Offscreen Window - Move Back to Desktop

How to Move Offscreen Window Back to Desktop in Windows 7 and Windows 8​

   Information

If you have a opened window that is offscreen from your main display, then this will show you how to move the offscreen window back on your desktop in Windows 7 and Windows 8.

   Note

This would be a opened window that you accidentally moved off the screen to far to get to it with the mouse pointer, or if a laptop or desktop computer is plugged up to a temporary secondary monitor display and then disconnected without remembering to move the open window(s) back to the primary desktop display.

Here's How:
1. Hover the mouse pointer over the offscreen open window icon on the taskbar until you see it's taskbar thumbnail preview display. (see screenshot below)

2. Right click on the taskbar thumbnail preview, and click/tap on Move. (see screenshot below)

NOTE: You could also press and hold the Shift key, right click on the taskbar icon of the offscreen window, release the Shift key, then click/tap on Move.

   Tip

If Move is grayed out, then that means that the offscreen window has been minimized to the taskbar. Click/tap on Maximize or Restore and repeat step 2 to now be able to click/tap on Move.

3. The mouse pointer will now turn into the move cursor on the offscreen window, but you will not see this quite yet.

4. Press and release one of the arrow keys on the keyboard.

5. Now drag the offscreen window back to your desktop by either moving the mouse or using the arrow keys.
NOTE: You may need to move the mouse around a bit until you see what direction the offscreen window is coming from.

6. When you have the window back to where you want it on the desktop, left click or press Enter to drop the window into place.
That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Move an Open Window with the keyboard
• How to Reset Browse For Folders type Dialog Boxes to Default Size in Windows
• How to Reset Position of Windows Mobility Center to Default in Windows

 

[CassieFWinTeam]

Thanks for sharing, Shawn!

Cassandra
Microsoft Windows Outreach

 

[Brink]

Thank you Cassandra.

 

[RyanG]

6. When you have the window back to where you want it on the desktop, left click or press Enter to drop the window into place.

when i press Enter or left click the window disappears and is offscreen again.

 

[Brink]

Hello Ryan, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Strange, that should not happen. Do you have the window all the way onto your desktop and not hanging offscreen any at all? What is that window for?

 

[RyanG]

yes, the window is all the way on the screen. And the window is for Steam Community chat

 

[Brink]

Ryan,

I must admit that I'm not sure why it is doing that for you. You might see if uninstalling and reinstalling the program may be able to reset it for you so that it opens on the desktop normally again.

 

[Torongo]

Nice, thanks. =)

~Joshua~

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome Joshua. Thank you.

 

[Kari]

Sorry but IMO this is wrong:

If Move is grayed out, then that means that the offscreen window has been minimized to the taskbar. Click on Maximize and repeat step 2 to now be able to click on Move.

I think it should be:

If Move is grayed out, then that means that the offscreen window has been minimized to the taskbar or maximized to full screen. To move a window, it must be restored to non-full screen mode. Click on Restore and repeat step 2 to now be able to click on Move.

This is at least how this works on all my rigs; only open, non-full screen windows can be moved using this method.

Kari

 

[ie9]

Hi Shawn,

You could also make sure that the window is selected and then press win key + left arrow to get it "snapped" back on screen

 

[dsperber]

Been looking for this trick FOR YEARS!!! Always wondered what that "MOVE" was on the menu, and how to make use of it. Should have investigated HELP before now.

Anyway, I just used it to solve a problem caused by going from a 2-monitor system to a 1-monitor environment with the same installed Win7, and I missed opening this program prior to the transition so that I could pull its window over from monitor#2 to monitor#1.

Worked perfectly!

Many thanks.

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome Darryl.

 

[rafal]

Hello,
I'd like to add one more tip that you can use if nothing else from this thread works.
I had a problem with an offscreen window today. It had a custom look and feel and a fixed size. None of the method described in this thread had worked. So I did this:

1. I went to the desktop (you can do it by clicking the rightmost button on the taskbar).
2. I right clicked it and selected the option to change the screen resolution.
3. I chose a lower resolution. All the windows were realigned and became accessible again.
4. I restored the original resolution.

That's it, one more tip in the bank

Regards

 

[Nuttawet]

The windows live messenger chat window can't be move and drag, why is that?

 

[Brink]

Hello Nuttawet,

There doesn't appear to be a way to do so through the taskbar for the Messenger chat window. Are you able to drag a border of the chat window over enough to then be able to drag the whole window back to your display?

 

[Nuttawet]

I can't do anything.

 

[Brink]

Nuttawet,

Ok. In that case, you could use the tutorial below to reset all folder views back to default. It should also include resetting the position of this window as well.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/15692-folder-view-settings-reset-all-default.html

 

[Nuttawet]

Is there other way to do it?

 

[Brink]

Well, you could connect a second monitor, drag and drop the 2nd display (ex: #1 below) around each side of your main display (ex: #2 below) until the offscreen window shows up on the 2nd display, then drag the window back to your main display to have it back.