At my home office, I’ve been using a MacBook Pro for my "desktop" since March. I’m a huge proponent of using secondary monitors so in addition to the 15.4-inch notebook display, I connect the MBP to a 19-inch monitor that’s raised up to eye level. Instead of a more traditional side-by-side config, I find that this method works great for me. I keep communication apps like Skype, Twitter and Outlook on one display, while my web browser is dedicated to the other one. This arrangement keeps me productive because it separates my activities with the two monitors and groups like activities together. There’s only one annoying problem and I’ve had it since day one…until today.
The issue has to do with auto-complete functionality in Firefox, which is my browser of choice in Mac OS X. I keep the browser in the upper monitor. When I start typing in a text field within Firefox, the auto-complete feature kicks in as expected. The problem is that the auto-complete suggestion appears under the menu bar on the other display. This adds a bunch of unnecessary navigation to my day, as I have to move the cursor from one display to the other. I probably waste a good 30 minutes daily with all of this back and forth; not to mention it’s extra strain on my eyes and my hands.
This morning I had an "a-ha!" moment by finding the oh-so-simple solution that eluded me for five months. Actually, I might classify this as a "duh!" moment as well; the answer was right there the whole time and I missed it.
Just as you can in Windows, you can customize your monitor arrangement in Mac OS X. If you want the side-by-side config, you just go to the Displays option in System Preferences, click the Arrangements option and move the two monitors next to each other. I have a top-and-bottom arrangement and this is where I told Mac OS X about it. When I looked there this morning, the solution was staring me in the face:
All I had to do was read the screen where it tells you how to relocate the menu bar. In the above pic, I already have it moved to the top external monitor. For the past five months, the menu bar was at the top of the bottom monitor; sure enough after moving the menu bar the auto-complete function is working exactly where it’s supposed to. Yes….I think it was more of a "duh!" moment, but thought to share in case anyone else missed the menu bar movement directions like I did. In fairness, I didn’t realize the impact of having the menu bar in the bottom monitor. ;)

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