If apps like Chrome, Mail, Messages, Calendar, or Excel are randomly moving onto your Napster View display - or getting stuck there after sleep, wake, or restart - this is almost always caused by the Napster for Mac App not running in the background.
Why does this happen?
When the Napster app is active, it manages the View display and controls what appears on it. When the app is not running, macOS treats Napster View as a standard external monitor. In that state, macOS takes full control of window placement - which means any app can be moved onto the View display by the OS, and windows that drift there can become difficult to retrieve.
This is particularly noticeable after sleep/wake cycles or restarts, when macOS re-assigns windows across all detected displays before the Napster app has had a chance to launch.
Prevention: keep the Napster app running
The fix is straightforward: always keep the Napster for Mac App open and running when Napster View is connected to your Mac. As long as the app is active, it manages the View display and prevents macOS from treating it as a general-purpose monitor.
To prevent the issue after restarts, set the Napster app to open automatically at login:
- Open System Settings → General → Login Items.
- Click the + button and add the Napster for Mac App.
- The app will now launch automatically every time you start your Mac.
Recovery: apps are already stuck on the View display
If apps have already drifted onto the View display and cannot be moved back normally:
- Unplug the Napster View USB-C cable from your Mac.
- macOS will move all windows back to your main display automatically.
- Reopen the Napster for Mac App.
- Reconnect the USB-C cable.
- The Napster app will take over the View display again.
If a window is still stuck and the above steps do not work, try pressing Mission Control (F3 or swipe up with three fingers) to see all windows and drag the stuck app back to your main display.
Still happening even though Napster is running?
In some cases, apps can still land on the View display even while the Napster app is active — for example, right after your Mac wakes from sleep, restarts, or after Napster View is unplugged and reconnected. This is a separate, less common issue from the one described above: macOS tracks window positions for all your displays (including View) in one shared coordinate space, and a change in your display setup can cause it to momentarily lose track of which display a window belongs on.
If this happens, you can fix it by explicitly pinning each affected app to the display you want:
- Make sure Napster is running and Napster View is connected.
- Open the app you want to pin (e.g. Excel), if it isn't already running.
- Right-click (or Control-click) that app's Dock icon.
- Go to Options → Assign To, and choose one of the Desktop on Display entries — not All Desktops, since that includes View. If it lands on the wrong screen, repeat and try a different entry.
- Repeat this for each app you use regularly — Chrome, Mail, Messages, Calendar, Excel, etc. This is per-app.
Step 1 — app not running yet (3-item menu):
Step 2 — app running (full menu, Options highlighted):
Step 3 — Options → Assign To:
Step 4 — pick the correct "Desktop on Display" entry:
Step 5 — repeat for each app you use regularly:
This should also bring back anything currently stranded on the View display.
Don't see "Assign To" at all?
The "Assign To" option only appears once your Mac has at least two Desktop Spaces set up — having "Displays have separate Spaces" turned on is not enough by itself. If you're on a single Desktop (the default on most Macs), macOS hides Assign To completely, even if the app is running and even with multiple displays connected.
To fix this:
- Open Mission Control (swipe up with three fingers on your trackpad, or press F3).
- In the Spaces bar at the top of the screen, click the + button to add a new Desktop.
- Exit Mission Control (click elsewhere, or swipe down).
- Right-click the app's Dock icon again — Assign To should now appear under Options, with the Desktop on Display choices from Step 4 above.
Still having issues?
Submit a support ticket with your Mac model, macOS version, and a description of what you are seeing.