Moving off-screen windows

What do you do when you change your monitor resotion, and your IM window is offscreen? Or if you are on a dual-screen setup and switch your primary monitor from the right to the left, causing all windows to pop up in an area that is no longer onscreen? Because this question has come up repeatedly in my consulting, and the answer is simple but frustratingly non-intuitive, here is how you restore off-screen windows in Windows XP.

First of all, the window must be visible in the taskbar. If it is a simple case of a window offscreen, this will be true.

Right-click the window’s taskbar button
Select move
Tap an arrow key
Move the mouse

The usage of arrow keys is where most people get stuck, and is an unnecessary step as you have already confirmed that you want to move the window. It should be completely gratuitous as it breaks the usability of the interface. Shame on you, whoever required that.

Still, that’s the system we have to use, and there’s your workaround. I hope it helps. Next time you’re wondering where your 3D Studio Max window went, or why your custom tool is always running in the background but never on screen, look down at the taskbar and give a little thanks to modern UI design schools everywhere who will someday make this a thing of the past.