SaveMyWindows

A lightweight Windows utility that rescues, centers, and reassigns application windows that have become inaccessible due to ghost monitors, DPI changes, or broken multi-monitor layouts in Windows 11.

Built with Fyne for a fast native UI + system tray, and Win32 APIs for direct window management.

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Problem Statement

Windows 11 occasionally leaves application windows positioned on:

• disconnected monitors
• invalid virtual desktop coordinates
• DPI-mismatched monitor spaces

These windows become impossible to click or drag back without killing the app, changing display settings, or using obscure keyboard shortcuts.

SaveMyWindows provides a reliable, always-reachable recovery tool via the system tray.

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Core Goals

Primary Goals

• Always-available system tray utility
• One-click rescue of off-screen windows
• Ability to center all visible windows onto a chosen monitor
• Ability to move a specific window to a selected monitor

Non-Goals

• Not a full window manager
• No tiling, snapping, or layout persistence
• No background hooks or system services
• No attempts to bypass Windows security restrictions

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Feature Set

System Tray (Primary Interface)

• Rescue all off-screen windows → Primary monitor
• Rescue all off-screen windows → Selected monitor
• Center all windows → Selected monitor
• Open Window Picker UI
• Exit

Tray actions must work even if the main window is lost or off-screen.

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Window Picker UI

A minimal Fyne window for precise control:

• List of detected top-level windows
  • Window title
  • Process name / PID
• Monitor selection dropdown
• Actions:
  • Move to monitor
  • Center on monitor
  • Clamp inside monitor work area

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Window Handling Rules

Only real application windows are targeted.

Included:

• Visible top-level windows
• Standard Win32 desktop apps
• Most modern desktop applications

Excluded:

• Tool windows / owned popups
• Invisible or cloaked windows
• Taskbars, docks, overlays
• Secure desktop / UAC prompts
• Windows that explicitly refuse repositioning

Failures are expected and treated as non-fatal.

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Monitor Handling

• Enumerates all connected monitors
• Uses monitor work areas (not full bounds)
  • Prevents taskbar overlap
• Supports mixed-DPI setups
• A window is considered off-screen if it intersects no monitor work area

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Move Modes

• Center
  • Centers the window in the target monitor's work area
• Clamp
  • Preserves window size
  • Ensures the entire window remains visible
• (Optional future) Keep Relative
  • Preserves relative position from original monitor

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Technical Architecture

UI Layer

• Fyne
  • System tray icon and menus
  • Minimal picker window
• UI contains no window-management logic

Platform Layer (Windows-only)

All Win32 interaction is isolated in a single package:

internal/winwm/
  windows.go
  monitors.go
  rescue.go

Responsibilities:

• Enumerate windows
• Enumerate monitors
• Detect off-screen windows
• Move / center windows
• Handle DPI awareness

UI code only calls exported functions.

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Platform Scope

OS	Support
Windows 11	Primary target
Windows 10	Likely works, not guaranteed
macOS	Not planned
Linux	Not planned

SaveMyWindows is a Windows-first utility.

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Known Limitations

• Cannot move some elevated/admin windows unless run elevated
• Cannot affect secure desktop or system UI
• DPI edge cases on extreme mixed-DPI setups
• Some UWP or shell windows may behave inconsistently

All limitations are expected and documented.

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Development Phases

Phase 1 — Core Rescue

• System tray icon
• Monitor enumeration
• Off-screen detection
• Rescue → Primary monitor

Phase 2 — Bulk Actions

• Center all windows
• Rescue → Selected monitor

Phase 3 — Precision Control

• Window picker UI
• Per-window move / center

Phase 4 — Polish

• Improved window filtering
• Error reporting / logging
• Icon and basic branding
• README screenshots

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Philosophy

• Utility over aesthetics
• Safe defaults
• No invasive hooks
• No persistent state unless necessary
• If Windows says “no”, accept it and move on