microsoft / microsoft/PowerToys
Feature request: Restore minimized windows on the monitor where the taskbar icon is clicked
- Dominant language
- C
- Stars
- 139k
- Forks
- 8.6k
- PR merge metrics
- PR metrics pending
Description
### Description of the new feature / enhancement
Description
It would be useful to have a PowerToys feature for multi-monitor setups that restores a minimized application window on the monitor where the user clicks its taskbar icon.
Currently, Windows normally restores the window on the monitor where that window was previously located, regardless of which monitor's taskbar was used to restore it.
Example
Setup:
Monitor 1 and Monitor 2
An application window is open on Monitor 1
The application is minimized
The taskbar is visible on both monitors
Current behavior:
The application window is on Monitor 1.
I minimize it.
On Monitor 2, I click the application's icon on the taskbar.
The window is restored on Monitor 1.
Desired behavior:
The application window is on Monitor 1.
I minimize it.
On Monitor 2, I click the application's icon on the taskbar.
The window is restored and moved to Monitor 2.
The same behavior should work for any application, not only specific apps.
Ideally, this could be an optional PowerToys setting, for example:
"Restore minimized windows on the monitor where the taskbar icon was clicked."
This would make multi-monitor workflows more intuitive, since the taskbar interaction itself would determine where the restored window should appear.
### Scenario when this would be used?
This would be useful for users with two or more monitors who frequently move between screens during their workflow.
For example, I may have an application minimized that was previously being used on Monitor 1. Later, while working on Monitor 2, I click that application's icon on Monitor 2's taskbar because I want to use it there. Currently, Windows restores the window back to Monitor 1, forcing me to manually move it to Monitor 2.
With this feature enabled, clicking an application's taskbar icon on a specific monitor would restore the minimized window on that monitor.
This would reduce unnecessary window movement and make the taskbar on each monitor behave more naturally in multi-monitor setups, especially for users who constantly switch applications between monitors.
### Supporting information
This should preferably be an optional PowerToys feature, so the default Windows behavior can remain unchanged for users who prefer it.
The feature should work system-wide for normal application windows, rather than requiring per-application configuration.
Contributor guide
Research direction
No files, tests, or entry points are identified in the issue. Start by locating PowerToys' Windows taskbar and window-management integration, then determine how the clicked monitor can be detected system-wide; done means an optional setting restores minimized windows on the taskbar's monitor without changing default behavior.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- c
- Domain
- desktop, operating-systems
- Issue type
- Feature
- Difficulty
- 5/5
- Estimated time
- Over a week
- Activity status
- Active
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 42/100