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Controlling dual monitors

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JackNilles

New Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2019
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5
Lightroom Version Number
Lightroom Classic version 10.2
Operating System
  1. macOS 11 Big Sur
I edit primarily on a McBook Pro 15" with an external monitor. I use the second display in loupe mode to reflect my edits on the MacBook. The annoying problem is that when I start Lightroom, or switch to another app and return to LR the view for the secondary monitor appears on the laptop instead, covering what I wanted to see on the laptop. I have to do a series of shift-F s each time to get the proper display on the second monitor while uncovering the display on the laptop. How do I stabilize things so that the secondary display always stays on the secondary monitor instead of hopping back and forth? I hope that there is some magic sequence of commands/settings that will do the trick. I've tried looking in FAQ but no joy so far.

This has been going on for years so it's not a result of some OS 1x.xx change.
 
I have an iMac and an external monitor running MacOS 11.x.
Your problem is not uncommon and I think it has something to do with how Apple handles dual displays. I keep the primary LrC window ope on the iMac and use the secondary display keeping the secondary window in Loupe view. This works withe the lease hassle.

If you open Lightroom from the dock in the display where you want the LrC primary window to open, the secondary window will open in the other display. If MacOS does ever get confused. Closing the secondary display from the menu or hotkey will let it reopen in the proper display.

The MacOS toolbar needs to be located on what you want to be the Primary MacOS display. You can set this in MacOS display settings by dragging the toolbar to the appropriate display,


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
If I open Lightroom from the dock in the display where I want the LrC primary window to open [i.e. the PowerBook], the secondary window also opens on top of the PowerBook's display. Closing the secondary display from the menu or hotkey has no effect; the secondary window still reopens in, and on top of, the Power Book display. I have to drag the window over to the secondary display or hit a series of shift-Fs to produce the same result. If I make some changes elsewhere and return to LrC the secondary window again appears on top of the primary display.

If I select Full Screen on the second display its window also slides back to the PowerBook and I have to drag it back to the second display. So, clee01!, your second paragraph does not yet work for me.
 
If I select Full Screen on the second display its window also slides back to the PowerBook and I have to drag it back to the second display. So, clee01!, your second paragraph does not yet work for me.
You need to move the tool bar to the screen that you want to designate as the Primary screen in the Display settings as I indicated in my earlier post.

My earlier response was a stream of consciousness flow of information as I was trying to recall all of the settings that I used to get Lightroom to behave as I wanted on my dual display. Sorry if all of the steps were not in the correct order.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I did have the tool bar on the primary screen for all these trials. I also tried setting the primary display to Normal and Full Screen and so on. No change. I did have it working properly for a while in the past (months ago) but accidentally changed some setting -- I don't know which -- that blew it up. I should think that there would be an option; Window > Secondary display > Show and stay there until I specifically say otherwise!!
 
Are you plugging the laptop in and out of the display? Does booting/rebooting with the display still attached from the last session mean that the second window stays in the external display?
 
The display is permanently connected to the laptop unless I'm off site with the laptop -- which isn't the case for these problems. Booting/rebooting has no effect on the problem, which, among other reasons, is why it mystifies me. Maybe I'll try another LCD display, turn around counterclockwise seven times and yell Shazam!
 
I have a MacBook Pro 2015 15" connected to an old Cinema Display via Thunderbolt. I have the the Lr app in grid view on the MacBook and the Loupe view opens on the external display on boot up. It stays separated through sessions and reboots, so I can't replicate the issue you have with my setup. Is yours losing the socket connection to the display? Or is it acting as though the connection is lost even though the physical connection is OK?
 
I don't have LR run as part of the boot process. However, the secondary display does function as part of the boot routine. When I launch LR the normal main display comes up first, then the display that should be on the secondary monitor comes up on top of the main display, at which point I have to drag it over to the secondary monitor. There doesn't seem to be any connection problem. Also, if I switch attention to something other than LR, then go back to LR, the secondary display snaps back to being on top of the main display and the moving process is needed again. Shift-F will do the trick instead of my dragging it over.
 
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