How to Fix Apps Going Out of Screen Issue in Mac?

Ever get frustrated the app you open do not show on the screen? This generally happens when you have external monitor connected to your Mac. Sometimes, the app will always go outside the edges of the screen due to display settings problem. If you are struggling with these issues in Mac, here are some suggestions to fix apps going out of the screen and bring them to visible area of primary display.

Apps Out of Screen

There are few possible situations when the app does not show up on the screen.

• No app screen but you can see the app’s menu on top bar.
• App goes out of the screen edges with menu bar visible.
• Rarely both app as well as menu bar do not show on the screen.

Follow the below suggestions and see which one is working for you.

1. Change System Resolution

Changing default system resolution can fix apps going outside of the screen edges. This can also help to improve the text visibility and readability.

• Click on Apple logo and select “System Preferences” menu.
• Select “Displays” and go to display preferences of your Mac.
• Select “Scaled” option for the “Resolution”.
• Change to different option and check the app appears in the focused display area.

2. Zoom the App

Sometimes the app screen is zoomed out of the display area. You can bring it back with the following steps.

• Open the app from Dock or search and open.
• Go to “View” menu.
• Select “Zoom” option to bring the app back to focus area.

You can also try toggle full screen mode by pressing “Fn + F” keys or “Command + Control + F” keys to check if that brings the app to visible area of the screen.

3. Mirrored on External Display

When you have mirrored the screen to an external monitor, some apps always tend to open in the external monitor instead of primary display. This will be annoying when you have turned off the external display. You can simply turn off the mirroring to check if that helps to bring the app to main screen (later you can turn on anytime).

• Go to “Apple Menu > System Preferences” section.
• Select “Displays” option and choose your screen name.
• Click “Use as” and select “Stop Mirroring”.

You can also try “Command + F1” keyboard shortcuts to toggle mirroring on or off in Mac. Other option is to simply disconnect external monitor and the app screen will automatically come back to primary display.

4. Move Apps in Virtual Desktop Spaces

Virtual desktops help to organize your apps by assigning them to different screens called spaces. If you have assigned an app to a specific virtual desktop screen, then the app will always open in that space and will not be visible in your current screen.

Follow the below instructions to bring or assign the app back to current screen.

• If your app is not on the Dock, press “Command + Space” to open Spotlight Search. Type the app name and open it to bring the icon on Dock. Now, you will not see the app screen as it opened in another virtual desktop screen.
• Right-click (Control + Click) on the app icon on Dock.
• Select “Options > This Desktop” to assign the app to current desktop screen.
• You can also select “All Desktops” so that the app shows in all virtual spaces.

You can open Mission Control (F3) to view all available virtual spaces. Hover over any item on the top and close it if you do not need. You can learn more on virtual spaces in this official Apple documentation.

5. Alt + Drag to Resize and Move App Screen

If the app shows out of the screen edges, you can move it back to focused display area.

• Hover the mouse to one of the corners of the app’s screen.
• Hold alt or option key on your keyboard.
• Double click to move the app to fit into the visible screen area.
• You can also drag by holding the alt key to resize all sides of the app at the same time.

6. Force Quit

This is useful if you are not seeing the top menu bar after opening the app or not able to toggle to another app screen.

• Press “Option + Command + Escape” keys or go to “Apple menu > Force Quit” option.
• Select the app and click “Force Quit” button.
• Relaunch the app and check it opens properly on the screen.

For Finder, you can hold option key and right-click on the Dock icon. Select “Relaunch” option to close all open windows and relaunch the app. Remember, force quitting will terminate the app and you will lose any unsaved work.