Windows 7 - Mouse Hover Makes Window Active - Enable

**gabeforprez** · 05-07-2009

How to Activate a Window by Hovering Over it with the Mouse Pointer

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Click here to read the entire tutorial

**anuarbin** · 03-23-2010

i really miss this feature as i migrate to 7.
tq very much

**DerickA** · 04-18-2010

Quote: Originally Posted by dave1812

The issue I'm having is that when in Explorer, I can't use the scroll wheel when moving from the folder pane to the file pane without FIRST clicking somewhere in the file pane. Years ago I had a mouse driver that allows that and haven't seen that functionality for quite a while now. If anyone knows how to get the scroll wheel to work by placing the cursor within the pane (without having to click inside of that pane), please share how it's done. I miss that functionality!

FYI, the functionality I'm looking for in Explorer does work in Thunderbird. Clicking on a folder, I can hover over the emails list pane and begin scrolling that window with the wheel without having to click somewhere within it first.

I'm using Windows 7 and WizMouse 1.0.0.7 gave me just what your looking for.

L0stKeys · 08-15-2010

PSA:
If OPTION #1 is already in place the delay doesn't kick in until you restart (OKAY/APPLY) the feature in EAC. I was having an annoying time trying to figure out how to get the delay to work on my laptop. With the correct registry changes in place, logging off and/or rebooting was not enough for me.

**rplum** · 09-13-2010

Quote: Originally Posted by erple2

Quote: Originally Posted by fatedquest

Quote: Originally Posted by Mystiqz

does anyone know of any software or registry settings to get the active window to not come to the foreground but still stay active so I can scroll or type? Tweak UI does this for winxp. Is there anything equivalent like that for WIndows 7? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Yeah, this is more practical. The setting in the control panel bring the window the the foreground, which is annoying and useless.

Option 3 of the first page tells you how to do this. Don't use or set Option 1, and you should be good to go. The delay is set so that some behavior works fine. I had an issue with selecting the "additional hidden" icons on the systray (ie, I could click on the up arrow to show the hidden items in the systray, but as soon as I started to move the mouse to one of the hidden items, the mini-window that shows the hidden items disappeared). Setting the delay to "150" (milliseconds) seemed to solve the problem for me, plus had a minimal impact on the normal behavior on the "focus follows mouse" behavior. BTW, the active window does NOT have to be the top window if you go with Option 3.

I'm not sure what you are referring to--first page of what? Thanks!

**Brink** · 09-13-2010

Hello Rplum, and welcome to Seven Forums.

They are referring to the tutorial on the first page/post in this thread. At the bottom and top right corners of this webpage, you will see a "Page # of 6" box. You would just need to click on the "First" option to go to the first page. That's all.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

**KotaXor** · 09-14-2010

Thanks for this...edit the reg file item to "ActiveWndTrkTimeout" instead of "ActiveWndTrackTimeout" turn out fine. Previously, I am unable to click any thing in the "hidden" notification. I deleted the "ActiveWndTrackTimeout" from the reg. Well done and thanks.

**Graviton** · 02-02-2011

The 9F 3E 07 80 12 00 00 00 code is for those that use Windows' (you have a decent enough computer system ) recommended default setting.

I've changed some of Windows' advanced settings:

Type systempropertiesperformance in the start menu and hit enter.

All of these advanced settings affect the above code. For example my UserPreferenceMask value with...

no Active Window Tracking, no Z-Order Activation
94 3C 03 80 12 00 00 00

Active Window Tracking, no Z-Order Activation
95 3C 03 80 12 00 00 00

Active Window Tracking, Z-Order Activation
D5 3C 03 80 12 00 00 00

Because I've un-check-marked menu fading, shadows under windows & smooth scrolling in list boxes.

Registry edit guide/tool for advanced system settings
http://www.silisoftware.com/tools/tweakui.php

Use the above tool to generate registry codes for your preferred setting. Go to the registry key in Option #3 of the original post HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop. Change your UserPreferenceMask value to the one given by the above tool.

or

Simply set your custom advanced settings. Go to the registry key in Option #3 of the original post. Save your new default code.

Add 1 hex to the first digit pair to get active window tracking without z-order activation.
Add 41 to the first digit pair to get active window tracking with z-order activation.

Log Off ––> Log On and your done.

NOTE:

Z-Order Activation does not work without Active Window Tracking. So adding 40 to the digits won't do anything.
You will want to adjust the ActiveWndTrkTimeout value to something above zero. I use 333 ms in decimal = 0000014d in hex.

**Arizone** · 07-13-2011

Just wondering,

Is it possible to apply method 3 (by modifying registry) without logging off ?

I wrote little piece in C#, which can enable or disable focus window on mouse over
and I would like to improve it. Maybe there is a way to enforce Windows System to apply focus window on mouse over by, i don't know, another changes in registry or calling some system functions in C# code.

Maybe someone can help?

**Imposter** · 09-23-2011

Good old Option 3 is almost what I was looking for. When I go to click over to a window that's behind another, sometimes it opens and becomes foreground and active, but sometimes it becomes active without coming in front of other windows. If I click the title bar in that case, it comes to the front. I believe this ordering of windows is z-order, but I can't figure out what's actually creating that order. Is there a combination of settings that will allow this version: hovering switches control to the new window (so mouse scrolling works) but doesn't bring it to the front, AND clicking the window always brings it to front? My current settings don't achieve this. Thanks for your guidance!

**Dixon Butz** · 10-03-2011

Quote: Originally Posted by Imposter

Good old Option 3 is almost what I was looking for. When I go to click over to a window that's behind another, sometimes it opens and becomes foreground and active, but sometimes it becomes active without coming in front of other windows. If I click the title bar in that case, it comes to the front. I believe this ordering of windows is z-order, but I can't figure out what's actually creating that order. Is there a combination of settings that will allow this version: hovering switches control to the new window (so mouse scrolling works) but doesn't bring it to the front, AND clicking the window always brings it to front? My current settings don't achieve this. Thanks for your guidance!

Your halfway there. Use this for Windows 7 x64 to keep the windows from coming to the front when mousing over.
Set the raise time before unchecking Auto raise

XMouseSetting.zip - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

You may be able to scroll the window that your mouse is over.
If not you need this to scroll the moused over window without clicking the window.
Make sure it runs on startup.

WizMouse

Windows 7 - Mouse Hover Makes Window Active - Enable

Mouse Hover Makes Window Active - Enable problems?