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I recently had the problem, that when you tried to start Chrome, you could see the program running in the Task Manager, but there would be no window visible on the desktop. No icon is visible no the taskbar either. I solved this problem the first time by reinstalling Chrome, but I had to do this 2 more times since, and now the problem has spread to Steam.

I think the problem has something to do with changing display resolutions (I play some games that don't run in 4k, and I always encounter this problem after a restart when I played one on those games -- I'm not sure if there's a real connection between the two, though)

How do I solve / whats causing this issue?

Cullub
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paschwuerfler
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  • If it's a regular thing, search for "Shove-It" or similar auto-window-moving utilities. – KlaymenDK May 26 '19 at 15:08
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    Do you connect and remove other monitors? This can commonly occur with laptops that are plugged into and unplugged from a second screen. – Clonkex May 27 '19 at 03:14

4 Answers4

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KR15's suggestion is good for programs that have an icon in the taskbar.

For windows that don't have an icon (like a dialog box), use these keys:

  1. ALT+SPACE
  2. M
    • To select "move" (this may change based on Windows language)
  3. Any directional (arrow) key
    • This will "bind" the window to the mouse pointer
  4. Now move the mouse pointer to the desired position and click to release the window
Rod
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Konerak
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    Perhaps clarify what you mean by "ARROW". Is this an arrow key, the caret symbol or an angle bracket? Are you pressing once or holding? – Clonkex May 27 '19 at 03:10
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    @Konerak: Good addition for the special cases of windows without an icon in the taskbar, but you have to keep in mind that e.g. in german Windows it´s the 'v' key and not the 'm' key. Also very important, the dialog box first needs to be focused to (before doing the first step with Alt + Space). – Kr15 May 27 '19 at 06:19
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    @Clonkex (I'm not the one who wrote the answer, but) It is the arrow keys, as they will initiate the "Move". In fact, you can just use the arrow keys to move the window, without the mouse, but it is **SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO** slow! But yes, clarification should be added to the answer. – Ismael Miguel May 27 '19 at 09:59
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    No icon is visible in the taskbar. – paschwuerfler May 27 '19 at 16:06
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    @PaulOlePaschPantherPlays That is something that *should* be in the question from the beginning. (Also, should be specified if it shows in ALT+TAB or not) That suggests that the program isn't starting. Maybe the HDD is under heavy load? Maybe there's a deadlock somewhere? A corrupted file? Something else? – Ismael Miguel May 27 '19 at 17:21
  • @IsmaelMiguel Don't worry, _I_ know what "arrow" meant. I was just concerned less experienced users might not, and might find this answer frustrating as a result. – Clonkex May 27 '19 at 22:26
  • this is always my go-to, except step 2 (pressing M) makes things a ton easier - I always used to press down arrow 3 times – RozzA May 27 '19 at 22:29
  • I'm not sure dialog boxes have an Alt+Space menu. – jpmc26 May 28 '19 at 13:33
  • I usually hold the arrow keys for this operation because mouse capture bugs. – Joshua May 28 '19 at 15:50
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The window is there but not in the visible area. So move it back in the visible area by holding Shift-key and right clicking on that tasks icon in the taskbar, then you get a menu where you choose ´move´ (beside other options).

Kr15
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    Is Shift really necessary? It wasn't on earlier versions (never used 10 though). – KlaymenDK May 26 '19 at 15:07
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    Yes, otherwise you get the normal context menu. – Kr15 May 26 '19 at 15:39
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    @KlaymenDK The default context menu was changed in Windows 7 IIRC, it shows recently open files and extra app-specific actions (for example launching private windows for browsers) – gronostaj May 26 '19 at 20:40
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    This method *almost* works on my machine. Sometimes I have to click `Restore` first to make `Move` available. For some programs I have to click twice slowly after clicking `Move` to actually move the window. Double clicking may re-maximize to the non-existent/powered off monitor. – Booga Roo May 27 '19 at 01:03
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    A simpler option would be to give the window focus using the task bar and use Win+←. This moves the window to the left half of its current screen; it can then be resized or moved as desired. Pressing it multiple times will move it across screens if the issue is related to the window being on a logical screen that isn't connected to a device, so you can just keep pressing it until the window appears. – jpmc26 May 27 '19 at 04:20
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    I would love to that, but there's no visible icon in the taskbar. – paschwuerfler May 27 '19 at 16:05
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    @Paul: See below what Konerak wrote. If you can assure the task is indeed existing (see in task manager), you first need to focus to it e.g. with Windows-Key + Tab or with Alt + Tab before hitting Alt-Space and so on. – Kr15 May 27 '19 at 16:29
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If the application window is opened but not in view, you can use the Windows key + Arrow keys to move the windows 'around' the screen.

Mixxiphoid
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0

There are already good answers, I just wanted to another in case anyone ever experiences a similar issue.

Some Programs still stay off-screen when doing everything @Mixxiphoid, @Konerak or @Kr15 suggested (as the company program I use to track how long I worked on a ticket does). We then need to shift + right click on the icon in the taskbar and select "Maximise". It then maximises on my primary monitor and starts to behave again

MindSwipe
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