Logo

Finding a Missing Dialog Box in Revit

Have you ever tried to access a tool or command that is supposed to open a Revit dialog box, but the box/window doesn’t appear and it seems to lock your software? Believe it or not, in many cases, the dialog box/window is open, but it’s caught in purgatory or dead man’s land, so it does not appear on your screen.

Recently I ran into this problem using the Pantone Color Picker dialog box in Revit. I was demonstrating how to change the color of an element to a class. When I picked the [PANTONE…] button, my cursor began to spin and Revit appeared to lock up. Unfortunately, I was in a mode where I could not troubleshoot what was going on, so I had to shut Revit down with [Ctrl]+[Alt]+[Del].


After doing some research, I stumbled upon a blog post written by a former Ideate colleague, Shruti Harve. In 2011, she explained the problem and how to fix it.


Here is what is going on:


If you work with multiple monitors and/or switch back and forth between a projector, the conference room television, and a second or third monitor, various dialog boxes in multiple software programs pop up on these other video sources. When you change the video sources and access a tool/command that opens the dialog box, the dialog box may not appear. This problem is caused by the window/dialog box getting “stuck” outside of your current video configuration…aka purgatory.


Here is how to fix it:


  • After accessing the tool/command to open a dialog box/window, press [Alt]+[Spacebar], then press M, then press any arrow key on your keyboard. This will “stick” the dialog box/window to your cursor.
  • Move the mouse around until the dialog box/window is placed where you want it located.


This is an oldie but goodie Windows trick… Now to get back to using my Pantone colors.

Explore recent posts

Renumber Parking Spaces with Ideate ReNumber
26 Mar, 2024
TRAINING - VIDEO: Discover how Ideate ReNumber, a tool in our IdeateApps add-in, makes numbering parking spaces quick and easy.
Create Duplicate Sheets in Revit with Ideate Clone
26 Mar, 2024
TRAINING - VIDEO: Check out this quick and easy tutorial on how to duplicate a sheet and change its view in just a few simple steps using Ideate Clone, which is a tool in our IdeateApps add-in.
Webinar Recording – Elevate Revit Projects with Ideate Annotate
25 Mar, 2024
TRAINING - ARTICLE + VIDEO | Ready for a deep dive into how to use Ideate Annotate to support Revit design documentation and quality control activities??
Schedule Revit File Opening with Ideate Automation
22 Mar, 2024
TRAINING - VIDEO: Discover the time-saving power of Ideate Software's automation feature! Join Thesla Collier, Design Technology Manager, to learn how with just a click or scheduled automation, you can open all Revit files with work sets and close separate Revit sessions, saving valuable time each morning.
Show More
Share by: