Sometimes you may have an application open in Windows but can't see the window for the application.  This may happen if you typically work with dual monitors then switch to a single monitor by undocking a laptop or opening a remote desktop session from your home computer.  You can see the application is running from its icon on the Task Bar but you can't see the application window on the monitor screen.  The problem is that the missing application window is positioned on the alternate monitor, which you now can't see.

Step-by-step guide

By using keyboard navigation you can move the hidden window from the alternate monitor to the primary monitor where you should be able to see it.

  1. Select the application icon in the Task Bar.
  2. Hold down the Shift key then right-click on the application icon in the Task Bar.  A pop-up menu should be displayed with Move as an action.
  3. Click on the Move action.  The only change you can see at this point is the cursor has changed from a single arrow to a four direction arrow.
  4. Press on any of the left/right/up/down arrow keys.  This initiates the move.  You can now use your mouse to move the application window into the primary monitor.

An alternate technique that only uses keyboard functions:

  1. Press <Alt>+<Tab> to select the lost/hidden application.
  2. Hold <Windows Key> + <Shift>
  3. Press on any of the left/right/up/down arrow keys.
  4. Move the application window until the window is visible.