After VS 2022 launches a web app in browser, I am unable to switch between desktop windows via clicking icons on Windows taskbar

Question

I am battling with this issue since months, begin just after I installed VS 2022...

If I start my web app (either with debug or without debug) from VS, the browser windows launches, and after that I am unable to switch desktop windows by clicking the icon on the Windows taskbar. This applies to all running application icons on the taskbar

It seems, that VS brings the browser window to the top, with some way what fools Windows.

Diagnostics:

• it is not just VS and the launched browser, say I had open a console window, after the web app launch I am unable to switch to the console window by clicking its icons on the Windows taskbar.

• after I switch to other windows with other method, say alt + tab, the window handling still remains fooled, it does not work.

• Configuring VS to use Edge or Chrome does not matter, both case produces the issue

• Exiting VS, closing the browser window resolves the weird behavior, of course next time I launch a web app with VS the issue is back.

• Using Windows 11, but no other app exhibited the issue, it is just VS when launching the browser.

Question

This is a real productivity killer for me, breaks my work hundred times a day. Does anyone experience this issue, if yes, has anyone workaround for it?

Answer 1

Currently I found only this workaround:

Options/Debugging/General: turn off 'Enable Diagnostic Tools while debugging'