Firefox steals focus when window is minimized
It looks like this issue is being ignored/overlooked or shuffled to the bottom of the pile. However, this is the single most annoying issue I have EVER had with Fx.
Since upgrade to Fx 6, and now 7, Fx will steal focus after being minimized. Doesn't matter what I'm doing, or the app I'm working with, or the add-ons (tried it in safe mode), it regularly (a minute or so) will open and steal focus.
I've tried using Tweak to prevent apps from stealing focus, tweaked registry settings, and it STILL does it. On a side note, Fx6 was buggier than shit. I fresh installed 7 and its better, but this focus crap has got to stop. Please look into this issue, Im not the only one.
Edit: And it doesn't rely on the web page I'm on. It will do it with the about:blank page.
Modified by Barmy
All Replies (4)
If you leave firefox focused on a blank tab/page and minimized, it won't maximize itself and steal focus.
It is an annoying bug or glitch. I am almost about to move entirely to Chrome. Firefox getting bloated in the last few iteration.
There are a smattering of reports about this problem dating way back. Unfortunately, it seems that the issue has gotten worse based on my experience. I have two systems, windows XP and 2K, that have both been loaded with clean installs of FFx.
I have FFx 7 and 8 running on both machines, and I also have FFx 3.6 running on the XP machine and FFx 4.x running on the @k machine. NONE of the versions prior to FFx 5.x had this issue. I can go back and the issue does not appear with the older versions, but does occur on both machines with FFx 5.x and later.
Hey Mozilla, you did something to screw up FFx. See my post above, I've tried all manner of fixes and configurations, and I'm stuck with 2 machines that border on unusable FFx browsers.
In general, ever since FFx 5 I am completely frustrated with FFx. You really should focus on getting the bugs out of the current version and forget the damn release schedule. Its creating more problems than it solves. I used to love FFx, but I am seriously rethinking that position.
Modified by Barmy
I agree this is a complete PITA and is just about to make me change browsers.
On a dual monitor setup, if I have (for example) my email software on the right screen; and wish to attach photos, picking them out using Windows Explorer (not *Internet* Explorer) on the left screen, any time I click on the left screen, the window containing the email program collapses and the right screen reverts to (I guess) a browser window that Firefox thinks is "more important" than the one I was just working in.
When I click on the left screen, it should have NO EFFECT on the right screen, and vice versa. If it does, the idea of having the real estate of two screens to work on goes to hell.
Likewise, if I have Excel running on one screen and a stock charting program running on the other screen, any time I click on the Excel, the stock charting screen collapses and goes to (I guess) a screen (of another open browser window) that Firefox thinks is "more important" than the last thing I was working on.
I have had this exact setup for about 2 years and it has worked fine. Recently, Firefox upgraded, of course, and I replaced the hard drive.
If you can't fix this organically, then why not include a feature that would "pin" a given window as "always on top"? Of course, that would cause other problems but it would at least make the browser work the way it should.
Clicking on one screen should NEVER affect what happens on the other screen! Period!
Try this: When you are in the window you wish to be "pinned", eg; not go away when you click elsewhere, right click on the tab representing that window, and click on "pin as App tab". Can also be abbreviated as alt-p WITHOUT hitting the tab, as long as you are inside the window you wish to preserve.
This appears to solve the "steal focus" issue for me; I hope it is useful to you wrt your problem.