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I have a desktop Windows 11 setup where I have two displays connected: a 4k monitor (primary display) and a 1080p home theater projector (secondary display). Windows is set to "extend displays" (due to the fact they have different resolutions).

The problem I'm having is this: most apps (not all though, wierdly) tend to open on the secondary display (the projector), meaning that if I'm working on my main monitor I can't even see the window, until I press WIN + SHIFT + Arrow Key to move it to the main monitor. Worse than that, this happens even if the projector is turned off.

Why is this happening? Shouldn't apps open on the primary display by default??

Master_T
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    Usually application open on the screen where they last were, in some cases I've seen them open on the screen where the mouse cursor is. If your projector is off then you can simply disable it using [win] + [P] a couple of times to select "PC Screen Only" – Mokubai Nov 05 '23 at 12:53
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    There are a number of options at https://superuser.com/questions/738081/how-to-make-applications-open-on-the-correct-monitor-when-using-multiple-monitor though some of the answers mention the hotkey you already use there are many other answers including this one (https://superuser.com/a/1539936/19943) which uses the PowerToys tool to move them to specific zones. – Mokubai Nov 05 '23 at 12:56
  • @Mokubai: thx for the tips. I know about the last screen and mouse pointer scenarios, but they do not apply here: this often happens with newly installed apps that are launched when the projector is off, and they still open on it, even though it is not turned on. And I cannot even move the mouse cursor to the projector (because again: it is turned off) so there's no risk of that. Switching with Win+P works, but it takes longer than using WIN-SHIFT-Arrow so not really a solution. I guess I just don't understand why the OS would launch an app on a display that is turned off in the first place... – Master_T Nov 06 '23 at 10:15
  • The problem is that while it is "off", as in not showing a display, it is still technically on and receiving a signal. If it were properly off then it wouldn't show up as a display and you wouldn't have this problem. To me that issue is in your protector, perhaps you can look in the projector settings and disable the standby feature if it has one. – Mokubai Nov 06 '23 at 11:46
  • Maybe you're right, although I don't understand one thing: I cannot move the mouse cursor outside of the main display when the projector is off, so the SO seems to be aware that the projector is not "active". I wonder why it still opens some apps on a display it knows is not active... weird. – Master_T Nov 06 '23 at 11:56

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