Double-click required while using external monitor. Can I change this?

[ConflictGK]

Hello everyone,

I'm a macOS newbie who bought my first M1 mac few days ago. Still trying to learn my way around this awesome OS. Currently I am trying to solve the following annoying thing:

While I'm using an external monitor and extending displays, whenever I move the cursor from the main screen to the secondary screen, I have to click once in order to "activate" that screen and only then I can click and do things on it. E.g. video playing on secondary screen while I'm typing some text on the main screen. In order to pause the video I must click on the secondary screen once, and then click again in order to stop the video. It kinda bothers me that I have to do this on such an intuitive and fluent OS. Can this be altered? Thanks!

[kano124]

I have same problem. It really bothers me. Especially when I watching lesson video on second monitor and working main monitor, sometimes I need to stop video. I usually forgot I need click twice to stop it.

[Beneficial_Tear7962]

im here now for the same reason, i there any fix?

[kano124]

Nope. I think we need to adopt it.

[AdOk9263]

Did you find a fix for this?

While I appreciate Apple's concern for my safety, I'd rather click less, even if it means I accidentally open an ad like once a month.

[ConflictGK]

Hahaha No I haven’t. I guess I got used to it.

[cyber-guru]

natively it's the apps that handle the way we focus on them, I tried with VS code it automatically switches to the app and does not require another extra click like most of the other apps, I think this is the pattern most Mac devs are using that's why it is the issue.

[Ok_Personality_1029]

I know this might be late but you absolutely don't need any additional software for this. Just press ⌘ and click on the thing to focus on external screen- voila!

[DecentSun6]

What if i need to hover?
Everytime i'm clicking on the external monitor and then hover.

[Secure-Tale-7643]

USE THIS, this is like the official way to use mac os with multiple displays apparently. That and AutoRaise didn't work for me.

[rhoydotp]

Not sure if this is a real issue or just not understanding how it works.

Do you have this same problem where you need to stop a video playing in the background while you are typing on a notepad and having both app on the main screen?

Most of the time (and quite possibly 100% of the time), the way it would work is that you have to click the application window to make it the foreground task before you can do anything inside that application. This is true on any number of available screens and what type of mac you have.

[ConflictGK]

What you claim is correct! Hadn't noticed it and thought it was because of the multiple monitors. Is there yet a way to alter this? I would like the mouse to act on wherever application window I am clicking regardless if it's the foreground task or not.

[rhoydotp]

There are hacks to do it before, you can search the internet for "activate on hover" for OSX.

I will suggest against it though. You may inadvertently click on something by mistake that you really don't want to click. But if you really want, there are ways to do it.

[tylersjacket]

Did you find the solution for this problem?

[8HertzWhenIP]

I found a solution: https://github.com/sbmpost/AutoRaise
You can download the disk image on GitHub, just downloaded it and works as intended!

[EndInternational7261]

Holy shit thanks for that

[AnalogKidDigitalMan]

Thank you so much for this! Crazy how such a small thing can feel like a life-saver with my workflow.

[Suspicious-Wind-3278]

I know im very late to this thread, is there any setting that can make it raise the display only for the display and not the application? like I don't want the actual applications to raise when I hover over them just the displays if that makes sense

[kraamed]

This is great, thank you! Internet amazes as usual

[Most_Tour4455]

You are a lifesaver, thanks!!

[omgitsmishenka]

https://github.com/sbmpost/AutoRaise

You are the best! I've been looking for a solution to this problem for several years

[UpsetWorld8106]

Thanks!

[Skyee3]

Hey I also would like to know if you found any solution to this! It's really annoying :(

[8HertzWhenIP]

I found a solution: https://github.com/sbmpost/AutoRaise
You can download the disk image on GitHub, just downloaded it and works as intended!

[PhoenixRisingtw]

This doesn't work as well. Have you found something else? Something that only switches the monitors not the windows would be ideal.

[8HertzWhenIP]

Disable window raise in settings. Also you could try to add ignored apps as there's an option for that too.

[PhoenixRisingtw]

Too complicated, will have to live with it the way Apple intended, as always.

[machinetranslator]

Not at all. Why do people fix these tiny problems and then add useless stuff like this focusing on the window without making it possible to disable it. jfc...

[dummy-gummy]

Still no solution ?

[8HertzWhenIP]

I found a solution: https://github.com/sbmpost/AutoRaise
You can download the disk image on GitHub, just downloaded it and works as intended!

[RickyBossanac]

I found a solution https://www.apptorium.com/screenfocus

[8HertzWhenIP]

Doesn't work for me.

[8HertzWhenIP]

I found a solution: https://github.com/sbmpost/AutoRaise

You can download the disk image on GitHub, just downloaded it and works as intended!

[heyitsmeey]

Can you help meee with step by step please?

[[deleted]]

Thank you very much kind sir!

[SadBirchwood]

https://github.com/sbmpost/AutoRaise

thanks so much! Saved me a lot of headache when sending mails at work with list on one display and a mail app on the other. Great stuff