10.11.4 Window position off-screen after wake from sleep + external display

Whether or not the order of settings or events seems to be important, the issue does seem to be related to the "Mirror Displays" setting (under the System Preferences > Displays > Arrangement tab), which, of course, is only available when multiple displays are present. In my case, I use my MacBook Pro in the field quite often, but when at my desk I use an external display. Also, when I'm in the field, I sometimes use my iPad Pro as a secondary display so I have my primary display (menu bar indicator) set to my MacBook Pro. When I leave it this way, this problem often/always exists at my desk when my system wakes up from sleep. However, when I have my primary display (menu bar) set to my external display at my desk, this problem does not seem to exist ... at least in my early tests. Given that the issue has persisted through several versions of the OS, my guess is that Apple considers this "broken as designed", but at least there's a work-around: Keep your primary display (menu bar) set to your principal external display, not your MacBook.

MacBook Pro 2016 15" with touch bar, running Sierra 10.12.6

Asus 24" display (PB278, I think)

iPad Pro 12.9"

I have to admit my ignorance here, as I don't have a Mac Pro (I should have read closer and now I'm on my phone so it's more difficult to chase this thread) but ... Are all three displays the same size/resolution? Do you not have to assign one of your three displays to present the menu bar and/or dock? Or are you spanning all three as one display with one menu bar? Or, does your menu bar appear on all three? I don't know that I can help further, but now you have me curious about what you're seeing.

Yes, all three screens are 3840x2160@60Hz. The layout's not particularly interesting, just three side by side in landscape. The middle one is marked as the "master", but the menu bars show on all three. No stretching across displays, not even sure you can do that?

I have the exact same setup as your 'at home' and I'm experiencing the exact same problem. Windows off screen and stacked ontop of each other usually in the bottom left every time I wake from sleep. Only difference is I have 2 dell monitors. Did you ever fix this?

I have this issue too.
Makes work very difficult, as one, I need to find which monitor the app ended up on, then two, actually be able to find a clickable part of the app so I can move it to somewhere visible.

Btw, I have I have a 13" MBP (new one, with touch bar), and 2 external monitors

Sadly, this doesn't help when you're on a Mac Pro with three screen which, therefore, does not have a "primary" display.

Experiencing the exact same issue in with MBP 2016 15 inch with touch bar, OS X Sierra (10.12.5).
I close the lid and I have two external monitors with one being vertical. When it wakes up from sleep the positions of many windows goes off-margin.

It's mid 2017 now, and the issue remains. Have you found a solution?

I suspect the external screen being in scaled mode may have something to do with it as well.

I cannot reproduce it constantly to test.

I have a 4K display scaled to 1440 on MacOS 10.12.5. With the laptop closed, waking sometimes results is almost off screen windows w/ 1 inch of window remaining on either side. External Display is set as primary and mirroring is off.

This is definitely a bug... Has anyone tried High Sierra to see if this persists?

Hi,

I take that in System Preferences > Displays that Mirroring is On ?

What resolutions are both screens running at ?

How are you waking the laptop from Sleep ?

If this is by lifting the Lid is it on the Mac that you see this ?

If it is does the position bear any relation to the larger screen's layout ? (i.e. if the laptop could match the larger screen's resolution would the "shift" appear in the same place, like the laptop was a cut out of the larger screen).

In System Preferences > Displays which is the "lead" screen ?

9:17 pm Wednesday; May 4, 2016

This happens to me as well and I initially attributed it to an app in the App Store (Magnet) but have confirmed the behavior is consistent with or without that application running. I use a MacBook Pro Retina 13" running 10.11.4 in clamshell mode connected to a 34" Samsung SE790C display and it is driving me crazy at the moment. The applications I have seen this behavior (windows off the screen with just a 1/4" visible and in a completely different side of the screen) with are: Safari, Pages, Messages, Terminal, Mail (all thus far).

To be clear the pattern in as follows:

• MacBook Pro Retina connected to Samsung monitor in clamshell mode connected via HDMI or same connected via Vertical Henge Dock via Displayport
• Laptop and screen go to sleep
• Awake the laptop via bluetooth connected Magic Track Pad
• Application windows are positioned in different locations and mostly off of the screen entirely (apart from 1/4")

Seems like a bug that needs to be corrected.

Hi,

So the Smaller screen is never re-opened and therefore it cannot be said whether the smaller screen is mistakenly trying display things at the same resolution and only providing a "window" view of the larger screen's display.

Also the apps also have moved.

In that case are the screens or have they been run as if side by Side (no Mirroring) so that when an app is moved to the side of one display it also partially appears on the "other side" of the other ?

Can the Clamshell Mac be opened to check that ?
Or can that be checked in System Preferences > Displays ?

It sounds like the Mirroring is lost.

9:09 pm Thursday; May 5, 2016

Correct on initially not opening the "smaller" screen a.k.a. the laptop screen

I am running the screens in side by side mode (no mirroring) and tested the following pattern after your reply:

• MacBook Pro Retina connected to Samsung monitor in clamshell mode connected via HDMI (no dock)
• Laptop and screen go to sleep
• Awake the laptop via bluetooth connected Magic Track Pad
• Application windows are positioned in different locations with one off of the screen entirely (apart from 1/4")
• Open the Laptop and thus removing the clamshell mode

Results:

All application windows are positioned in normal non-full screen mode on the laptop screen only (samsung external display has no active application windows and only shows the wallpaper). Note that all applications windows are positioned within the laptop monitor with none attempting to hang off the screen or in an odd position.

System preferences show no mirroring checked and both monitors have a resolution of "default for display"

Hi,

So you are not mirroring but dragging all the Apps to the larger screen which is set up to be Side by side with the Laptop Screen.

The connection method and settings means the larger screen has no Dock showing.

It would appear that on wake the apps (or the computer) is only seeing one screen - the laptop's own - and trying to place all the apps in relation to it's screen.

In Displays, does the "Scaled" option give any hint as the the resolution that is being used ?

If you do set it up to Mirror does the behaviour stop ?

9:01 pm Friday; May 6, 2016

I am not mirroring, nor am I dragging applications from one screen to the other on most cases. For my primary use I am doing the following (this may have not been clear in my initial response):

• MacBook Pro 13" connected to Samsung 34" external display in clamshell (closed lid) or docked (closed) in a vertical henge dock
• Connection to external display is via HDMI or DisplayPort (via thunderbolt) - I have tested both connections
• Thus, the following: only one primary display in this scenario (the Samsung external monitor)
• The OS X doc is displayed on the primary (Samsung) display in this mode

Resolution of the Samsung monitor as indicated in MacBook Pro system preferences scaled option "hint" is 3440x1440

I can try the mirroring option to see if the behavior is different, but that's not my primary use case. My primary use case is to use the laptop closed when connected to this external display.

Keith

Hi,

Does this mean that before the Mac has the Lid closed that the Displays have already been set to the larger external one as the main screen ?

Or does the closing of the lid make the remaining display the one that then automatically gets the Dock ?

I am trying to ascertain which is the "normal" Screen/Display and if that has any bearing at the point of waking up.

9:32 pm Sunday; May 8, 2016