sierra full screen bug

Have a similar issue with MacBook Pro.

If I startup an app from within a full screen, I get logged out. If I navigate into the dashboard screen and try and get out of it using 3 finger swipe or the arrow key on the bottom right of the dashboard screen I get logged out.

Rather than using a 3 finger swipe to navigate left / right, I now use F3 or 5 finger swipe up and select the screen I want avoiding the dashboard. I don't attempt to start an app from a full screen.

I also have this problem and have been working with Apple support to try to resolve it. For me it happens whenever:

• I try to take an app to full-screen mode
• I try to animate between Desktop Spaces using the mouse (two-finger swipe), trackpad, keyboard commands, or anything else that causes the Desktop Space to switch.
• I watch a video in full-screen mode

I think the unifying thing here is the automatic switching to a different Desktop Space, including for full-screen. Interestingly, if I navigate Desktop Spaces manually, usuing Mission Control, I'm successful in switching.

Of note, this is only affecting my account. I created a "test" account and everything works fine. Apple thinks it's something that's loading during my unique login and we're working on isolating the problem.

You may want to try the Desktop Spaces movement on your computer. If you have the same problem, we may have the same issue. If (when) I get a resolution from Apple, I will post here. BTW, you may want to create a "test" account and try going to full-screen mode with an app, and navigating spaces. If it works, you've isolated the problem to some idiosyncracy in your account.

I've just tested every fullscreen possible and it always works for me.

Does this only happen on websites/in your browser? Or with QuickTime (VLC, whatever else...) as well?

It happens independent of which application is running. No applications can be running and the WindowServer will crash to the login screen if I try to switch Desktop Spaces by any method other than by launching Mission Control and selecting the Desktop Space I want from the choices at the top of the screen. Going to fullscreen in any app, and launching a fullscreen video all require automatic animation to a new Desktop Space for the fullscreen to run in, and this causes the crash, as does the two-finger swipe (mouse), the four-finger swipe (trackpad), or selecting an app that is running in another Desktop Space. The swipe equivalent keyboard commands also triggers the crash.

As I noted, this does not happen with any other User accounts, just mine. Nor does it happen if I boot in Safe Boot mode and login to my own account. So, it seems to be something unique to my login environment.

I will. I've identified at least 5 discussion threads that seem to apply to this issue. I expect a call from Apple Engineering later today; they want me to send them a collection of logs so that they can see what's happening at the time of the crash.

When I get a solution, I will absolutely post it to the threads to which it applies. The only alternative is to, as I'm sure you've realized, migrate all of your stuff to a new User account. Of course, that would be a huge pain so I'm going to continue to try to resolve this with Apple support.

Hi,

I had the same issue (WindowServer crash when switching any app into fullscreen mode) and was able able to resolve it by manually deleting all Parallels Desktop config files in $home/Library/Preferences/Parallels.

Dhalgren wrote:

As I noted, this does not happen with any other User accounts, just mine. Nor does it happen if I boot in Safe Boot mode and login to my own account. So, it seems to be something unique to my login environment.

This appears to be the case for several people affected.

In such occasions, running Etrecheck and posting its report here has often provided the clues to find out the software causing it.

Unfortunately, I don't use Parallels, and never have, so I don't have those files to delete. I agree, though, that there is probably some prefs file causing this problem. I have tried deleting the Dock and Spaces preferences, without resolution.

I sent my logs to Apple yesterday; awaiting a reply.

Thanks. I will try this.

TL;DR the crash-to-login when switching Spaces problem may be caused by RAZER SYNAPSE.

I've been having the bug where switching Spaces would crash me to the login screen. Originally it was intermittent but it became consistent. Except while apps were loading at startup. I found I could switch Spaces a bunch before everything started up. After some testing I believe the culprit is RAZER SYNAPSE. It takes a while to load when I start up, and I'd switch spaces a bunch successfully, see synapse it load, then switch again and crash to login screen immediately.

Then I saw there was a new synapse update, got it, restarted, and I've stopped crashing for now. So either the update or the full computer restart (rather than just going back to login screen) helped.

I'm on a 27" retina imac with 2 external displays and i normally use 2 spaces with my main screen. the razer product is a deathadder chroma mouse. after the new synapse update, something seems buggy with double clicking, so i'll probably just switch mice for a while.

Hi, I've managed to get around this logout problem. I concluded that it had to be an app that hooks into apple screen/display. In my case, either vmware fusion 5 or Duet. It was after I had un-installed Duet, that the the problem went away and I can now work with Sierra.

I have this problem watching online video in full-screen.

As an example: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cig/star-citizen

Watching the campaign video (notably at 9:50) the white colors go rainbow and artifact. Causing the on-screen controls to appear (via moving mouse for example) removes all distortions. After a couple seconds when the mouse hides, the artifacts come back WindowServer often crashes then, booting me to the login screen.

Angus008 wrote:

Just updated to os sierra 10.12.1 and fullscreen bug still exists.

Since there are different problems from different people on this thread, and since most people don't seem to be affected, you may want to start a new thread and give specific details about your problem.

I don't think it is clear to anyone except you what "fullscreen bug" you are talking about.