How to Setup Dual Monitors in Windows 10?

dual monitors attached to Windows 10 system and setuped

Do you need dual or multiple monitors to do your job or do you want to know how to setup dual monitors in Windows 10? In this article of MAZHD, we are going to explain the key points for installing and to setup dual or even multiple monitors on a single Windows 10 system without using any software.

Whether you’re a student, content writer, programmer, data analyst, or gamer, a system with multiple monitors not only looks fun and useful, but can greatly increase your productivity when running multiple applications and software when working with multiple applications. However, running dual or multiple monitors on a Windows 10 system is only feasible if you setup it correctly.

Fortunately, Windows 10 has several different features and settings to setup and support dual or even more monitors without the need for any software to make Windows 10 easier to work with. In this article we will explain a few tips to setup and configuring dual or multiple monitors on Windows 10 to serve you dear MAZHD audiences. Whether you want to setup and use a dual monitors to your laptop or split your desktop into several work areas, don’t miss this tutorial in the Windows 10 tutorial series!

Table of Contents

Consider This Before Configuring Multiple Monitors

Before reading this tutorial of how to setup dual monitors in Windows 10, make sure all necessary connections and cables are connected to your monitor or laptop. These connections include power and video signal connections using VGA, DVI, HDMI, or DisplayPort cables. If you’re not sure how to make connections, you can make a note of the build and model of your monitor and search its manual online. With your monitor’s manual you will be able to easily make all connections.

How to Setup Dual or Multiple Monitors in Windows 10?

Although you can attach your monitors to any of the video ports on the video card, you should be careful not to setup them in the wrong order when setting up a dual or triple monitors in Windows 10. If you connect in the wrong order while they still work, you may have trouble using the mouse and running programs until you connect the monitors properly.

To setup dual or multiple monitors in Windows 10, follow these steps:

Right-click on the Windows icon at the bottom left of your screen.
Choose the System option in the popup menu.
Click on Display.
In the “Select and rearrange displays” section, adjust the size of each monitor according to its physical layout and resolution.

In this picture you can see the process of how to setup dual monitors in windows 10

Note: When resetting monitors on the Display settings page, make sure that all monitors at the top of this page are fully aligned. Otherwise, you will have trouble moving the mouse cursor between monitors from the corners.

Click the Apply button.

After completing these steps and doing setup, Windows 10 will understand the physical layout of the dual monitors, and you’ll be able to run any program on Windows 10 with no problems.

If you’re not sure which monitor to choose, click on the Identify button to find out. Next, if either monitors are not displaying, make sure it is plugged in and that you have the correct connections to the computer, then hit the Detect button. If there is still a problem displaying the monitors, double-check their connections (or restart your computer) and click the Detect button again in Windows 10 settings.

How to Set displays Scale and Layout on Windows 10

When using dual or more monitors to a computer, Windows 10 performs the most optimal settings for automatically detecting or to setup them. However, you may need to manually setup the Scale, Resolution and Orientation of the dual or more monitors on Windows 10, depending on your needs.

Select the Appropriate Display Scale for Monitors

Windows 10 has features to adjust or to setup the screen size, which is used to adjust dual or more monitors of different sizes on a system for having a better user experience across all displays. Also, for example, if you have a 4k screen, adjusting the screen size can help make the screen bigger and more readable.

Follow these steps to choose the right screen scale that fits your needs:

Open the Settings page of Windows.
Click on the System.
Click on the Display.
In the Select and rearrange displays section, select the monitor you want to set.
Use the drop-down menu for text, apps, and other items to select the appropriate screen scale.

This picture show the process of how to setup dual or multiple monitors in windows 10

After completing the steps above for, you may need to repeat steps No. 4 and 5 to change the scaling settings and on other monitors. Finally, click Sign-out to make changes. Although you can adjust the display scale settings for each monitor individually, it is always better to use the default value of each monitor whenever possible. Otherwise, you may experience problems and Windows 10 may not be able to setup or adjust the screen size of dual monitors .

How to set custom scaling

If none of the default values are compatible with your screen, you can manually specify the screen scale value using the following steps:

Go the settings.
Click on the System.
Click on the Display.
In the “Select and rearrange displays” section, select the monitor you want to set.
In the “Scale and layout” section, click Advanced scaling settings.

this picture is also showing the process of how to setup dual monitors in windows 10

Below the “Custom scaling” section specify the scale size between 100 and 500 percent.

Click on the Apply button.

After completing the above steps, restart the system to test new settings. If the new scaling configuration does not look right, try the same steps mentioned above and try different values until you get the result you want.

How to choose the right resolution for monitors?

Normally Windows 10 automatically adjusts and setup the suggested resolution after the dual monitors are connected, but you can manually change the screen resolution by following these steps:

Go to the Settings.
Open System.
Click on the Display.
In the “Select and rearrange displays” section, select the monitor you want to setup or adjust.
In the “Scale and layout” section, select the appropriate pixel resolution for your monitor from the Resolution drop-down menu.

You can then repeat steps 4 and 5 to change the resolution of other monitors. Also, if you are looking to enlarge the text and more on the page, you need to change the screen scale settings, not the resolution!

Select the right direction for the monitors

Windows 10 allows you to rotate the screen horizontally or vertically, which is very useful when using rotary-mounted monitors. This way, you can use them with different orientations for reading content or coding.

To change the orientation of each monitor, follow these steps:

Go to the Settings.
Open System.
Click on the Display.
Below the “Select and rearrange displays” section, select the monitor you want to set.
Below the “Scale and layout” section, from the Orientation drop-down menu, select one of the following options for your screen:

Landscape
Portrait
Landscape (flipped)
Portrait flipped portrait

You can also use the Ctrl + Alt + Arrow shortcuts to switch between different screen orientations on some supported devices. Keep in mind that Arrow keys are keys on the keyboard that are indicated by the up, down, left and right orientations. For example, pressing the Ctrl + Alt + Right arrow keys simultaneously can rotate the screen 90 degrees. Also pressing Ctrl + Alt + Up Arrow will return the screen to its default state.

How to choose multiple display modes on Windows 10

You can choose the display mode for your displays using the built-in Windows settings. For example, if you are using a second monitor, you can extend the home screen to a new (second) display, or you can mirror both monitors, meaning that you use a single image on dual monitors that are ideal when displaying an option. is considered. If you are using a laptop with an external monitor, you can even disable the laptop’s internal display and only use the second monitor as your main screen.

To adjust the different display modes in Windows 10, follow these steps:

Go to the Settings.
Go to System.
Click on the Display.
Below the “Select and rearrange displays” section, select the monitor you want to set.
Below the “Multiple displays” section, use the drop-down menu available to set your desired display mode from:

Duplicate desktop: This mode acts as a mirror and repeats the image of the first screen in the second.
Extend: Extends the original desktop image to the currently selected display.
Disconnect this display: Turns off the selected monitor.

If you are done with these steps, then you may need to repeat steps 4 and 5 to adjust the display mode on other monitors. Remember that using these settings you can set each monitor as your main display.

Change display modes with shortcut

Using the settings to setup or adjust Dual or more monitors is possible in Windows 10, you can also modify the display modes using the Project feature, which you can access by pressing Windows key + P at the same time.

When you press the keys mentioned above, a screen opens with four options, including:

PC screen only: Only use primary screen.
Duplicate: Secondary monitor displays the same image as the main monitor.
Extend: Combine both screens to deliver a wider image.
Second screen only: Only use secondary screens.

When you setup or configure dual or multiple monitors on your Windows 10 PC or laptop, it’s usually best to use the “Extend” option. This option allows you to use your main monitor normally and use secondary monitors according to their dedicated resolution. The Duplicate option is a good option when using a second monitor or when using a projector. The second screen only option is also suitable for situations where you want to close your laptop screen and use only the secondary monitor.

How to Manage Advanced Display Settings in Windows 10

While it’s not always a good idea to change advanced screen settings (since all monitors are not uniformly structured and different in structure), sometimes you may need to change advanced screen settings to improve color accuracy and eliminate screen flicker.

Note: We recommend that you only change the advanced screen settings if you have the necessary knowledge. Otherwise use the default Windows settings.

Set custom color profile

If your monitors do not display colors accurately and with acceptable quality, you can use the following steps to customize and to improve the color mix and improve the color accuracy:

Go to the settings.
Go to System.
Click on the Display.
Open the Advanced display settings option.

Go to “Display adapter Properties” to adjust the screen you want to adjust the color properties .

Go to the Color “Management tab“.
Then click on the Color Management button.

Open the Devices tab.
Then choose display from the list that appears.
At the top, check the “Use my settings for this display“. This will apply your chosen settings to the display you want.
Then click on the Add button at the bottom left.

When the “Associate Color Profile” page appears, click the Browse button and add the new color Profile.

Next double-click on the file with the .icm extension to install the new profile.
And finally click the Close button.

After completing the steps above, you may need to repeat steps 9 through 13 to set a custom color profile for other monitors connected to the system (if any). Also note that when setting custom color profiles, you should use the values recommended by your trusted screen or source.

Change Screen Refresh rate

Normally the refresh rate (in frames per second) of 59Hz or 60Hz is sufficient to operate a computer. In spite of that, if you notice the screen flicker or have monitors that support a higher refresh rate, you can manually adjust the refresh rate to get a clearer, higher quality visual experience (especially for gamers).

If you want to manually change the refresh rate of the monitor, follow these steps:

Go to the settings.
Go to System.
Click on the Display.
Then go to the “Advanced display settings” option.

Next, go to the “display adapter properties” Select the display you want to change the refresh rate and then click .

Go to the Monitor tab.
Below the “Monitor Settings” section, use the drop-down menu to set your desired refresh rate.

When you are done with the steps above, you may need to repeat steps 5, 6 and 7 to change the refresh rate of the other monitors.

How to display the taskbar on multiple screens in Windows 10

When you setup dual or multiple monitors on one Windows 10 system, the taskbar by default only appears on the main screen. However, you can change the settings for the taskbar display on all displays using the following steps:

Go to the settings.
Then go to Personalization.
Open Taskbar menu.
Below the “Multiple display” section, turn on “Show taskbar on all displays”. This will show the taskbar on all screens connected to the system.

If you are done with the steps above, then you may want to specify which display icons for the application to run in the taskbar, use the “Show taskbar button on” the drop-down menu and select one of the options:

All taskbars:
Main taskbar and taskbar where window is open:
Taskbar where window is open:

Additionally, you can also use this guide to optimize the space in the taskbar to pin more apps or keep the number of apps in the taskbar at a minimum.

How to change the background of multiple displays in Windows 10?

If you are using Windows 10 then it offers you many settings for adjusting the look and feel of the desktop. But when you are using dual or multiple monitors on one Windows 10 system, setting different background images on each screen is one of the most important settings you can setup to personalize your experience.

Follow the steps below to display different wallpapers when using multiple monitors using the slide show:

Go to Windows Settings.
Then go to Personalization.
Go to Background menu.
In the “Background” drop-down menu select Slideshow.

Using the Browse button on this page select the set of images you want to display on the monitors from the available folders.
Then click the Select this folder button after selecting the desired folder.
Specify the time frame for changing the images in the folder via the “Change picture every” drop-down menu.
Then you need to turn on the Shuffle option (this will change the images in the folder during the time you set).
You may use images of different sizes then select the Fill a drop-down menu from the Choose a fit menu. (Optional)

After completing the above steps, the background images of the monitors will change depending on the time frame you have selected.

Personalize each monitor with a different background

If you want to set a different background image for each monitor, follow these steps:

Go to the settings.
Then go to Personalization.
Next go to the Background menu.
Select Picture option using the “Background” drop-down menu.

this picture shows how to setup dual monitors on windows 10

Click on the Browse button.
Select the wanted wallpaper and click the “Choose picture” option.
After that right-click on the image or wallpaper and select which monitor you want the wallpaper to be displayed on.

the picture shows the process of how to setup dual monitors in windows 10

If you are using multiple monitors repeat steps 5, 6 and 7 to adjust the background image for other monitors.

When you are done with steps above, each monitor will display its own wallpaper.

Conclusion

Along with the instructions mentioned in this article of MAZHD, there are a few additional points to keep in mind when you setup your Windows 10 computer with dual or multiple monitors:

If the system you are using is not a laptop, you should not try to adjust the brightness or color using the software. Instead, you should use controls built into the monitor.
If the second monitor is not detected by Windows 10, first check its connections carefully and then use the Detect button in the Settings program to detect Windows Monitor.
When using dual or multiple monitors, you may encounter a black screen, which is usually a problem with the video driver. Update your graphics card driver to fix this problem.

If you still have trouble to configure or to setup dual or multiple monitors in Windows 10? You can comment in the comments section.