Keep windows on second monitor after screensaver?

[inglesworth]

Honestly, this is a problem I've had for multiple OS versions. But I am finally determined to figure out how to actually fix this.

Every time my mac goes to screensaver and I have to log in again, my windows from the secondary display are moved to the primary display and I have to spend time reconfiguring the windows every time I come back from lunch, or if a phone call goes long, etc.

Is there a way to make it so that the windows stay on the secondary display and I can just log in and continue working without having to move windows around all over?

 

[Bigwaff]

Do you have a desktop or laptop; year, model, specs, os version? The “primary/secondary display” terminology does not make this clear. What are the brand and specs of any attached displays?

 

[BrianBaughn]

I don't see this on a Mac Studio with the primary screen (LG 4K) connected via Thunderbolt/USB to DisplayPort and a secondary screen (HP 1080p) connected via HDMI.

 

[inglesworth]

I'm so sorry. There's another forum I am a part of where the system specs are in my profile and I got confused for some reason and thought it was this website...

I'm on MacOS Sonoma 14.6.1 (though as mentioned, I've had this problem across multiple macs in the past on multiple different OS versions)
I'm on a Mac Studio M1 Max with two LG displays. One connected directly via HDMI and the other connected via thunderbolt>HDMI cable.

 

[Bigwaff]

I'm on a Mac Studio M1 Max with two LG displays.

The issue is most likely related to how the displays identify themselves to the operating system. If the LG displays are identical models, both displays are probably returning the same EDID info. Basically, macOS can't determine which display is which. Sometimes macOS guesses correct and your application window locations are maintained between sleep/wake and shutdown/restart. You might benefit from the EDID override feature in BetterDisplay.

GitHub - waydabber/BetterDisplay: Unlock your displays on your Mac! Flexible HiDPI scaling, XDR/HDR extra brightness, virtual screens, DDC control, extra dimming, PIP/streaming, EDID override and lots more!

Unlock your displays on your Mac! Flexible HiDPI scaling, XDR/HDR extra brightness, virtual screens, DDC control, extra dimming, PIP/streaming, EDID override and lots more! - waydabber/BetterDisplay

github.com

 

[inglesworth]

Thanks! I will check it out when I get a moment.