ASAP - dialog box is off screen, how to reset all window/dialog box positions?

[mikvdab]

At work I work with a dual monitor setup (laptop + external monitor). But when I work at home, I just have my laptop without any external monitor. Because of this, some dialog boxes and windows I have opened while working with 2 monitors, appear off screen when working with only 1 screen... I cant see the window/dialog box, thus I can not move it, or click buttons to apply or cancel a certain setting.

Is there a way to reset the positions of the windows/dialog boxes?

[dave.wolfe · Accepted solution]

You can move the active dialog box by using the keyboard combination alt+space+m

[tguthery4]

alt space m does not work.  It won't let you grab a dialog box that is now offscreen (on the phantom 2nd monitor).

[dgorsman]

It should, although I'll point out it is several steps not one:

ALT + SPACE

M (key)

Arrow (any)

The dialog should now be at the cursor.  Try it with an on screen window to see how it works.

[tguthery4]

It doesn't work.  It may be because the monitors are at different
resolutions and the dialog boxes are getting stuck.

I found a solution:  rename 3dsmax.ini to 3dsmax.old and rename
3dsmax.ini.backup to 3dsmax.ini and start max.  You have to tell it
about your paths and setup the material editor the way you prefer, but
it works.

[Yehoshua.Shore]

It does work. You hold down ALT+Space+M then release the keys. After releasing, THEN you can use the arrow keys to move the window about the screen.

[tguthery4]

I just tried it.  I turned off the monitor that usually has the dialog boxes (I use 4 monitors).  The dialog boxes were off-screen and not visible.  I did alt space m and then the arrow keys but couldn't see the dialog boxes, but they did become visible when I moved the mouse - the top of the dialog boxes were attached to the mouse cursor.  I had to move the mouse around a lot until it happened to move away from the phantom monitor and in to the active monitor.  Then I could click the mouse and release the dialog box.

[Juan-carlos.ramirez]

I have tried Space + Alt + M and It doesn't  work. With the increasing necessity of Working from home due to the pandemic it is shame that Autodesk doesn't have a standard one click configuration button to reset screens....Specially since this issue can be track to 2011...10 years ago.

[peter.debrauwere]

@Juan-carlos.ramirez  for some dialog boxes the Alt+space+...  does not work and. Tottaly agree it is a shame that after all these years there is still no good solution for it.

[David125]

This worked for me, did it as described, alt+shift+m and release, then I kept tring the arrow keys in different directions till the dialog box peed through a corner of my screen.