproduce this. tx

jinet

Level 1

65 points

Nov 24, 2014 6:29 PM in response to Diegus83

Thanks, but I don't see this in prefs. A screen shot would help.

Lazlow Author

Level 1

22 points

Dec 3, 2014 6:13 AM in response to Lazlow

Thanks Barney, that was it. Lots of little check boxes in OS X - too little time to turn them on and off.

Barney-15E

Level 10

122,120 points

Jan 14, 2015 4:58 PM in response to L.Shaner

I don't know why it is moving. The only thing I would suggest is to change the setting, and then change it back.

I've got the exact setup and haven't noticed iTunes swapping displays.

jlehtine

Level 1

4 points

Feb 4, 2015 3:59 AM in response to Lazlow

EDIT: Nothing to see here, move along. 🙂

Mar 29, 2015 11:15 PM in response to WillFromFlorida

Never mind, I'm incompetent; all it took was a quick update of VLC. I was on 2.0.3 and just upgraded to 2.1.5.

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Menu bar shows twice on dual monitor, dock moves around