Stretching a window across multiple monitors

Hi, I’m trying to figure out how to stretch a window over multiple monitors, can you please help?

I use multiple monitors with my Mac and my Mac does not allow me to resize a window to be on two monitors at one time. If I try to resize a window beyond the limits of the monitor that the window is currently on, the Mac will restrict me from making the window any larger.

If I drag a window in between two monitors, then it will only show the window on one monitor and completely cut off the part of the window that is on the other monitor. The only exception to this is that the window will show on both monitors when I am holding down the mouse to drag the window, but the window will be faded on one monitor as I’m doing this and part of the window will be completely cut off when I release my finger from the mouse.

This creates a bad user experience in several ways. It makes it difficult to find windows that are cut off between monitors, makes windows that are being cut off much less useful, and restricts me from many use cases where I would like to use a single app/window on multiple monitors.

I would much prefer to be able to freely move and resize a window across multiple monitors without ever fading or cutting off any windows. Is there any way to do this? If so, how?

Examples are shown in the pictures that I took on my phone of windows between two monitors. They show how my Mac is restricting me from using one window on two monitors and cutting off my window with a safari tab of google and a piano app.

Turning this option off will do what you want.

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Scuola di Atene?

Indeed!
Also G4 iMac :slight_smile:

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Thank you! Interesting picture and quote, by the way!

That fixes the issue perfectly, but introduces a new issue.

When I turn off “Displays have separate Spaces,” it makes it so that if I make a window full-screen on one monitor then it will make all of the other monitors completely black and useless. When I make a window full screen on one monitor (for example if I’m watching a youtube video on one monitor), then I still want to be able to see and use the other monitors while the window is full screen on one monitor.

How can I be able to stretch a window across multiple monitors, but still maintain the ability to use all of my monitors when a window is in full-screen mode?

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If you use something like Magnet or Keyboard Maestro to maximize a window rather than using macOS’s built in full screen mode I think it might do what you’re looking for.

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That is painted on the side of a building in San Diego (I think it was), took the picture from my hotel room.

In addition to @ChrisUpchurch’s suggestions, you can hold Option and click the green button on the window to make it full size, without it being full screen.

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Thank you. Very cool, San Diego is a great place and that makes it much better!

I just tried using the “Move and resize window” macro in Keyboard Maestro and the option+clicking the green button. Both of these seem to create the same effect where it makes the window full screen without making the other monitors black. This works well to allow me to stretch a window across two monitors and use full screen windows without messing up the other monitors.

The only downside is that it does not work with regular full screen mode for apps like youtube. When I hit the full screen button in youtube it makes the video take up the entire screen, which is a better viewing experience with no distractions on the screen. When I use the Keyboard Maestro macro or option + click the green dot, then the video only takes up about 80% of the screen and it still shows the browser UI (like menu bar, etc) and the youtube UI. This works well enough and is much better than before but I would prefer to be able to see the video in full screen for the best viewing experience if its possible.

Is there any way to view videos and windows in true full screen mode like this (while still maintaining the ability to stretch windows across multiple monitors)?

I haven’t tried Magnet yet because I don’t own Magnet. This is the macro I made in Keyboard Maestro:

You could use Downie to download the YouTube videos, then play them with the QuickTime player.

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