How can I disable the application randomly or otherwise taking focus? I keep the application minimized as I do other work. As I do work, it randomly opens and takes focus with my keystrokes and mouse actions are directed to it, as opposed to the application I am working with.
It is a bit arrogant that this application randomly demands focus. I do not recall any other application that conducts “focus stealing”.
Are you seeing the app pop up when a video is done processing, or just at random times?
I have seen this happening on macOS during processing, multiple times… Video AI was not minimized, it just steals the focus…
I have just witnessed Video AI stealing the focus while it was doing… nothing… I was watching a YouTube video in full screen, then Video AI popped up.
How rude 
edit: this happens during the license check or check for new version. here is a redacted copy of the logs
2026-02-21 13-17-13.402 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info [AuthService] checking status
2026-02-21 13-17-13.448 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info [AuthService] loginProgramInterface.checkStatus() called
2026-02-21 13-17-13.493 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info cerrDebugAuth: [Auth][LoginMain][cerr] Entered. /Applications/Topaz Video.app/Contents/MacOS/../Resources/models auth.tpz : 2 Upper Arg: STATUS
2026-02-21 13-17-14.246 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info cerrDebugAuth: [Auth][AuthHandler] cerr[AuthHandler] AuthHandler hit!
2026-02-21 13-17-14.248 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info cerrDebugAuth: [Auth][AuthHandler] cerr[AuthHandler]AUD id is payload: {“app_version”:“1.2.0”,“status”:“active”,}
2026-02-21 13-17-14.248 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info cerrDebugAuth: [Auth][LoginMain][cerr] [Login] | active | log: Success
[Auth][LoginMain][cerr] [AuthResult] licenseExpDate: 2026-09-30
2026-02-21 13-17-14.253 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info cerrDebugAuth: [Auth][LoginMain][cerr] [checkStatus] refresh token returned success
CloudAPI::checkProductPrice
CloudAPI::checkProductPrice
CloudAPI::checkProductPrice
CloudAPI::checkProductPrice
CloudAPI::checkProductPrice
CloudAPI::checkProductPrice
CloudAPI::checkProductPrice
CloudAPI::checkProductPrice
2026-02-21 13-17-14.275 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info [AuthService] Logged in as
2026-02-21 13-17-14.275 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info [AuthService] License expiration 2026-09-30
2026-02-21 13-17-14.275 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info [AuthService] Account tier personal
2026-02-21 13-17-14.275 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info [AuthService] Legacy user true
2026-02-21 13-17-14.277 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info Checking for updates with license date QDateTime(2026-09-30 00:00:00.000 EDT Qt::LocalTime)
2026-02-21 13-17-14.277 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info Checking for updates at: “https://api.topaz-labs.net/v2/app_state/unauthed”
2026-02-21 13-17-14.277 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info Params: QMap()
2026-02-21 13-17-14.279 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info Tracking disabled. Not sending Segment event: “Auth State Changed”
2026-02-21 13-17-14.401 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info Found 0 new app versions
2026-02-21 13-17-14.401 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info Update check response: true false
It’s happening every 6 hours…
2026-02-21 19-17-13.494 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info [AuthService] checking status
2026-02-21 19-17-13.521 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info [AuthService] loginProgramInterface.checkStatus() called
2026-02-21 19-17-13.565 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info cerrDebugAuth: [Auth][LoginMain][cerr] Entered. /Applications/Topaz Video.app/Contents/MacOS/../Resources/models auth.tpz : 2 Upper Arg: STATUS
2026-02-21 19-17-14.480 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info cerrDebugAuth: [Auth][AuthHandler] cerr[AuthHandler] AuthHandler hit!
2026-02-21 19-17-14.481 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info cerrDebugAuth: [Auth][AuthHandler] cerr[AuthHandler]AUD id is … payload: …
2026-02-21 19-17-14.482 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info cerrDebugAuth: [Auth][LoginMain][cerr] [Login] | active | log: Success
2026-02-21 19-17-14.488 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info cerrDebugAuth: [Auth][LoginMain][cerr] [checkStatus] refresh token returned success
CloudAPI::checkProductPrice
CloudAPI::checkProductPrice
CloudAPI::checkProductPrice
CloudAPI::checkProductPrice
CloudAPI::checkProductPrice
CloudAPI::checkProductPrice
CloudAPI::checkProductPrice
CloudAPI::checkProductPrice
2026-02-21 19-17-14.503 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info [AuthService] Logged in as …
2026-02-21 19-17-14.503 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info [AuthService] License expiration 2026-09-30
2026-02-21 19-17-14.503 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info [AuthService] Account tier personal
2026-02-21 19-17-14.503 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info [AuthService] Legacy user true
2026-02-21 19-17-14.504 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info Checking for updates with license date QDateTime(2026-09-30 00:00:00.000 EDT Qt::LocalTime)
2026-02-21 19-17-14.504 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info Checking for updates at: “https://api.topaz-labs.net/v2/app_state/unauthed”
2026-02-21 19-17-14.504 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info Params: QMap(…)
2026-02-21 19-17-14.505 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info Tracking disabled. Not sending Segment event: “Auth State Changed”
2026-02-21 19-17-14.636 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info Found 0 new app versions
2026-02-21 19-17-14.636 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info Update check response: true false
2026-02-21 19-17-43.454 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Warning QIODevice::read (QNetworkReplyHttpImpl): device not open
2026-02-21 19-17-43.454 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Warning Network error. Status Code: QNetworkReply::OperationCanceledError (0) Error: “Operation canceled” Body: “”
2026-02-21 19-17-43.455 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info [Amplitude] Request completed.
2026-02-21 19-17-43.455 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info [Amplitude] Request error: QNetworkReply::OperationCanceledError
2026-02-21 19-17-43.455 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Critical [Amplitude] Request error
2026-02-21 19-17-43.455 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Critical [Amplitude] Request error, cancelling.
2026-02-21 19-17-43.455 Thread: 0x1f75d4cc0 Info TEventTracker Received features {}
I have this issue on MacOS. For me, it’s not related to any particular app. Focus on any current app window disappears occasionallyy, focus doesn’t shift to another app, but the current app no longer gets any keyboard until i click on it to restore focus. Irritating.
I had a related issue with Finder. It’s not random, every time I do a cold boot, this happens. When I open a video from Forklift (Finder alternative), and then close the video, Finder has the focus (instead of Forklift). My solution is to Force Quit the Finder once. after this, no more problems. So, every time I reboot, I have to remember to force quit Finder once.
I started to wonder if this was related to Finder extensions. I disabled them, but have yet to confirm if this solve the issue.
Maybe this can help…
I have noticed a new behavior related to focus on macOS. With 2 monitors, when I open a photo or video in full screen mode, then quits the photo or video player, the focus always returns to an app that was on the monitor that ran the photo or video application. I don’t have any issues if both Forklift and qView open on the same monitor.
for example, Forklift is on the primary, when I open a .jpg, in my setup it opens qView (photo viewer) . if qView goes to full screen on the secondary monitor, when I exit qView, the focus returns to an app running on monitor 2, but never on Forklift on monitor 1.
The focus does not necessarily return to Video AI, I had it returning to my web browser.
I suspect this behavior is inherent to macOS and will submit a feedback to Apple.
Hope this helps.
Seemingly random, even after I paused update notifications for 6 months. It does happen when a video is finished, but more often while a video is processing.
