Applications Stealing Focus on Windows XP
One of the most annoying “features” of Windows (9x/2000/XP) is the fact, that any application can steal the focus of the front-most application: I repeatedly sent Ölbaum snippets of code or some command-line when he was contacting me via AIM or MSN on Windows because that apps would steal the focus of whatever window I was working in. It’s a wonder I never sent him a password of mine or so …
Of course, this same behaviour started to bug me at my new workplace. Thus, I was not only bugged by these intrusive Windows Notifications in the taskbar, I also got the benefit of windows randomly yelling at me during work.
Fortunately, I found a vaccine against this: Power Toys for Windows XP, a free download for TweakUI from Microsoft. TweakUI lets you tweak some settings of the Windows UI, including one to “Prevent applications from stealing focus”:
Check “Prevent applications from stealing focus” to prevent applications from stealing focus from the window you are working in. Instead, their taskbar icon will flash to indicate that the application is trying to get your attention. (Emphasis by editor)
Let em try, I say!
Can anybody tell me why
- Microsoft Power Toys for Windows XP are not part of a standard install?
- Microsoft does not include this setting per default in a Windows XP install?
Sheeesh …
March 18th, 2007 at 17:06
I have tried this, but IE 7 still allows certian Windows to pop up & steal away the focus - looks like it’s back to Maxthon for me
May 23rd, 2007 at 14:19
I must concur with Dallas: TweakUI may help, but it appears that nothing will stop IE 7 from controlling my desktop.
May 29th, 2007 at 19:01
[...] Most useful Windows XP Tip ever. taking the red pill - » Applications Stealing Focus on Windows XP [...]
June 7th, 2007 at 0:09
While TweakUIXP may work at the moment. I find that I am losing the setting and have to reset several times a week. Something else is ‘unfixing’ the setting.
What and Why?
Solution?
July 3rd, 2007 at 9:19
I’ve noticed that something is undoing the setting as well. You can run this reg file every day or so and it will reset it to the TweakUI value:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEYCURRENTUSER\Control Panel\Desktop] “ForegroundLockTimeout”=dword:00030d40
I put it in the task scheduler and run it every 4 hours.
July 3rd, 2007 at 9:30
^^ It ate the formatting. There should be underscores between HKEY CURRENT and USER.
You could also put this in a bat file and run it every few hours:
reg ADD “HKEYCURRENTUSER\Control\Panel\Desktop” /v ForegroundLockTimeout /t REG_DWORD /d 0×00030d40 /f > nul
Place underscores between HKEY CURRENT and USER.
July 3rd, 2007 at 9:39
Arrgh. Replace backslash between control and panel with a space.
July 24th, 2007 at 17:13
There must be some other registry key that works in conjunction with this one. On my PC I was able to duplicate a user’s issue with a pop-up (from a JavaScript alert window) but my Prevent apps from stealing focus was OFF. I turned it on and the pop-up did NOT steal focus from the foreground app.
But, on the user’s PC, the pop-up still steals focus. Even had our help desk rebuild the user’s PC (reinstalled Windows XP) and verified the TweakUI checkbox was on and the issue still exists for them but I can’t dupe it with that registry setting on.
Bizarre.
August 2nd, 2007 at 17:24
Thank you JR.
Before the fix, after starting Windows XP I wanted to get a command prompt and run a few commands. Icons appearing in the System Tray caused the focus to be lost from the Run dialog and the Cmd window about four times, argh!
After the fix, I was able to type away with the keyboard consistently in the Run dialog and the Cmd window without any interruptions. Much, much better.
Why Microsoft does not include this setting as default in Windows XP? I have no idea. I would go to the trouble of writing a paid-for postal letter to Microsoft, but after the Vista debacle - depressingly - I have no faith in Microsoft’s ability to respond to consumer feedback.
September 3rd, 2007 at 11:52
Well I’ve got vista now, and there seems to be a huge problem with windows grabbing the focus - its like XP, but back before this I used this setting. And no tweak XP for vista. So I looked up the reg key that it sets, and it IS ALREADY SET! WTF? does this setting no longer work in vista!?
April 13th, 2008 at 10:36
Hi there,
This is some pretty cool thing you got going here. Gonna check out the remaining site pages to see if there are any updates.
Cheers!