macOS Steam Client Windowing Bugs in Spaces/Fullscreen Apps

[jm.blythe3]

Issue: Mac Steam Client does not consistently launch app window as expected and makes it difficult/frustrating to use Steam when other apps are running in fullscreen mode or while in or using multiple spaces/displays.


To go into detail on what is happening - when you launch the Steam client using Spotlight or Finder - the app will launch on the screen/display that was last used when Steam was open. If you are using another app in a full screen mode Space on that display - Steam will run on top of the focused application Space as a window in that Space rather than in a window on the Desktop Space for that monitor/display. (Spaces refers to the macOS feature)

Why is this a buggy behavior? This is because if a Steam Client window is created/launched on a Space already in use by another application in fullscreen - it will remain on that space until it is manually clicked and dragged into another display or the app is quit and relaunched on a desktop Space. You cannot use the native macOS window management tools (Mission Control or the Window menu on the Menu Bar) to move the Steam Client window to another Space when this bug happens - you must click and drag the Steam Client to another display. This is also frustrating because with Spaces/Mission Control you cannot move an app window into another Space unless the window is created in a Desktop Space or is a Full Screen Space.

How is this handled in other apps? Simply put - other mac apps include options in the Window menu to move the app's open window to another monitor. Steam only provides options for "Small Mode" or "Big Picture Mode" in this menu.

[TheHypo]

ISSUE
Having the same issue, usually having a lot of multiple fullscreen apps running. I'm basically opening anything through spotlight, and when e.g. being on discord and opening steam while having discord in fullscreen, Steam will just overlay over the Discord fullscreen app, without registering as active application, so the Menubar still shows Discord options.

Only way to safely open Steam, is to go to a new or the default desktop with only windowed applications, and open it from there.

OS
MacOS Sonoma 14.4.1

STEPS
1. Steam must be closed / quit fully.
2. Have any app open in fullscreen mode.
3. Open Steam through Spotlight (Cmd + Space).
RESULTS
Steam will open as a window above the currently open fullscreen application.

EXPECTED
Steam will open on as a new fullscreen app, OR on the default Desktop as a new window.

[Жэки чан]

+++++++

[magiccoupons(∩ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

This is really annoying and needs to be fixed, even if the macOS userbase is tiny. This is really weird behaviour I've never seen from any other program on mac. Weird stuff. Always have to remember to stay on a workspace and not a full screen app and wait for Steam to load in so it isn't just in the way of my browser or whatever. Silly behaviour.

[alx242]

+1

[Vytcus]

Issue still persists.

[OnyxIris]

Bump! This has been an issue for about four years now.

[AnatoleH1]

issue still persists

[Lex Mortis]

+1.

Really just echoing what others have said, but this is a glaring oversight of app behavior/expectations.

It comes across as a lazy and/or incompetent Windows port by completely ignoring Mac-specific functionality: The "green button going fullscreen on separate workspace" has been the default action since Yosemite, which was released in 2014(!!!). Ignoring this for over a decade is inexcusable.