I've noticed some very illogical behavior (IMO) about the taskbar you have on all monitors (only applicable when multiple monitors are used of course).
I'm as curious for a fix as I am curious for why the current logic is the way it is right now. So feel free to answer any part of the question.
I have Monitor A and Monitor B.
Monitor A holds taskbar A, Monitor B holds taskbar B.
I'm looking at Monitor B at the moment and want to open up an application on it.
Said application has a handy shortcut located in both taskbars, but since I'm looking at Monitor B, I'm gonna go and click it on Monitor B's taskbar B.
Windows logic happens
Application opens up on Monitor A anyway. Foiled again!
Could anyone explain why windows (10) does this?
And is there any fix for this problem?
Best Answer
This behaviour isn't something that Windows controls for all applications. Some applications will store and recall their position and size at launch. Those details will often (programme dependent) be stored as x,y coordinates based on the 'main' monitor's top left corner being 0,0 OR potentially from just the corner of the monitor they last resided on.
For example; open
notepad.exe. Move it somewhere, resize it. Close it. Open it again. It should open exactly where it last was. These registry keys are where Notepad chooses to store its position. Other applications may also use the registry, or their own configuration store.My multi-monitor practices:
Multiple monitor taskbars have improved since Windows XP, but ultimately Windows (and therefore some applications) still lack some of the finer details of multiple monitors. In the Windows XP days I chose to run something like Ultramon to gain some control, but when I moved to Windows 7, I chose instead to centralise my taskbar operations and only use one in the middle (vertically) between two screens. Having now moved primarily to 3 screens at work, I'm back to a single task bar on the main monitor.
To manage newly started windows (since they typically start focused), I use Windows 10's very powerful keyboard shortcuts. Win + (Shift) + Left/Right Arrows. Where not using Shift moves applications between 'restore' and 'Windows Snap' positions, and using it, jumps it between monitors.