Way to disable apps taking over focus?

[madonnaragu]

Yeah this has always irritated me about Windows. Especially when background apps start and take focus but not have an active window. I have had things take over in Windows while I am typing my password which is not good!

Exactly! Same here.

 

[madonnaragu]

I feel your pain!

But could you give us more specifics, with a concrete step-by-step example of when and how this occurs? I'm a bit confused by what's going on.

For example, if I launch a HUGE spreadsheet in Excel and, then, while I’m waiting for it to fully load, decide to work on a Word document, Excel will take over once it has fully opened the document. That makes sense, at one level. After all, I asked it to open the big file! And, it's showing me it's ready.

I suppose what you're seeking is the way iOS often (always?) works — if I’m updating a bunch of apps from the App Store, while I’m waiting, I can start working in, say, Pages, and, IIRC, once the downloading is finished, I'm never bothered.

In the infrequent times the take-over happens on the Mac, it seems it's the system’s way of saying, “I'm done. Here's what YOU wanted to look at, use, or work on!” Thought of that way, it makes sense.

Besides the solution is a fast one. Just click on the icon on the dock of the app you were working in — or on one of its windows — and you are right back where you were when you were interrupted!

Yes, it's a bit like that. An app takes a while to load/finish saving. In the meantime, I want to work on something else. Then the first app takes over while I'm typing as soon as it's done.

I get why apps take over focus. But I'd prefer them not to. Maybe others are not bugged by it, but it really irritates me.

There should be a way for apps to let you know "I'm ready!", without fully taking over. Maybe a visual indicator/flashing in the dock or something like that.

 

[madonnaragu]

I find it hard to believe no one else in this thread has faced this problem before. I get what you are talking about. Sadly, I don't have a proper solution to this problem. My updated workflow involves using 1 or 2 apps(side by side) in their own space. So if an app comes up and tries to steal focus, there is a whole transition to the desktop page, which is pretty hard to miss, take it as a sign to stop typing and use mouse or CMD + Tab to go back to previous app.

Thank you! I'm surprised nobody else has experienced this either. Maybe it's my workflow. Maybe I work really fast at times and have a number of apps open. I'd still prefer apps NOT to steal focus. I know you're open, I'll get back to you when I'm done here, lol. 😄

 

[madonnaragu]

finish your email, then open another app... seems a workflow challenge more than a weird tech issue.

Does not always work like that. I often need other apps while I'm writing emails/documents.

 

[darngooddesign]

No, that does not work. There's no "feature" to disable. It's not about quitting the app, it's about apps stealing focus from the app I'm currently in.

If there is a feature, like automatically updating the app or auto saving documents, then disable it. If there is no feature you can disable then you will have to quit the app while not in use so it doesn't move from background to foreground. In some cases you will not be able to avoid it and you will have to adjust your workflow a bit to avoid the combination of variables which cause the issue.

I started googling and found some examples of using terminal or AppleScript to open apps in the background, but I don't know if these affect already running apps.

Avoid apps from stealing focus in macOS

How can I stop a program, for instance Slack, which can have some significant loading time, stealing focus when it's finished loading? If I start Slack, then switch focus during its loading time, ...

apple.stackexchange.com

 

[fisherking]

Does not always work like that. I often need other apps while I'm writing emails/documents.

can't you open those apps in advance of writing an email? and/or just leave them open? as with all things, if something doesn't work exactly as you'd like, you can find a workaround (which is, at least, better than nothing)

 

[bogdanw]

A simple solution would be to minimize all windows before opening the e-mail
Command (⌘) + Option (⌥)+ H + M
Other apps can be easily accessed when needed with Command-Tab and then minimized again with Command-M.
A minimized app should not be able to steal focus
https://osxdaily.com/2012/02/07/minimize-and-hide-all-windows-in-mac-os-x-with-commandoptionhm/
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201236

Another solution Show Desktop (Toggle the visibility of any application from the Dock menu) https://www.everydaysoftware.net/showdesktop/index.html

 

[fisherking]

i use command-H to hide apps, and bring them back with command-tab... but lots of ways to do this (ie, as bogdanw suggests, above)

 

[thefourthpope]

Thank you! I'm surprised nobody else has experienced this either. Maybe it's my workflow. Maybe I work really fast at times and have a number of apps open. I'd still prefer apps NOT to steal focus. I know you're open, I'll get back to you when I'm done here, lol. 😄

Happens to me a few times every week. It’s not a specific workflow thing; will happen in a variety of situations from an app loading slowly to a reminder about a process that’s running.

Bugs the hell out of me and I’ve yet to find a solution.

One of my biggest complaints about Mac and iOS these days is that it too easily defers to the computer about running. If I’m typing in a field, the only thing that should interrupt that is ME.

 

[Paulejonesy]

I hear you on this. I regularly will use the time it takes to launch After Effects and open a project to carry on working in another app. AE will steal focus when it wants to, and interrupt my workflow. If I launch an app and click away to another, that should be enough of a sign that I don't want that app in focus any more. App focus should be my choice.

 

[darngooddesign]

If enough people complain to Apple that this is very bad for Accessibility, and it actually is a change of context problem, a change may happen. Tell apple you rely on keyboard control and this is a burden.

 

[splitpea]

Discord does this, among others, and I agree that it’s infuriating. It seems to be common with Electron apps.

There are two or three points in its launch process where it’ll grab focus. If you open it and then it takes a while downloading and installing updates before it’ll finish launching, and you go back to another app to do something interesting instead of sitting there watching it spin for 120 seconds… yeah. It grabs focus at what feels like a random moment.

Not aware of any solution, and I don’t know why the OS allows this in the first place.

 

[madonnaragu]

can't you open those apps in advance of writing an email? and/or just leave them open? as with all things, if something doesn't work exactly as you'd like, you can find a workaround (which is, at least, better than nothing)

No, as I don't always know what I'll need in advance.

 

[madonnaragu]

Happens to me a few times every week. It’s not a specific workflow thing; will happen in a variety of situations from an app loading slowly to a reminder about a process that’s running.

Bugs the hell out of me and I’ve yet to find a solution.

One of my biggest complaints about Mac and iOS these days is that it too easily defers to the computer about running. If I’m typing in a field, the only thing that should interrupt that is ME.

THIS!!! The most irritating thing about this is when you're typing something or filling in a form, and then an app pops up and takes over. Yes, it only takes a few seconds to minimise it. Yes, it's not the end of the world. But it's still highly irritating - and that's my biggest issue here. It's about me losing focus myself when this happens.

 

[fisherking]

No, as I don't always know what I'll need in advance.

you have the option, at least in the present moment, to deal with the issue in a constructive way, and find a workaround. griping about it won't fix it. just a thought!

 

[madonnaragu]

you have the option, at least in the present moment, to deal with the issue in a constructive way, and find a workaround. griping about it won't fix it. just a thought!

Yes, but sometimes in life, if one does not complain about things that could be done much better, things don't improve.

 

[fisherking]

Yes, but sometimes in life, if one does not complain about things that could be done much better, things don't improve.

complaining on an internet forum is not the same as, say, reporting it in the feedback app (if you're on the betas), or, at least, posting it here (a longshot, but still more useful than a forum post):

mac os feedback

 

[splitpea]

complaining on an internet forum is not the same as, say, reporting it in the feedback app (if you're on the betas), or, at least, posting it here (a longshot, but still more useful than a forum post):

mac os feedback

If the griping bothers you so much, you have the option to unsubscribe from a thread where people have been asking for solutions to a point of frustration. Just because it doesn't bother you doesn't mean other people aren't perfectly entitled to complain about it in an internet forum.

 

[splitpea]

And I wouldn't worry. Your AAPL stock isn't about to tank because a few people are publicly expressing that they're annoyed about an unergonomic UI function that can't be disabled. Nor does their frustration with it make your choice to use Apple products (or even the choice of the complainers to use those products) a bad choice. It comes across as if you're taking it personally -- even if in actuality you're not. And in case it isn't obvious, none of this is a personal attack!

 

[fisherking]

If the griping bothers you so much, you have the option to unsubscribe from a thread where people have been asking for solutions to a point of frustration. Just because it doesn't bother you doesn't mean other people aren't perfectly entitled to complain about it in an internet forum.

you should probably read my posts before attacking me. i suggested a workaround. i also suggested the feedback app as a place to report the problem, and put the apple os feedback link up as well.

if an opinion other than your own bothers you so much, you have the option to unsubscribe from a thread where people have been asking for solutions... and i post some ideas.

 

[madonnaragu]

Forums are for complaining. Finding solutions. Exchanging ideas. Let's all try to find solutions together. 😄

 

[HDFan]

Happens to me a few times every week.

Same here. It does makes sense. If you run a new app it means that you are want to use it and therefore you want to interact with it so it needs focus. So most of the time it does work to my benefit.

 

[thefourthpope]

Same here. It does makes sense. If you run a new app it means that you are want to use it and therefore you want to interact with it so it needs focus. So most of the time it does work to my benefit.

I get your point. It aggravates me though if I’m interacting in some way with a window — say, typing — and what we’re calling the focus of the OS gets pulled to a different one.

The easy fix I can think of would be an “open in background” default option like at system startup.

 

[fisherking]

a checkbox in system preferences>general, perhaps. "Keep focus on frontmost app"... something like that.

i don't think it's a bad idea, but it's not how the OS works now. so, imho, we can request changes from apple, but, in the moment, we adapt to how things are. or find workarounds...

 

[LarTeROn]

This is annoying on so many platforms, including Android with the Force/Close dialog box. It means you have to sit there and wait for slow things to open. It's incredibly annoying.

I wonder if it's deliberate. Looking some of the knuckle-headed replies here, I'd hazard a guess that most people see slow opening apps as the problem, buy a whole new system without a second's pause for chucking the old system in landfill...

A 3rd party workaround might be possible with that open in background, where a utility could just watch and grab the loading window and put it back into the background when it spots it. Hacky, but I don't know how much access the accessibility api allows?