PowerToys Run doesnt work when other app's window in focus.

[prakharb5]

Environment

Windows build number: 19042
PowerToys version: v0.19.0
PowerToy module for which you are reporting the bug (if applicable): PowerToys Run

Steps to reproduce

Keep a browser windows or PowerToys setting page in focus (active) and use the shortcut for PowerToys Run search box to open.

Expected behavior

The search window should open.

Actual behavior

The shortcut (Alt+Space) opens the window settings option

#Additional comments
I haven't tested it with all apps. It works properly with my PDF reader (Foxit Reader).

[tomstock1337]

I experience this same behavior. When this happens, I need to restart PowerToys (0.19.0) in order for it to start working again.

Windows 10 Enterprise Version 10.0.18362 Build 18362

Occurs when using Google Chrome (83.0.4103) and FireFox (79)

[crutkas]

is that window run elevated?

[prakharb5]

Those apps which run elevated don't allow PT Run to come up, thats what the problem is, I think. When will this be fixed?

[crutkas]

I think we need to rethink how PT run and others operate with elevated windows. Typically you don't want stuff to run elevated unless it needs to. Few of our tools need that for this exact use case.

PT Run, if itself is elevated, would launch elevated. So we did some trickery to prevent it. However, we think more and more based on stuff like this, the better solution would be allow it to run elevated but suppress elevation unless directly asked to

[prakharb5]

Color picker seems to work in elevated windows just fine.

I have seen that, for e.g., we have an elevated app running, we can click on taskbar and then trigger PT Run, it comes up. So, to trigger PT Run on elevated windows, we can switch focus to Taskbar and then execute the process. After completing or exiting PT Run, we can restore focus to the elevated windows. It might work. How is my idea?

[saahmedm]

closing this as a duplicate issue: #4427 will be where the work is tracked.