2 Displays and restoring app position problem

[MHMac]

Hi,
setup is MacBook Pro (M4 Pro) 2 x Displays off 2 x TB ports.

I'm having an interesting time with twin displays - mainy around the "spaces" usage.
I am currently operating as "Spaces off" which gives me ability to have app over 2 screens (spreadsheet), monitor is large enough not to worry about the Fullscreen app problem.
What I now have as a nagging thing is that after the Mac puts up the screen saver and is woken back up ALL the apps appear only on the primary monitor.
Easy enough, but frustrating, to have to rearrange before being able to continue work.

I'm fairly new to the wonders of Mac, so may well have missed some tip or trick.

Does anyone know of a way, either natively, or by an app to keep the window positions - WITHOUT turning "spaces" back on.

All replies gratefully received,

Regards

Mike.
P.S. If the true answer is turn "spaces back on" then I'll have an interesting supplementary question !! ..... <grin>

 

[MacsBug]

Hi Mike and welcome to the forum,

I have a very similar setup as you and I dont have the issue that you are describing.

I use my MacBook Pro is clamshell mode (Lid closed) and have dual LG 27" Thunderbolt displays. Each display is plugged into a seperate thunderbolt port.

I dont know what displays you are using, and if the displays themselves go into sleep mode that may be part of your issue.

I have my setup with Safari and Mail on 1 display, and then the 2nd display I use other apps that dont require as miuch real estate, but can also have windows span both displays if needed.

The way that I have always set my widow size and position to stay across reboots is quite simple. Place the window where you want it. then on the top left of the window click on the green button to make the window Full Screen, and then once in full sccreen tap that button again to resize the window back to where it was. (for some reason this seems to set the default size and placement for new windows in most apps) Now if you were to quit the app and relaunch it the window will appear where you want it. This should stay across sleep and restarts.


Let me know how this goes.

 

[MHMac]

Thanks for the reply and welcome.
I've done a little experimenting - and you are definitely on the right track.

I've also got Twin LG monitors - (24GS60F 24"). The MacBook is in an Ascrono dock (lid closed). The monitors are HDMI from UGreen hubs plugged into the dock.

If the Mac turns display off and then I "wake it up" before the monitors detect no signal - your solution works - apps where the were !
If the display turns off and the monitor detects no signal and goes into monitor sleep - on wakeup - everything is moved to the primary monitor.

On the monitor menus I have set both "Smart Energy Saving" and "Deep Sleep" to off.

So it appears to be the wake up when a the monitors have slept, rather than just Mac display off.

Do you have any ideas please ? Is there a system setting ? I'm sort of guessing that it's an re-initialisation routine thinking that the monitors were never on and starting from default .... ???

Any help welcome.

regards

Mike.

 

[MacsBug]

Hi Mike,

One thing that I didn't mention is that I never truly put it to sleep.

I set a hot corner so that if I hold the control key and move the mouse to the bttom left it turns off the displays, and there is a system setting that Prevents sleep when the displays are off. Since the Mac uses almost no power when in standby mode there is almost no difference between this and putting your macbook into sleep mode.

To disable sleep when the displays are off, open the System Settings and go to Battery. Click the Options button on the bottom. In the window that opens, turn on the 2nd item "Prevent automatic sleeping on power adapter when the display is off".

Next to setup the hot corner to turn off the display. In your system settings select Desktop & Dock on the left. Then on the right scoll down to the bottom and click the button called "Hot Corners". Next hold down a modifier key such as Control and click on one of the 4 corners. Select "Put Display to Sleep" It should also show the icon for the modifier key in front of it.

Once this is setup instead of putting your Mac to sleep, Just use the hot corner to turn off the displays. Any password setting that you have setup for sleep will work the same when you use this method.