How do I get the window to always open in the main monitor?

[stayfocused]

How do I get the window to always open in the main monitor when I click on it from the taskbar, in a dual monitor setup? It always goes to the secondary monitor at the moment.

 

[kalrith]

I don't think you can do it without added software, something like multimon: http://download.cnet.com/MultiMon/3000-2086_4-75300294.html

Some programs will remember where they opened last, but it's not 100%. What OS are you using? How many monitors?

 

[Red Squirrel]

Ugh, one of the reasons I switched to Linux. Windows is TERRIBLE at handling multi monitors. Basically each app has it's own way of determining where it opens, but normally it will usually open where it was last closed. What's messed though is sometimes it will mess up and you have to "train" it to open to the right screen. It's a pain in the butt. Each app is different in how it is trained. For example with Firefox you have to make sure it is not maximized, then go to file,close. But as soon as you decide to close it on the wrong screen, all hell will break loose, then you have to retrain it on the right screen again. Pain in the ass. And if you move/remove/add monitors then its even worse. Stuff will open and not be accessible.

In Linux it's awesome, stuff always opens on the screen you are currently working on, which makes the most sense. If you have an icon on your desktop on the second monitor and you double click it, it opens on that monitor, you can move the app to any monitor, and open another window from that app (ex: email client, and you open an email) and it will open on the current monitor, not the other one. Don't know why MS can't do this.

 

[wpcoe]

Not sure what OS you're using, but in Windows 7 Home Premium:

<right-click> on a desktop, click on the representation of the screen you want to use. It will either say "This is currently your main display" or there will be a blank check-box with "Make this my main display."

If you check the box to "Make this my main display," then I think Windows will boot up into that screen.

edited to add: Oops. Just realized you are not talking about booting up. Still worth a shot to see which screen Windows thinks is your "main display."

 

[stayfocused]

Thanks for all the help. I'm on Win7 Home. The monitor I want is set as the main monitor. I will try to retrain when I feel like it haha...
I've noticed most apps will open in the correct window the second time I click them on the taskbar, except for IE ironically.

 

[Lonbjerg]

AFAIK it matters what window you close your session in...a new session will spawn on the monior you last ran the session on.

 

[Fardringle]

AFAIK it matters what window you close your session in...a new session will spawn on the monior you last ran the session on.

This. Unless a program is hard coded to open in a specific location/size, Windows will always open the program at the same location and size that it was when you last closed it.