PS CS6 stealing focus in OSX

This happenes often, but not consistently.
I'm using CS6 (regular) with OSX Lion, 16GB RAM.
Once I have a few files open, Photoshop starts "stealing" the cursor focus, which is to say if I go to any other application, as soon as I make one click, PS jumps into the foreground and becomes the active application. The click I made in the other app was applied, and I can see it when I go back to that app, but as soon as I click again, Photoshop pops back into focus.
The only workaround I've found is minmizing PS while I use other apps. Or closing it and restarting it. Sometimes just reducing the program window works, and sometimes not.
Weird stuff.

Do you have the application frame visible? The focus works slightly different (code wise) when the application frame is on as opposed to off. (BTW, that is not to say what you are experiencing is correct - but rather running with, or without the application frame may solve the focus problem).
I will have a QE contact you to see if we can get steps to reproduce the problem.

Similar Messages

App.executeCommand steals focus on OSX?

Hi There,
I'm currently using app.executeCommand() to accomplish specific tasks that cannot be done via AE's ExtendScript API. The problem I am now noticing (on OSX only) is that if a user has an application other than AE, the script using app.executeCommand() will cause AE to "steal" focus from the users current application. On Windows, using the app.executeCommand() method does not cause AE to steal focus from another app.
Is there any way to ensure that AE does not steal focus when using the app.executeCommand() method on OSX? I know it's a bit of an esoteric question, but I just wanted to see if anybody has had experience with this issue.
Thank you for your time and help!
Best,
Arie

Thanks for the feedback, David. I have noticed that AE likes to pop up into focus on OSX every now and then—even without any scripting. I agree that coding natively is the way to go, but I am needing to use the "Send comp to AME" command from the Composition menu. There is currently nothing for that in the scripting API, so I am needing to use the executeCommand function. If I have like 100 comps that I want to run through in a loop, the script takes over the whole machine making it useless until AE finishes its job. So, I decided to just add a watch folder to AME, and then write a script that moves all the comps in the root of the project panel into a created folder—except of course the one that I want AME to process. I then save a copy of the AEP to the watch folder and AME processes the comp that was left in the root of the project. Seems to work, but it does require the user setup a watch folder in AME first.
--Arie

Something is stealing focus from my active window

Hi,
Something frequently steals focus from my Mail, Keynote and other active windows. I'm having trouble figuring out what it is as the focus doesn't 'go' anywhere. It's quite annoying as I frequently get the error-ding, and have to go to the mouse to return focus to the window I was working in.
Does anyone know how to resolve this issue? Below please find the system informaiton.
Hardware Information:
          MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011)
          MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro8,2
          1 2 GHz Intel Core i7 CPU: 4 cores
          16 GB RAM
Video Information:
          Intel HD Graphics 3000 - VRAM: 512 MB
          AMD Radeon HD 6490M - VRAM: 256 MB
System Software:
          OS X 10.9.1 (13B42) - Uptime: 0 days 6:23:0
Disk Information:
          ST1000LM014-1EJ164 disk0 : (1 TB)
                    EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
                    Macbook SSD (disk0s2) /: 999.35 GB (578.21 GB free)
                    Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB
          MATSHITADVD-R   UJ-8A8
USB Information:
          Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)
          Apple, Inc. Keyboard Hub
                    Apple Inc. Apple Keyboard
          Apple Inc. BRCM2070 Hub
                    Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
          Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
          Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
FireWire Information:
Thunderbolt Information:
          Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus
Kernel Extensions:
          com.symantec.kext.internetSecurity          (5.2f2 - SDK 10.6)
          com.symantec.kext.ndcengine          (1.0f2 - SDK 10.6)
          com.symantec.kext.ips          (3.5f2 - SDK 10.6)
Problem System Launch Daemons:
Problem System Launch Agents:
Launch Daemons:
          [System] com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.frogdesign.ardon.daemon.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.frogdesign.disableautologin.daemon.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [invalid] com.frogdesign.renamecomputer.daemon.plist
          [invalid] com.frogdesign.renamehost.daemon.plist
          [invalid] com.frogdesign.renamelocalhost.daemon.plist
          [System] com.frogdesign.sshon.daemon.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.symantec.liveupdate.daemon.ondemand.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.symantec.liveupdate.daemon.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.symantec.sharedsettings.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.symantec.symdaemon.plist 3rd-Party support link
Launch Agents:
          [System] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.frogdesign.screenpwddelay-host.agent.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.frogdesign.screenpwddelay.agent.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.frogdesign.screenpwdon-host.agent.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.frogdesign.screenpwdon.agent.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.symantec.uiagent.application.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] jp.co.canon.CUPSiPF.BackGrounder.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] jp.co.canon.CUPSiPF.PreviewDaemon.plist 3rd-Party support link
User Launch Agents:
          [not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [not loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist 3rd-Party support link
          [not loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist 3rd-Party support link
User Login Items:
          UNKNOWN
          iTunesHelper
          Dropbox
Internet Plug-ins:
          QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
          AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 10.1.9 3rd-Party support link
          AdobePDFViewer: Version: 10.1.9 3rd-Party support link
          Default Browser: Version: 537 - SDK 10.9
          SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.3.9 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
          Silverlight: Version: 5.1.20913.0 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
          MeetingJoinPlugin: Version: (null) - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
          JavaAppletPlugin: Version: 14.8.0 - SDK 10.9 Outdated! Update
Audio Plug-ins:
          BluetoothAudioPlugIn: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.9
          AirPlay: Version: 1.9 - SDK 10.9
          AppleAVBAudio: Version: 2.0.0 - SDK 10.9
          iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.3 - SDK 10.9
3rd Party Preference Panes:
          Symantec QuickMenu 3rd-Party support link
Bad Fonts:
          None
Old Applications:
          Microsoft Language Register:          Version: 14.3.9 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    /Applications/Microsoft Office 2011/Additional Tools/Microsoft Language Register/Microsoft Language Register.app
          iPF Support:          Version: 2.36 - SDK 10.4 3rd-Party support link
                    /Library/Printers/Canon/GARO/Utilities/iPF Support.app
          Solver:          Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    /Applications/Microsoft Office 2011/Office/Add-Ins/Solver.app
          SLLauncher:          Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    /Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Silverlight/OutOfBrowser/SLLauncher.app
          Microsoft Lync:          Version: 14.0.7 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
          /Applications/Microsoft Office 2011
                    Microsoft PowerPoint:          Version: 14.3.9 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    Microsoft Excel:          Version: 14.3.9 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    Microsoft Outlook:          Version: 14.3.9 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    Microsoft Word:          Version: 14.3.9 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    Microsoft Document Connection:          Version: 14.3.9 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
          dynamiclinkmanager:          Version: 6.0.0 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/dynamiclink/CS6/dynamiclinkmanager.app
          /Applications/Microsoft Office 2011/Office
                    Microsoft Graph:          Version: 14.3.9 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    Microsoft Database Utility:          Version: 14.3.9 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    Microsoft Office Reminders:          Version: 14.3.9 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    Microsoft Upload Center:          Version: 14.3.9 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    My Day:          Version: 14.3.9 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    SyncServicesAgent:          Version: 14.3.9 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    Open XML for Excel:          Version: 14.3.9 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    Microsoft Alerts Daemon:          Version: 14.3.9 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    Microsoft Database Daemon:          Version: 14.3.9 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    Microsoft Chart Converter:          Version: 14.3.9 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    Microsoft Clip Gallery:          Version: 14.3.9 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
          dynamiclinkmediaserver:          Version: 6.0.0 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/dynamiclinkmediaserver/1.0/dynamiclinkmediaserver.app
          SyLinkDrop:          Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    /Library/Application Support/Symantec/SMC/tools/SyLinkDrop.app
          Microsoft AutoUpdate:          Version: 2.3.6 - SDK 10.4 3rd-Party support link
                    /Library/Application Support/Microsoft/MAU2.0/Microsoft AutoUpdate.app
          /Library/Application Support/Microsoft/MERP2.0
                    Microsoft Error Reporting:          Version: 2.2.9 - SDK 10.4 3rd-Party support link
                    Microsoft Ship Asserts:          Version: 1.1.4 - SDK 10.4 3rd-Party support link
Time Machine:
          Time Machine not configured!
Top Processes by CPU:
              24%          mds
               3%          WindowServer
               3%          EtreCheck
               2%          iTunes
               1%          coreaudiod
Top Processes by Memory:
          721 MB          SymDaemon
          541 MB          Finder
          524 MB          Keynote
          410 MB          Mail
          311 MB          mds_stores
Virtual Memory Information:
          3.60 GB          Free RAM
          6.10 GB          Active RAM
          4.55 GB          Inactive RAM
          1.75 GB          Wired RAM
          2.74 GB          Page-ins
          0 B          Page-outs

Hello,
I have the same problem (probably because we work for the same company )
The problem is with Symantec Endpoint Protection. I ran a script and found out that's causing the problem. I don't have a fix yet though unfortunately.
Kevin

How to stop Firefox windows stealing focus from other Firefox windows?

I am using Firefox 26.0 on Windows 7 and tend to brows using multiple windows instead of tabs. Frequently when I click on a link in one window, the new page will begin to load and suddenly a firefox window that is in the back ground pops to the front, stealing the focus from the window I had been browsing in.
There is no consistent pattern as to which websites or pages are loaded into the background windows that suddenly decide to steal focus. Likewise there is no pattern as to which links or actions I use that seem to cause this to happen.
Is this a known issue? It is driving me absolutely nuts!

It could be a bug in the Flash Player plugin, caused by the protected mode feature. This thread has the background on that and known workarounds: [https://support.mozilla.org/questions/955659 Opening New Windows and Shockwave Flash].

How do I stop Ical from stealing focus?

Is anyone aware of a way to stop ical from stealing focus when events are created or modified? I do not want to lose the ability to fast switch to the app when it is in another space.
I have some individuals on my team at work who tend to edit multiple events on my calendar multiple times a day. It makes me nuts that when I am in the middle of some serious debugging or in a groove jamming out some decent code, I get stopped constantly by iCal.

I had exactly the same problem. A quick google search presented this:
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-20085680-263/keep-applications-from-stealin g-focus-when-opening-in-os-x/
I've tried it - editing the Info.plist - and it works a treat. Note - it appears you can no longer cmd-tab to the app once you make this change. But I can live with that
iCal developers - please, for the love of God and all things UX - please change this default behaviour. Or at least provide an option to make iCal less obnoxious. It was the focus stealing behaviour of Windows 95 that moved me away from Windows.

How do I find out which application is stealing focus?

I'm having problems with my Macbook Pro in which my active window keeps deselecting every 5-10 seconds or so, which is making even typing this question extremely difficult.
I have figured out from searching the web that it is because of an application stealing focus. However, in all the boards that say how to fix this problem, none of them actually tell you how to identify which application is the one stealing focus.
The most information I could find was to go to Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor
and to look for which application is stealing the focus, but it doesn't say WHERE to look.
Do I look at CPU? Number of threads? Real memory? What?
Here are my specs:
- Mac OS X version 10.6.8
- Processor: 2.3 GHz Intel Core i5
- Memory: 4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3
(Let me know if you need any additional info about the system.)
How do I figure out which application is the one stealing focus? (If you could write it in painfully simple instructions, that would be fantastic).
Thank-you in advance to any helpful answers!
-Carly

First, quit all applications, close all windows and reboot the Mac. Hold down the Shift key prior to the startup chime until it finishes starting. This is called a Safe Boot and causes the system to load only its components, no third party stuff and do other housekeeping tasks. Will take AWHILE, be patient. Run ONE Apple app at a time and see if the issue persists. If it does not, then you will have determined the system is OK and the issue is caused by a third party app. Now reboot normally and see if the issue reasserts itself. Try this and holler back.
Note: running Safe Boot in day-to-day use is unadvisable cause many apps require the use of their extensions and won't work correctly, if at all.

ITunes 10.6.3.25 keeps stealing focus

Hi,
As of the last week, iTunes keeps stealing focus spontaneously. Even if I have it completely minimized to the system tray it will still steal focus.
I do not have any external plug-ins installed and I do not run Windows Live Messenger, so the solutions on the dicussion forums that suggest those problems/solutions do not apply here.
Can anyone advise? This is driving me nuts.
It seems to happen when iTunes is download my podcasts or updating apps.

I have found a fix that works for me using iTunes v. 11.0.2.6 and Windows 8
The fix however eliminates ANY program from stealing focus in windows. Which I prefer anyway. This means that you will have to pay attention to your desktop bar or start menu for flashing. This will let you know the program is asking for your attention.
Open Regedit
Browse to HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop\
Change “ForegroundLockTimeout” to “30d40” (make sure this is in HEX not Decimal)
Restart your Computer.
For those of you worried about messing with your registry, it is a serious thing to do and it should NOT be taken lightly, Here’s the Page from Microsoft telling you what the key is so you know this is legit fix. I always recommend backing up your registry and creating a save point BEFORE making any changes.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc957208.aspx

HT5891 When switching between applications on different displays, Microsoft Word (or Excel) "steals focus" and becomes the active window.

In Mission Control, Displays have separate Spaces is checked. This happens regardlesss of whether I'm switching using Command+Tab or a mouse. Any suggestions?

There is a workaround for this problem, which was posted by Highestwater on the Microsoft Community thread for this bug and worked for me as well:
Go to
System Preferences > Mission Control >
and UN-check the box labeled "Displays have separate Spaces" (see image below)
The original poster on this thread may already be aware of this workaround, because he/she mentioned that the "separate Spaces" option is checked. But if you can live without the extra Mavericks dual display features (like going full screen in 1 display only, switching spaces independently on each display, and having a menu bar on each display), then uncheck this option and the "stealing focus" bug seems to disappear. For me the bug is so annoying that it's worth it to lose the extra features. Just yesterday I closed a Word document I was working on by mistake because I clicked on a Finder window on my other display and immediately pressed command-w to close it, without realizing that the focus had switched to my word document which closed instead. It was saved, but this sort of stuff interrupted my work enough to be both an annoyance and a time drain.

How to prevent apps from stealing focus?

Often when I am running an application in the background, it will steal focus from my active window with a modal dialog box that will pop up in the foreground. Invariably, since I can be a fast typer sometimes, I won't be able to stop myself in time and will often cause the modal dialog box to take some unwanted action. This can have a HIGHLY unpleasant effect! Especially if I've just found myself aborting unintentionally a long job because of the focus stealing!
I'd like to prevent any application from stealing focus from the active window. Is there any way to set OS X or the finder to prevent this? If not, are there any haxies that I can install that will have this effect?
(For reference, Microsoft Vista Aero doesn't allow an application to open a window or dialogue above the active window, unless it's a UAC confirmation dialog, which still only opens on a different display layer.)

YES AAAAAAAAAH THIS IS A REAL AGRESSION TO THE NERVES ! ! !
I need to meet the dude who decided "hey wouldn't it be a great idea if we had the applications bothering you all the time as soon as they need your attention, instead of just letting you get to them whenever you feel like it ? now where's my promotion ? ^^"
WHERE IS THIS MORON AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
does anyone know of a 3rd party software that would keep each app where it is whatever happens to it ?
dammit

ITunes is stealing focus

Hi,
On windows with iTunes when changing example album cover for 10 songs, the iTunes will start working but if you start doing something else in an another window, iTunes will steal the focus back to iTunes, this mean that if you where chatting on MSN it will jump to iTunes in the middle of the sentence.
Anyone having same problem and found out some work around to this?
Regards,
Sebastian
iBook + Windows PC Mac OS X (10.4.5)

It does the same thing regardless of what you are doing. Backing up, adding new music, etc. It steals focus from all other windows constantly while it's doing it's business. This is crap Apple, and I'm sure you are just going to ignore this issue just like you ignore anything else windows related. Guess what? I'm using Rdio now, a far nicer service and interface. I just wish I'd never invested in Apple at all.

How do I install AE CS6 11_LS7 onto MAC OSX Yosemite 10.10.1 since it won't open?

I am trying to install After Effects CS6 11_LS7 onto MAC OSX Yosemite 10.10.1, but it won't open? I can't find a later download for AE CS6 that may fix this problem. What should I do?

make sure you downloaded the mac installer, not windows.
if you're certain you did that, what's the file extension on that file?
otherwise,
Downloads available:
Suites and Programs: CC 2014 | CC | CS6 | CS5.5 | CS5 | CS4 | CS3
Acrobat: XI, X | 9,8 | 9 standard
Premiere Elements: 13 | 12 | 11, 10 | 9, 8, 7 win | 8 mac | 7 mac
Photoshop Elements: 13 |12 | 11, 10 | 9,8,7 win | 8 mac | 7 mac
Lightroom: 5.7| 5 | 4 | 3
Captivate: 8 | 7 | 6 | 5
Contribute: CS5 | CS4, CS3
Download and installation help for Adobe links
Download and installation help for Prodesigntools links are listed on most linked pages. They are critical; especially steps 1, 2 and 3. If you click a link that does not have those steps listed, open a second window using the Lightroom 3 link to see those 'Important Instructions'.

Super annoying bug: Premiere Pro CC (and probably older versions) encoding/exporting window keeps stealing focus while working

This is something that has caused me to lose a lot of hair due to pulling it:
1. Open Premiere Pro on Windows (8.1, but that hardly matters, I think).
2. Open some video.
3. Export (encode) it to the desktop. The encoding/exporting child-window starts showing the progress bar as it works.
4. Click the bottom-right corner of the screen to show your desktop.
5. Now open any folder on the desktop, such as a dir called "test".
6. Does the Explorer window showing the "test" dir open, as expected? Nope! Instead, Premiere Pro goes: "HEY! What's up?! I'm gonna push myself in front of everything and show you this export/encoding child window as well as the main Premiere Pro window in front of everything! What do you think about that? Heh-heh! Whatever you tried to open is now in the background and I'm in the foreground!"
For the entire remainder of the encoding/exporting process, which can sometimes take hours, I am therefore crippled and cannot do any real work on my computer because Premiere Pro insists on force-showing itself against my will whenever I try to do anything else. This makes working with the computer while Premiere Pro is working (when I can't use the program anyway!) impossible. I'm left to Alt-tabbing around applications if I want to be able to do anything at all.
Without a doubt, I'm not the first person to be annoyed by this. In fact, I'm 99.99% sure that Adobe is well aware of this. Still, I have to make an attempt at reporting this, because it's crippled me every day for the last few years and made me really, really angry. I primarily associate Premiere Pro with frustration and anger at this point. I really hope there is a hidden preference to turn this madness off or something.
I predict that somebody will be tempted to respond with something along the lines of: "Use the Media Encoder!". Well, I don't like the Media Encoder. I want nothing to do with the Media Encoder. I just wanna use Premiere Pro and not have it steal focus against my explicit wishes.
Please tell me this is possible somehow. And please don't tell me to report this to Adobe with some form. I'm reporting it here and now, thanks. Plus, once again, I'm sure they know about this already. (If they don't, they aren't using their own software.)

I only asked two questions of you!!!
Both of them intended to get to a solution for you from understanding your workflow... .
Sheesh.
Don't understand why you put up with something that's made you go crazy"for years" and yet never mentioned by anyone else!
He's doing a Direct Export, not going through AME. That calls up a small dialog showing the progress of the export. Kind of like when you render.
I still don't know how that is done or how one even accesses a "direct export" option/menu.

PLEASE Stop iTunes From Stealing Focus

This has been an ongoing issue almost since day 1. If you have a large music library, when you add it to iTunes, iTunes constantly steals focus while it's adding music. If you attempt to do anything else, 9 times out of 10, you end up aborting your music adds and have to start the import all over again.
This has been going on as long as Ive used iTunes, its the reason I dont like using iTunes and it needs to be corrected.

No idea what suggesting to let iTunes run and finish adding his music has to do with a "'tude" or being a punk, of which my repsonse was neither.
For some reason, MadFlava has decided that since it takes "LITERALLY hours to import the music", he's not gonna do it.
I don't know why he can't let iTunes finish adding the music, but as above, that's what I would suggest.
Since he's been doing this since day 1, I suggest either let it finish or quit using iTunes.

STOP iTunes and iPhoto from stealing focus...

I was curious if there is anyway to stop iTunes and iPhoto from stealing focus when I plug in my iPhone. I do not have pictures to sync, yet iPhoto still popos up. Not only that, when it finishes loading, it steals focus, so if I am working on something else, now all my mouse commands and keyboard stokes are all in iTunes.
- Is there anyway to stop iTunes from stealing focus? To just have it pop-up in the background and bounce for all I care, just not steal focus.
Thanks!

I already have iTunes configured so it doesn't open up when I plug my iPod touch in. What I don't like is when it steals focus after it's done syncing. Programs on Windows are supposed to "play nice" and not steal focus. They can request focus and flash the taskbar button, but that's it. So, if anyone knows how to prevent iTunes on Windows from stealing focus, I'd really appreciate it.

Prevent apps from stealing focus

Is there a general overall setting for preventing applications from stealing focus?

i'm having problems with itunes 6.0.5(20). I set up a playlist to burn, hit the burn button, it asks for a cd, i feed it the cd, it says "checking media...". Then, that's all it needs from me, so I go back to my word processing and while I'm typing in that suddenly the iTunes window pops back to the foreground - not asking for input or anything, it just pops to the foreground once the write process starts on the cd. I've had it steal focus from Firefox, Finder, Word, pretty much everything at one time or another.
EDIT: I've found if I minimize iTunes it won't pop up and steal focus, but if I just switch it to the background instead of minimizing it, it will pop to the foreground

PS CS6 stealing focus in OSX

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