Need help with your Dual Monitor Setup?
August 2022
If you are using multiple monitors on a Windows OS and want to explore the configuration possibilities that best suits your needs, go to Settings, System, Display. Here you will find all of the options for your dual monitor setup.
In the Multiple displays section, select an option from the list to determine how your desktop will display across your screens.
Below you will find a list of all the possible dual screen configurations and some common uses for each of them:
- Show only on 1 / PC Screen Only: This means that windows will only display on your primary monitor and that any secondary display will not function. A primary monitor would be your first monitor on a desktop or the attached screen on a laptop. This is useful if a particular game or program is not working correctly on your dual displays.
- Mirror / Duplicate Display: Known by both names, this configuration will display identical images on both monitors connected to your PC. Mirroring displays is excellent for sharing one screen with others while still working on your computer as usual.
- Extend Display: By far the most common way to use a dual monitor setup is by extending your display. When you extend your display, it adds the second monitor as extra screen space for anything your PC could output. Extended displays are incredibly useful in work and home office computer setups.
- Show only on 2 / Second Screen Only: Similar to PC screen only, this configuration will only display on one monitor. This particular configuration will blackout the main display and only allow the PC to function on the secondary monitor. Rare occasions like presentations or meetings can benefit from having a single larger display on which a group can focus.
Once you have the ideal configuration of the monitors, you may want to check on a few other settings like:
- Resolution: Monitors that are not the same size or do not have the same output resolution, might require an adjustment to the Display resolution setting. If one of your dual displays is using the wrong resolution, images and text could look warped or fuzzy and hard to read.
- Display Arrangement: When you connect a second monitor, the computer might not detect on which side of your current display the new screen appears. The display settings allow you to rearrange your monitors.
- Taskbar Control: Once you have multiple monitors, you will also have multiple taskbars. Settings similar to screen configuration allow you to either mirror your taskbar or have it appear on only one screen. You can adjust the taskbar settings under Settings, Personalization, Taskbar
Visit Microsoft Support: Set up dual monitors on Windows for help on setting up your dual monitors on Windows:
For more information, contact us at (914) 242-3212 or email us at team@rcsllc.net
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