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

[mag-man]

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.

[Steve Werner]

Have you tried resetting your current workspace? Window > Workspace > Reset [current workspace] or use the Workspace menu at the upper right of your screen.

[mag-man]

Yes. It's not the Workspace. It only affects the Application Frame. Over the many months, as and when it happens, and if I have time, I try to investigate all options but nothing works apart from deleting the preference file. It's more annoying than anything else. This is more to highlight there is a glitch with the Application Frame if it doesn't sit quite right on the second monitor.

[mag-man · Accepted solution]

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.

[bethanyls]

I don't have 2 screens and it is doing it to me. If I have InDesign in full screen mode, it's fine, but I'm needing to have 2 windows open, one in InDesign and one picture window open so I can copy type from a picture into InDesign. I can make the window smaller from the side, but not the top, and the bottom is way off the bottom of the screen where I can' grab it to resize the window. I can't even see the application frame under the window panel to uncheck it. Has that moved with the latest version? I've restarted and reset the workspace which only lost my panels. Very frustrating!

[gregdot]

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@mag-man wrote:

…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.

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This worked for me. Thanks, @mag-man 

[Jeff Topping]

I have two screens but my "arrangment" in prefs is top and bottom, not side by side. 

It seems there is a "GAP" between them and sometimes the IND window gets sucked up into it, so i cant see the top of the window. i have to go into arrangment again and change it, to fix. Seems silly. Isnt there a simple key command to move window to center or fill monitor?

[celiah31854055]

I only have one screen, and have only ever had one screen, and the application window freezes in postion, and stiill does so after an Adobe up-date. Ive tried the solutions above but none work. If I persist trying to move the window everntiually it does after the 6th or 7th mouse click.  My answer has been to keep the window small, so I can refer to other things on the screen, am fortunate I have alarge screen. I wish Adobe would sort it out it is clearly a clitch.

[Tomas B. aka Tom10]

Issue is also applicable on After Effects CC 2022. Moving secondary screen a bit down WORKS! Thank you!

[Sammy05]

I know this post is over 2 years old but it was the answer for me when I was having the same problem today. Such a weird glitch with such an easy fix when you know how. Thank you very much!

[katrinaS]

The only thing that worked for me was to disconnect my second display. I was then able to resize my InDesign window, then plug in my secondary display again.

[shera555]

Worked! Just had to disconnect the second display, then was able to click and drag my tools lower -- reconnected -- fixed. THANK YOU. (OMG these are the things that make me want to fling my computer out the window...) 

[Lisa27125967mvyj]

Thank you! This worked for me.

[empired]

Something so simple but so frustrating. Thank you so much for your answer! All fixed.

[terin1]

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.

[BryCas]

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).

[Jeff Topping]

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

jeff

[rachel.l.courtney]

THANKYOU! disconnecting second monitor, fixing and connecting monitor again worked. I'm in hour one of having 2 monitors and broke my most used program. thank you

[defaultbi2f1zab07p0]

Tried the solutions before this and nothing worked. Can't believe that all i had to do was click the application frame.... what a horrible setup that they just never changed! Thank you so much for the (two year old) answer.

[SueHud]

Thank you for sharing this info! 

[NorreneGodfrey]

Thank you mag-man, that worked!

[Macivi]

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?

[staceys5116346]

Thank you a million times over!!!

[James22443790n8ig]

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

[terin1]

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