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Launching App From Spotlight/Alfred - App Window Opens To Dock

A1MB1G

A1MB1G

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 13, 2020
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I've noticed that randomly on occasion, when opening an app either through the spotlight search or the Alfred command window, the application launches but the window of the application does not open. Instead, I can see from the dock that the app is in fact running and I then have to click on the icon in the dock for the window to appear.

I properly use the CMD-Q to quit applications when I'm done with them, so I'm really not sure why this is happening. It's also occurring on both of my computers (iMac & Macbook Pro), both running the most recent version of MacOS Ventura. It's been happening for some time now and it's starting to drive me a bit insane. Any ideas/suggestions?
 
MacOS is remembering where your window last was. If you have a window minimized and quit the app, it will restore back to its previous location when opened.

If you don’t want this to happen. Turn on the following option:

System Preference > Desktop & Dock > Close Windows When Closing An Application
 
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hg.wells said:
MacOS is remembering where your window last was. If you have a window minimized and quit the app, it will restore back to its previous location when opened.

If you don’t want this to happen. Turn on the following option:

System Preference > Desktop & Dock > Close Windows When Closing An Application
Click to expand...
That’s the thing, I never ever minimize my windows so it’s remembering something that never happened. I always have my app windows fully open when I quit the app.
 
Assuming with "app windows fully open" you mean fullscreen then:
As @hg.wells said, enable the option Close windows when quitting an application and see if this solves your issue.
Only then will an app re-open normally and visible in the front (and not in fullscreen, minimized, ...).
If it is disabled, the window state (fullscreen etc) WILL BE remembered, even when quitting the app properly.

macOS displays fullscreen apps in their own space, and when using Spotlight/Alfred it can happen those tools stay active and macOS does not switch automatically to the space containing your fullscreen app.

close-windows-ventura.jpg
 
Last edited:
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arw said:
Assuming with "app windows fully open" you mean fullscreen then:
As @hg.wells said, enable the option Close windows when quitting an application and see if this solves your issue.
Only then will an app re-open normally and visible in the front (and not in fullscreen, minimized, ...).
If it is disabled, the window state (fullscreen etc) WILL BE remembered, even when quitting the app properly.

macOS displays fullscreen apps in their own space, and when using Spotlight/Alfred it can happen those tools stay active and macOS does not switch automatically to the space containing your fullscreen app.

View attachment 2235638
Click to expand...
Reviewing my settings, that option is already enabled on both of my machines. I've just uninstalled Alfred and installed their latest v5.0, I'll test things over the coming days in the hopes that the issue is resolved but I remember this not being a unique issue to Alfred as it was happening sometimes with MacOS Spotlight as well.
 
bogdanw said:
Does Alfred have a setting for launching apps hidden?
What you are describing is similar to launching an app from Terminal with the --hide option.
Compare
open -j /System/Applications/Calculator.app
with
open /System/Applications/Calculator.app

Quick search returns an old thread “Alfred launches apps in the background” https://www.alfredforum.com/topic/11353-alfred-launches-apps-in-the-background/
Click to expand...
No such option in Alfred from what I can see and the issue is random. Sometimes app windows open as they should and other times they don't.
 
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