How to move a window that's off the screen on Windows 11

How-to
By Mauro Huculak
published

If you can't get to an app because it appears off the screen, try these three things to fix the problem.

Window off screen
Window off screen (Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

On Windows 11, if a window moves out of the screen, you have multiple ways to make it viewable again, and in this guide, I will show you two tricks to accomplish this task.

Sometimes, for whatever reason, you will notice that the system will move a window out of the screen, making it impossible to grab and move the app around the desktop, even if you re-open the application.

Windows 10 has a feature known as "Cascade windows" that organizes open windows into a diagonal stack with visible title bars that fix this issue quickly, but this option is no longer present on Windows 11. However, you still have more than one way to drag the window onto the screen again using the Task View and Move keyboard shortcuts

In this how-to guide, I will outline the different ways to drag an app window into the screen again on Windows 11.

How to move off the screen window to the desktop on Windows 11

Windows 11 provides different mechanisms to relocate a window again on the screen if it goes off the screen.

Option 1: Task View

  1. Click the Taskbar's Task View button.
  • Quick tip: You can also use the "Windows key + Tab" keyboard shortcut to open Task View.
  1. Right-click the off-screen window and select the "Snap left" option. 

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)
  • Quick note: You can use any snapping location.
  1. Press the Esc button to exit from the Snap Assist interface.
  2. Click the title bar to drag the app anywhere on the screen.

After you complete the steps, the app window will be accessible from the desktop.

Alternatively, you can also click on the app in the Taskbar and then use the "Windows key + left or right" arrow (depending on where the window is)  multiple times until the window is again on the screen.

Option 2: Keyboard shortcut

  1. Use the "Alt + Tab" keyboard shortcut.
  2. While holding down the Alt key and pressing the Tab key, choose the app to move to bring it to focus.
  3. Use the "Alt + Space + M" keyboard shortcut to enable the move feature.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)
  1. Quick note: The mouse pointer with four arrows will appear when using this feature.
  1. Use the arrow keys to move the window into the screen.

Once you complete the steps, the window will be available on the screen.

More resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10 and Windows 11, visit the following resources: 

Mauro Huculak
Mauro Huculak

Mauro Huculak is technical writer for WindowsCentral.com. His primary focus is to write comprehensive how-tos to help users get the most out of Windows 10 and its many related technologies. He has an IT background with professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, and CompTIA, and he's a recognized member of the Microsoft MVP community.

1 Comment Comment from the forums
  • GraniteStateColin
    I knew all the pieces of the first option, but never thought of using that to restore a window that's off screen. Huge thanks!!

    A couple of comments on these:

    1. A slight variation to the first idea might be faster for some users with a huge number of windows open (making it possibly hard to find a specific missing window in the Alt+Tab or Windows Key+Tab results), assuming the window is available in the Taskbar (almost all windows are, but occasionally a system announcement does not appear in the Taskbar): just select it in the Taskbar (you still won't see it on-screen, but it's active and will receive any keyboard commands), then hit Windows Key+left/right arrow key. This will snap the window to the respective side of the screen, where you can then move it as described in the article.

    2. Note that PowerToys Run takes over the Alt+Space, preventing use of the Alt+Space, M to put the window in a Move mode. To address this, you can either disable the PowerToys Run, change its hotkey (what I've done), or use option 1 instead of Alt+Space. Also important on this method: AS SOON AS YOU PRESS AN ARROW KEY after enter Move mode, the window is now "pinned" to the mouse cursor. At this point, it's generally easier to just move the mouse that keep holding down an arrow key until the window appears where you want it. Wherever you click the mouse, the window will be "dropped" there.

    Before we had Snap features, I always used the Alt+Space, M, so I still instinctively use that approach, but the WindowsKey+arrow key is technically faster and allows PowerToys Run to keep its default hotkey, so I'll probably try to retrain myself to use that one.
    Reply