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Inélsòre
Inspiring
May 10, 2025
Answered

Title bar disappears beyond display's boundaries. How to bring it back?

  • May 10, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 576 views

When I connect an external display to my MacBook Pro, it often occurs that the title bar of the app disappears beyond the display's boundaries, as shown here:

Is there an y way to bring it back? 

Adobe apps do not comply to the macOS traffic lights functionalities so I feel out of options.

Thank you!

Correct answer Inélsòre

Thank you for chiming in!

The first two options didn't work because InDesign has no option in its menus to arrange the app window itself, just its components. Also, the menu bar of the app within the macOS interface was always visible. The top portion of the app's window had disappeared beyond the display without, at the same time, appearing on the other display. 

 

I used Magnet in the past but stopped some time ago. 

What worked was to move the pointer to the lower edge of the window until the pointer became a double-edged arrow. At that point, I held down Option (Alt) and dragged up. This resized the whole window vertically in both directions. A double-click on the window's title bar then reset its size to maximise. In case also the bottom were out of bounds, I could have added Shift and tried from one of the side edges. 

 

Still, why Adobe should feel exempt from adapting to the OS they are being hosted upon is beyond my perhaps limited understanding. 

1 reply

E
Community Expert
Eugene TysonCommunity Expert
Community Expert
May 11, 2025

Yeah, this is a frustrating but not uncommon issue with macOS and external displays, especially with Adobe apps like Photoshop or InDesign that have their own weird way of handling windows (ignoring native macOS window controls).

 

Somethings to try
MacOS's has a kinda window arrangement shortcut it's not entirely native keyboard shortcut to move windows like Windows does, but you can try Press Control + F2 (or fn + Control + F2 on some Macs) to focus the menu bar.

Use the arrow keys to select the app you want, hit Enter, then arrow down to select a specific command like Window > Zoom or Window > Arrange if available.

 

Another quriky way 

Use the Zoom
Sometimes if the title bar is out of reach, go to the Window menu of the app and choose Zoom. This often snaps the window back to a usable position.

 

Another one - try Mirroring Temporarily
Go to System Settings > Displays and temporarily mirror your displays.

The app window might reposition.

Once it's back, turn off mirroring and drag the window where you want it.

 

You could also try change Display Arrangement
Go to System Settings > Displays

Drag the arrangement of your screens so the external display is aligned differently. Might force windows to reorient.

Move the app window back to the main screen.

 

There are special Utility Apps

Rectangle (free)

Moom

Magnet (known to cause other issues with InDesign - so you could use it then uninstall it)

 

These let you use keyboard shortcuts to forcibly move and resize windows regardless of where they are.

 

Outisde of these you could disconnect your external display
The app snaps back to your MacBook screen

Then reconnect and move it back to your other screen.

 

    I
    InélsòreAuthorCorrect answer
    Inspiring
    May 11, 2025

    Thank you for chiming in!

    The first two options didn't work because InDesign has no option in its menus to arrange the app window itself, just its components. Also, the menu bar of the app within the macOS interface was always visible. The top portion of the app's window had disappeared beyond the display without, at the same time, appearing on the other display. 

     

    I used Magnet in the past but stopped some time ago. 

    What worked was to move the pointer to the lower edge of the window until the pointer became a double-edged arrow. At that point, I held down Option (Alt) and dragged up. This resized the whole window vertically in both directions. A double-click on the window's title bar then reset its size to maximise. In case also the bottom were out of bounds, I could have added Shift and tried from one of the side edges. 

     

    Still, why Adobe should feel exempt from adapting to the OS they are being hosted upon is beyond my perhaps limited understanding. 

    E
    Community Expert
    Eugene TysonCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    May 11, 2025

    Ah yes - forgot that niche OS trick - well done for finding it

     

    MacOS UI behaviour can shift from one version to the next, often without much warning. Adobe apps use a heavily customised, cross-platform interface that sits outside the native macOS (and Windows) UI frameworks.

     

    This means their UI is more stable across OS updates, but also more isolated from system-level features like full screen mode, traffic light buttons, and native window resizing.

     

    On the flip side, macOS imposes its own rules and limitations that can interfere with how Adobe wants to handle window management. The result is a bit of a UI tug-of-war Adobe wants control to keep things consistent across platforms, Apple wants apps to behave like proper macOS citizens, and neither fully wins.

     

    That’s why Adobe apps can feel a bit disconnected from the rest of the Mac experience it’s a mix of Adobe’s UI stubbornness and Apple’s tight grip on system behaviour.

     

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