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Inspiring
Feb 19, 2019 10:23 AM UTC
Answered

The InDesign Application Frame gets stuck outside the screen area/behind menu bar

Every so often, since working on my current iMac (2017), my Application Frame in InDesign gets stuck on my second 32" Benq monitor. The top bar area sits just behind the menu bar. Once it's there, it's there. The accessibility to reposition the frame is now not possible. Even switching the Application Bar, the background frame is still stuck and cannot be moved.

Surely, there must be a limit from stopping the Application Frame from running off behind the menu and off the top of the screen, or at least allow an interactive method in a dropdown menu to reset the Application Frame back within the frame of the monitor.

For the moment, the only way I have found to resolve this would be to 'Delete InDesign Preference file' (Shift+Control+Option+Command) on start-up and reapply my personal settings and workspaces.

After resetting, this crucial part of the frame is now visible.

I'm running MacOS Mojave Version 10.14.3, on an iMac 27-inch 4.2Ghz Intel Core i7 running a second 32" Benq screen.
Currently affecting InDesign version 14.0.1 but it also occurred with previous versions too.

mag-manCorrect answer
Inspiring
Nov 11, 2019 5:55 PM UTC

ANSWER FOUND: It appears it only affects users with two screens. If your displays are sitting side by side, ensure the second screen in the 'Display Arrangement' in System Preferences >> Displays, does not sit higher than the main screen - even though the second screen may sit higher on the desk. Keeping the second screen aligned or lower will avoid 'losing' part of a panel off screen.

93 replies

John27171569z07k
Participant
Nov 16, 2022 9:57 PM UTC

This issue has just happened to me and I found a solution that works. I haven't seen this answer in any of the replies above, so apologies if it's duplicated.

 

I have 3 screens, and InDesign was stuck on the laptop screen.

 

So, here goes:
Go to InDesign > Preferences > User Interface Scaling.

 

My settings were on small so I scaled it to large and clicked OK, it will come up with a message saying "Changes to your UI scaling settings will take effect after you restart InDesign", I clicked 'restart now' and it automatically reopened InDesign and was 'moveable' again, and I just went back into UI scaling again and repeated the steps above changing back from large to small and everything is back to normal.

 

Phew (panic over)

 

Current InDesign version: 18.0

Current MACOS: Ventura 13.0.1

 

God Bless

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Participating Frequently
Feb 16, 2023 6:02 PM UTC

I ran into this as well. I'm running two external monitors on an M1 macbook pro. It happened when InDesign launched on the MacBook screen. My solution was to go into Apple>System Preferences>Displays and drag the menu bar (transparent white bar on the top of one of the displays in the display arrangement view) to my large primary monitor. InDesign launches with the correct view now on my main screen.

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Participant
Aug 10, 2022 9:43 PM UTC

However - I have a user this happening to, and she's never used a monitor. She is opening files locally and off the network that may have been access to coworkers using dual displays.

 

I've gon through all the steps listed - and the issue persists.

Mac Os 10.14.6, Indesign 2021 ( 16.4)

 

any other ideas?

 

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Inspiring
Jun 30, 2022 8:44 PM UTC

I know this is an old post, but the problem persists, and I just found a simple solution; at least it worked in my case. 

First, note that I work with my large external monitor positioned above my laptop screen. I'd guess that this is a pretty common arrangement, and it's inconsistent with the "correct answer" below.

Many people (on various sites) suggested turning off and on the Application Frame. That didn't help me: with or without the frame, before and after, I still had the same problem. 

But then I simply closed InDesign and reopened it again--still the same problem. But THEN, when I turned the Application Frame off and back on again, the frame was freed up from its anchored position and I was able to move it around at will. 

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parkdsng
Inspiring
Jun 21, 2022 1:20 PM UTC

I'm having this same problem, I have two screens and have aligned them in the Systems Prefs so they are side-by-side as mag-man suggests then closed and reopened InDesign but it's still off the screen. This solution doesn't work. Mac os 12.2.1

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Participant
Dec 30, 2021 5:58 AM UTC

Was having the same problem however none of the suggestions were working.

 

So I was thinking it was at the OS level.

 

~/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.windowserver*.plist

 

I moved it to my desktop and added OLD in the filename 

 

Then restarted the machine and it worked. It seems to me that the external monitor settings got stuck

 

I hope that this helps

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Participant
Aug 19, 2021 6:43 PM UTC

Thank you a million times over!!!

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Participant
Jul 19, 2021 6:58 AM UTC

What happened to me is this:

I had 2 monitors connected to my MacBook Pro using Indesign 2021. I disconnected the monitors, took my Mac on a 4 week trip with no other monitors availabe. Now i cant use InDesign because it don show on my MacBook.

How to fix this?

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Participant
May 2, 2021 11:00 PM UTC

Thank you mag-man, that worked!

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Participant
Apr 12, 2021 12:30 AM UTC

Thank you for sharing this info! 

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parkdsng
Inspiring
Aug 31, 2020 2:50 PM UTC

I'm having this same problem but none of the suggested solutions are working. My InDesign application window is stuck to the top of my screen, whether I'm using two monitors or one, I've tried resetting the workspace, oriented the other monitor "below" the primary monitor, restarting InDesign, nothing is working. I will try deleting the InDesign Preference File. I'm using a MacBook Pro with Mojave 10.14.6 and Id CC 2020.

Follow-up: I deleted the InDesign Application Preference file and restarted. When I opened Id again, it was just a pile of dismembered toolbars and control panels, even after resetting the workspace. I finally went to Window > Application Frame and selected it (so it is checked) and then everything was restored. Super disruptive and tedious.

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Participating Frequently
Dec 23, 2020 5:00 PM UTC

Same problem here using a 3 monitor configuration (ViewSonic + Asus running on my 10.14.6 MBP). Only remedy is to drag the top monitor down and to the left (as mentioned earlier). Once this is done, I can regain control of the ID frame and move to the middle of my main display. Finally, I arrange the displays back to my preferred config. Strange but this only happens w/ ID (2020 and 2021).

 

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Participant
Jun 9, 2021 5:29 PM UTC

any way to fix this? so i cant position my second monitor above my laptop? or this will always happen?

jeff

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