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Mark F
Participating Frequently
August 30, 2026
Answered

How do I get the secondary display to show on a monitor and not disappear if I start typing.

  • August 30, 2026
  • 5 replies
  • 54 views

I have a three monitor setup. I want lightroom / photoshop on monitor 2, the photo full size on the secondary display on monitor 1. Monitor 3 is used as general purpose, often showing ChatGPT as I edit. I cannot get the full size photo on monitor 1 to stay there if I start typing on monitor 3. It goes blank.

 

Thanks to anyone who can help. Having gone to the time and expense of a three monitor setup I can’t use it.

    Correct answer Conrad_C

    This isn’t a technically verified or official answer, but just from experience, I am not sure this is solvable unless Adobe makes some changes to the code. To me, the Secondary Display window appears to be  a floating “palette” or “panel” in the same way as panels in other applications. The problem with that is, in most other software that I’ve used, panel-type windows appear only when that application is the active/foreground application. Switching to another application hides all of the first application’s panels, even though the main application window stays visible.

    In Lightroom Classic the Secondary Display window has a very thin title bar, the same kind used in floating panels. Not the full height title bar used in application windows. That’s why I think it works like a panel, not a window.

    I’m guessing you see the same behavior in Photoshop, where any floating panel (not docked to the main application window) also disappears when switching to another application. It’s worked that way for literally decades, as it has in other Adobe software.

    Not sure which OS you’re using, but everything described above is consistent with how floating panels are defined on macOS. In non-Adobe applications and Apple’s own, the same thing happens if panels are undocked and floating; switch to another application and floating panels are immediately hidden.

    If I’m right about all that, then the way to get this changed is to submit a feature request in the Feature Requests section so it can get voted up, and if Adobe decides to work on it they assign a Status to it. It might be enough to ask Adobe to change the window type of Secondary Display from panel to window, but I’m not a programmer so maybe there is more involved than that.  But who knows, maybe they’ll find it simple enough to make it an option.

    Keep in mind that changing this will involve changing something that has been coded that way for 19 years (Lightroom Classic) and over 36 years (Photoshop). That doesn’t mean it can’t be changed, but the current behavior is considered extremely traditional at this point in history.

    Personally I think it would be nicer if the Secondary Display stayed visible on application switch, so it’s a good idea.

    5 replies

    johnrellis
    johnrellis
    Legend
    August 31, 2026

    Moderators, ​@Rikk Flohr_Photography, please merge with this newer feature request:

    https://community.adobe.com/feature-requests-676/p-full-size-photo-shown-on-my-secondary-monitor-can-you-stop-it-dissapearing-every-time-the-focus-moves-to-something-else-1639656?sort=oldestFirst#comments

      Mark FAuthor
      Participating Frequently
      August 31, 2026

      now open for voting Conrad. I pasted your reply, giving you credit, trust thats ok

      Conrad_C
      Community Expert
      Conrad_CCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
      Community Expert
      August 31, 2026

      This isn’t a technically verified or official answer, but just from experience, I am not sure this is solvable unless Adobe makes some changes to the code. To me, the Secondary Display window appears to be  a floating “palette” or “panel” in the same way as panels in other applications. The problem with that is, in most other software that I’ve used, panel-type windows appear only when that application is the active/foreground application. Switching to another application hides all of the first application’s panels, even though the main application window stays visible.

      In Lightroom Classic the Secondary Display window has a very thin title bar, the same kind used in floating panels. Not the full height title bar used in application windows. That’s why I think it works like a panel, not a window.

      I’m guessing you see the same behavior in Photoshop, where any floating panel (not docked to the main application window) also disappears when switching to another application. It’s worked that way for literally decades, as it has in other Adobe software.

      Not sure which OS you’re using, but everything described above is consistent with how floating panels are defined on macOS. In non-Adobe applications and Apple’s own, the same thing happens if panels are undocked and floating; switch to another application and floating panels are immediately hidden.

      If I’m right about all that, then the way to get this changed is to submit a feature request in the Feature Requests section so it can get voted up, and if Adobe decides to work on it they assign a Status to it. It might be enough to ask Adobe to change the window type of Secondary Display from panel to window, but I’m not a programmer so maybe there is more involved than that.  But who knows, maybe they’ll find it simple enough to make it an option.

      Keep in mind that changing this will involve changing something that has been coded that way for 19 years (Lightroom Classic) and over 36 years (Photoshop). That doesn’t mean it can’t be changed, but the current behavior is considered extremely traditional at this point in history.

      Personally I think it would be nicer if the Secondary Display stayed visible on application switch, so it’s a good idea.

      Mark FAuthor
      Participating Frequently
      August 31, 2026

      Thank you for such a good comprehensive reply Conrad, what you're saying makes a lot of sense. It is a shame the secondary display works as a floating window, and to my mind, somewhat illogical. Not entirely sure what the option of ‘locked’ does but again, the display instantly disappears.

      The whole idea was to have the third monitor showing me techniques I can try out and see the change. I often ask chatgpt how to do something and to have the screen disappear is somewhat irritating. However, I will submit a feature request and cross my fingers. Once again, thanks so much for your help.

      Conrad_C
      Community Expert
      Conrad_CCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      August 31, 2026

      FYI…

      Normal means Secondary Display shows the file currently selected in the Grid/Filmstrip.

      Live means Secondary Display shows the file you’re hovering the pointer over in the Grid/Filmstrip, regardless of which one is selected.

      Locked means Secondary Display shows the file selected in the Grid/Filmstrip even if you hover over or select a different file, so this one is another way to compare different images. The Secondary Display can show a locked image in Loupe while you show a different image in Loupe in the main application window.

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