Hrvoje Niksic writes: focus-follows-mouse == nil Make three frames and (add-hook 'deselect-frame-hook 'redraw-frame) Then use focus-frame to focus on another frame. The redraw happens in the wrong frame. If instead you add redraw-frame to select-frame-hook and use focus-frame, the correct frame gets the redraw. But if you then move the mouse into a third frame, the first frame (the one that used to have the focus) is redrawn, which suggests some internal confusion about which frame is being selected.