microsoft / microsoft/PowerToys

Headed Playwright browser steals foreground from PowerToys Always On Top window when launched at 1920×1080

Open
#49,809 3 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
Issue-Bug Needs-Triage Product-Always On Top
Dominant language
C
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Forks
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PR merge metrics
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Description

### Microsoft PowerToys version

v0.101.2211.0

### Installation method

GitHub

### Area(s) with issue?

Always on Top

### Steps to reproduce

Steps to reproduce
Start Microsoft PowerToys.
Confirm Always On Top is enabled.
Open a normal application window, such as Notepad, VS Code, or a terminal.
Press Win + Ctrl + T to pin that window.
Confirm the PowerToys border appears and that the window initially remains above other windows.
Run a Playwright test in headed mode with the browser viewport or window configured to 1920 × 1080.
Allow Playwright to launch Chromium, Chrome, or Edge.
Observe the Playwright browser while the pinned window is open.
Attempt to focus or interact with the window pinned by PowerToys.
Repeat the test with a smaller Playwright size, such as 1280 × 720 or 1600 × 900.

### ✔️ Expected Behavior

A window pinned through PowerToys Always On Top should remain above a non-elevated headed Playwright browser.

Launching, resizing, navigating, or interacting with a Playwright browser should not override the pinned window’s topmost state or repeatedly take foreground focus.

### ❌ Actual Behavior

Regression information
The issue appears after configuring the Playwright browser or viewport to 1920 × 1080.
The behavior was not observed previously.
A smaller browser or viewport size appears to avoid or reduce the issue.
Running PowerToys as administrator does not fix it.
The Playwright browser is not believed to be elevated.
The problem appears related to headed mode, window sizing, foreground activation, or the interaction between Playwright’s browser window and PowerToys’ topmost-window behavior.

### Upload Bug Report ZIP-file

_No response_

### Additional Information

The headed Playwright browser both moves above the pinned window and takes keyboard focus.

### Other Software

Windows version/build:
PowerToys version:
PowerToys installation source: github
PowerToys running as administrator: Yes and still stole focus.
Playwright version:
Node.js version:
Browser: Chromium / Chrome / Edge
Browser version:
Playwright headed mode: Yes
Viewport size: 1920 × 1080
Actual browser window size, if separately configured:
Display resolution:
Display scaling: 100% / 125% / 150% / other
Number of monitors:
Primary-monitor resolution:
Secondary-monitor resolution:
Test runner launched from: VS Code / terminal / other
Test runner elevated: No
Browser elevated: No

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start with the Always on Top area and reproduce the reported interaction using a headed Playwright browser at 1920 × 1080, then compare it with 1280 × 720 or 1600 × 900. Investigate the pinned window’s topmost and foreground behavior during browser launch, resizing, navigation, and interaction. Done means the pinned non-elevated window remains above the browser without repeatedly losing keyboard focus.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
c, playwright
Domain
desktop, operating-systems
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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