Force messages to main screen

SimonSchütte_ct — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 15:45:42 GMT

Please (give us a way to) force all windows and messages to show on the main display.

Especially when using ArcGIS Pro on multiple displays, Warning/Info/... messages are not shown where you would expect them and this may lead to the impression that ArcGIS Pro is frozen.
Sometimes important notifications are shown behind the main ArcGIS Pro window and we are unable to bring them to the front.

Backstory

I was testing editing of a feature in a local FGDB with constrains.
Tested input using tab and enter.
Pressed ESC + opened snipping tool to make a screenshot.
Now the line drawing did not finish:

ArcGIS Pro appeared to be fully frozen,
regardless where I clicked, I only heared the "bling" sound that indicates the UI is locked.
I could not even start the Diagnostic Monitor. [Linked ideas: Diagnostic Monitor log messages and user input - Esri Community & Diagnostic Monitor log messages and user input - Esri Community]

I assume the issue was that the Message by the Line Tool "There are uncommitted geometry sketch operations. Do you want to apply or discard the sketch operations?"
was not visible to me.

It is not uncommon for ArcGIS Pro to "hide" relevant messages behind the main window, but does not show the message even when minimising the main app.
Sometimes messages are show outside of the visible desktop screen and there is only a small border of the message you cannot even grab to move it.
Something like this:

(Yellow is the border of the message box you have to interact with to continue working in ArcGIS Pro. This can happen even if no additional displays are attached.)

The window management with multiple displays is also interesting - sometimes messages are randomly shown on different displays.

Forcing important messages/windows to the main window and show them on top of everything.
Also add them as actual windows to the taskbar, so we can bring it to the front. Currently, nothing indicates, that this Message box exists:

Re: Force messages to main screen

AlfredBaldenweck — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 14:37:26 GMT

This has bitten me a bunch too. Pro will start on one monitor and I'll move it to the other screen but the various pop-ups don't come with it.

Re: Force messages to main screen

danieloccasionally — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 17:44:02 GMT

@SimonSchütte_ct, great description!

My issue is similar: any and all "this is going to take a while cause GIS is doing something serious" warnings hide at the very top of my screen ... with the just the bottom pixels showing.

It's pretty annoying.

idea Force messages to main screen in ArcGIS Pro Ideas

Force messages to main screen

Re: Force messages to main screen

Re: Force messages to main screen