Another year of MacOS, another year of failed dual display support

[ideal.dreams]

Apple has again gone another year without adding dual display support in MacOS. They have made small improvements over the years but still, it seems with every OS update each year, you take a gamble on the behavior of the OS when using dual displays.

I have a MacBook Pro that I leave clamshelled when I'm at home. I have two 4k displays connected directly to my MacBook via DisplayPort.

I have the display on my right set to the primary display, where I keep my dock and smaller windows (like messages, music, photos, etc.). I use the display on my left to browse the web and do other fuller screened tasks.

When I click on Safari from the dock on my primary display (on the right), instead of MacOS intelligently remembering where I was using Safari last (always on the left display), it proceeds to open it on the right display and readjust the window size. I have to drag it over to the left display and make the window bigger again.

When I minimize a Safari window from my left display and put the displays to sleep, upon return when the displays wake and I log back in, opening the same Safari window will cause it to display on the right display and again readjust the window size.

This drives me absolutely INSANE. How hard is it to simply remember where I was last using the window and leave my configuration alone? You would think after so many updates year after year, for a "pro" machine, that dual displays would not be plagued with these stupid little annoyances that you have to correct every time you sit down at your computer.

Does anyone have a workaround for these issues? It was tolerable on Catalina as I could call up Safari from Spotlight from the left display and it would open right where I had it last. But now it seems we've taken another step back.

 

[Spiffyis5150]

Apple has again gone another year without adding dual display support in MacOS. They have made small improvements over the years but still, it seems with every OS update each year, you take a gamble on the behavior of the OS when using dual displays.

I have a MacBook Pro that I leave clamshelled when I'm at home. I have two 4k displays connected directly to my MacBook via DisplayPort.

I have the display on my right set to the primary display, where I keep my dock and smaller windows (like messages, music, photos, etc.). I use the display on my left to browse the web and do other fuller screened tasks.

When I click on Safari from the dock on my primary display (on the right), instead of MacOS intelligently remembering where I was using Safari last (always on the left display), it proceeds to open it on the right display and readjust the window size. I have to drag it over to the left display and make the window bigger again.

When I minimize a Safari window from my left display and put the displays to sleep, upon return when the displays wake and I log back in, opening the same Safari window will cause it to display on the right display and again readjust the window size.

This drives me absolutely INSANE. How hard is it to simply remember where I was last using the window and leave my configuration alone? You would think after so many updates year after year, for a "pro" machine, that dual displays would not be plagued with these stupid little annoyances that you have to correct every time you sit down at your computer.

Does anyone have a workaround for these issues? It was tolerable on Catalina as I could call up Safari from Spotlight from the left display and it would open right where I had it last. But now it seems we've taken another step back.

I feel your pain. I have the EXACT same frustration, but I've found a way for me to live with it. I use an app called Moom. I have all my windows setup the way I want(certain apps on certain displays) and then I save that setup as "snapshot" and use a hot key programmed in Moom to "fix" where they should really be automatically when I trigger the hot key. Also, a certain window "snapshot" can be triggered automatically when Moom detects a # of displays(1,2 or 3) and can restore the "snapshot" that it takes of your all your apps/windows. Moom has helped keep my sanity for many years now and it might be what will help keep yours. You can have different "snapshots" of your desktop windows/displays and they can all be triggered by different keys. I also use it to have a quick way to "maximize" a window like in the Windows world. A little bit different than using the green button. I'm running Bug Sur and it works fine in it. Here's the site where you can buy it directly for $10 or download a trial and see all that it does. https://manytricks.com/moom/ Also, it's in the Mac App Store too. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/moom/id419330170?mt=12

 

[chabig]

I think you can right click on Safari in the Dock and instruct it always use the left display. You might also need to go to System Preferences > Mission Control and check "Displays have separate spaces."

 

[ideal.dreams]

I feel your pain. I have the EXACT same frustration, but I've found a way for me to live with it. I use an app called Moom. I have all my windows setup the way I want(certain apps on certain displays) and then I save that setup as "snapshot" and use a hot key programmed in Moom to "fix" where they should really be automatically when I trigger the hot key. Also, a certain window "snapshot" can be triggered automatically when Moom detects a # of displays(1,2 or 3) and can restore the "snapshot" that it takes of your all your apps/windows. Moom has helped keep my sanity for many years now and it might be what will help keep yours. You can have different "snapshots" of your desktop windows/displays and they can all be triggered by different keys. I also use it to have a quick way to "maximize" a window like in the Windows world. A little bit different than using the green button. I'm running Bug Sur and it works fine in it. Here's the site where you can buy it directly for $10 or download a trial and see all that it does. https://manytricks.com/moom/ Also, it's in the Mac App Store too. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/moom/id419330170?mt=12

You'd think Apple would take note of an app that's been around for the last 9 years to fix their pathetic attempts at "supporting" dual displays but here we are. I'll give the trial a go and see if it resolves my frustrations.

I think you can right click on Safari in the Dock and instruct it always use the left display. You might also need to go to System Preferences > Mission Control and check "Displays have separate spaces."

Been there, tried that. I don't know what Apple's intent was with this functionality because it doesn't do work as you'd think. As soon as I sleep the displays and do as I described in my original post, the assigned display preference is disregarded by the OS and it calls my active window to the primary display.

 

[Spiffyis5150]

You'd think Apple would take note of an app that's been around for the last 9 years to fix their pathetic attempts at "supporting" dual displays but here we are. I'll give the trial a go and see if it resolves my frustrations.


Been there, tried that. I don't know what Apple's intent was with this functionality because it doesn't do work as you'd think. As soon as I sleep the displays and do as I described in my original post, the assigned display preference is disregarded by the OS and it calls my active window to the primary display.

Agreed. This whole multi display mess is just silly. My windows and their size should just be "remembered" by the OS without worrying that my system goes to sleep and when it wakes up, everything gets randomly put somewhere. I hope that Moom works out for you. As I said, it's saved my sanity. It's not the perfect solution, but it's worked well enough for me to not have to rely on waiting for Apple to get around to doing stuff right. I'm sure Apple will fix this issue someday when they finally support MST too.

 

[jgbr]

'Stay' works too