Windows stuck on top?


Calab

Calab

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Location
Alberta, Canada
OS
Windows 11 / Linux Mint
Occasionally a window will get stuck on top of all the other windows. Usually it is Chrome that sticks on top, but that's most likely because I use that program a lot.

I can't find a trigger for this issue. It can happen minutes after opening Chrome, or not for a long time. Once is it stuck on top, there is nothing I can do to move the window out of the way, except to minimize it. If I start the task manager, and set the option for it to be on top, it will go over the stuck window.

Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this, or how to stop it?
 
Windows Build/Version
22H2 build 19045.3570

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Hello Calab, :alien:

Do you have PowerToys installed by chance?

If so, it includes a Always on Top feature that's a system-wide utility for Windows that allows you to pin windows to the top of all your windows. You could turn off "Enable Always On Top' in PowerToys Settings to stop this.

PowerToys.jpg
 

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    Windows 11 Pro for WorkstationsIntel i7-8700K 5 GHz64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600...ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GD...
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    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
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    PC/Desktop
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    Custom self build
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    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
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    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
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    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
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Nope. No power toys installed.
 

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System One System Two

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    Windows 11 / Linux Minti9-12900k32 GB DDR4Strix RTX 3060
    OS
    Windows 11 / Linux Mint
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    C.S.D.
    CPU
    i9-12900k
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z690 UD AX DDR4
    Memory
    32 GB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    Strix RTX 3060
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG QNED75URA 43" TV
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
    Hard Drives
    One 1tb M.2 for Windows, one 500gb M.2 for Linux, and a 8 TB HDD for data
    PSU
    850 watt
    Case
    Cougar
    Cooling
    upHere D6SEC CPU Cooler
    Keyboard
    Logitech G213
    Mouse
    Logitech G305
    Internet Speed
    1Gbit/100mb
    Browser
    Firefox
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    Microsoft
    Other Info
    Bluray optical writer drive

  • At a glance

    SpartaDOS6502CUltimate 1MBSophia 2
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    SpartaDOS
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    Atari 600XL
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    6502C
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    Ultimate 1MB
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    Sophia 2
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    Sony MFM-HT95
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I just discovered something...

SOMETIMES, If I use Win+D to hide the programs and again to restore them, whichever program I had focus on will become a stuck on top window. At that point I can switch between the on top windows normally, and the background windows stay stuck in the background.

Right now I have Chrome, Edge, PyCharm and Word stuck as "on top" windows, while my Teams, To Do, Calculator and PuTTY windows are stuck behind them.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 / Linux Minti9-12900k32 GB DDR4Strix RTX 3060
    OS
    Windows 11 / Linux Mint
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    C.S.D.
    CPU
    i9-12900k
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z690 UD AX DDR4
    Memory
    32 GB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    Strix RTX 3060
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG QNED75URA 43" TV
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
    Hard Drives
    One 1tb M.2 for Windows, one 500gb M.2 for Linux, and a 8 TB HDD for data
    PSU
    850 watt
    Case
    Cougar
    Cooling
    upHere D6SEC CPU Cooler
    Keyboard
    Logitech G213
    Mouse
    Logitech G305
    Internet Speed
    1Gbit/100mb
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft
    Other Info
    Bluray optical writer drive

  • At a glance

    SpartaDOS6502CUltimate 1MBSophia 2
    Operating System
    SpartaDOS
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Atari 600XL
    CPU
    6502C
    Memory
    Ultimate 1MB
    Graphics card(s)
    Sophia 2
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony MFM-HT95
    Screen Resolution
    320x200
    Hard Drives
    SIDE3
    PSU
    USB
Calab said:
I just discovered something...

SOMETIMES, If I use Win+D to hide the programs and again to restore them, whichever program I had focus on will become a stuck on top window. At that point I can switch between the on top windows normally, and the background windows stay stuck in the background.

Right now I have Chrome, Edge, PyCharm and Word stuck as "on top" windows, while my Teams, To Do, Calculator and PuTTY windows are stuck behind them.
Click to expand...
I'm having the same exact issue, also caused by Win+D. Did you ever figure out a fix?
 

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Windows 11
OS
Windows 11
xito said:
I'm having the same exact issue, also caused by Win+D. Did you ever figure out a fix?
Click to expand...
Unfortunately not. If it causes an issue I close the "on top" window and reload the program.
 

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System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 / Linux Minti9-12900k32 GB DDR4Strix RTX 3060
    OS
    Windows 11 / Linux Mint
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    C.S.D.
    CPU
    i9-12900k
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z690 UD AX DDR4
    Memory
    32 GB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    Strix RTX 3060
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG QNED75URA 43" TV
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
    Hard Drives
    One 1tb M.2 for Windows, one 500gb M.2 for Linux, and a 8 TB HDD for data
    PSU
    850 watt
    Case
    Cougar
    Cooling
    upHere D6SEC CPU Cooler
    Keyboard
    Logitech G213
    Mouse
    Logitech G305
    Internet Speed
    1Gbit/100mb
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft
    Other Info
    Bluray optical writer drive

  • At a glance

    SpartaDOS6502CUltimate 1MBSophia 2
    Operating System
    SpartaDOS
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Atari 600XL
    CPU
    6502C
    Memory
    Ultimate 1MB
    Graphics card(s)
    Sophia 2
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony MFM-HT95
    Screen Resolution
    320x200
    Hard Drives
    SIDE3
    PSU
    USB
Let's keep this alive. This occurs multiple times per day to me and it's the most infuriating bug I've ever seen on Windows and I've been Windowing since before 3.1. I too am addicted to Win+D and it always seems to be the trigger. I also use StrokesPlus for gesture-based mouse control of windows like minimize/maximize which also seems to trigger it so it might not be Win+D specifically.

Maybe there's a way to completely disable the Win+D shortcut in Windows and then reassign that to a third party utility that accomplishes the same thing differently (like maybe by identifying all windows and simply minimizing them.) Will bookmark this thread and revisit if I find a solution.

I don't have PowerToys and keep unusual third-party software to a minimum. The only things of note that i'm running are Nexus by Winstep (app bar that floats on desktop), StrokesPlus, Technitium (DNS server), and MBAM. I also use Win+R a lot to invoke the Run dialog and this is usually the first indicator that something is wrong.

Current workaround are .bat files in the %path% which restart various programs, like "exr" to restart Explorer.exe, and a chrome://restart bookmark on my Chrome bookmarks bar.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Asus/Custom build
haveabyte said:
Let's keep this alive. This occurs multiple times per day to me and it's the most infuriating bug I've ever seen on Windows and I've been Windowing since before 3.1. I too am addicted to Win+D and it always seems to be the trigger. I also use StrokesPlus for gesture-based mouse control of windows like minimize/maximize which also seems to trigger it so it might not be Win+D specifically.

Maybe there's a way to completely disable the Win+D shortcut in Windows and then reassign that to a third party utility that accomplishes the same thing differently (like maybe by identifying all windows and simply minimizing them.) Will bookmark this thread and revisit if I find a solution.

I don't have PowerToys and keep unusual third-party software to a minimum. The only things of note that i'm running are Nexus by Winstep (app bar that floats on desktop), StrokesPlus, Technitium (DNS server), and MBAM. I also use Win+R a lot to invoke the Run dialog and this is usually the first indicator that something is wrong.

Current workaround are .bat files in the %path% which restart various programs, like "exr" to restart Explorer.exe, and a chrome://restart bookmark on my Chrome bookmarks bar.
Click to expand...

Hello, and welcome to the forum. :alien:

PowerToys includes a keyboard manager tool below that lets you remap a shortcut like Win+D. It may be worth a try to see if it may help.

learn.microsoft.com

Remap Keys and Shortcuts with PowerToys Keyboard Manager

Learn how to remap keyboard keys and shortcuts using PowerToys Keyboard Manager. Customize your Windows keyboard layout and create custom shortcuts for improved productivity.
learn.microsoft.com
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro for WorkstationsIntel i7-8700K 5 GHz64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600...ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GD...
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Amazon Basics Wired Full Keyboard MD005
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4
    Internet Speed
    2 Gbps Download and 100 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProSnapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
    CPU
    Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" HDR
    Screen Resolution
    2496 x 1664
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
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