Most useful settings and programs for working or playing with dual monitors on Windows so you use all the space on two screens
With dual monitors we can work or play much betterespecially if we have a latest generation PC or Mac: we will have more space to open more programs, we can play on one monitor and keep the game chat and settings on the other and manage a virtual machine without having to change apps every time first floor.In the following guide we will show you how to work and play effectively with two monitors connected to your PC or Macusing for this purpose the settings that Windows and macOS provide as standard for this type of configuration and showing you which apps we can use to optimize the dual screen setup.
READ ALSO: Connect two monitors to your PC and setup screens
1) Windows dual screen settings
By connecting the two monitors to the PC with Windows 11 and Windows 10 operating systems, we can work and play on both without having to install any programs.
After connecting the monitors (via cables HDMI e DisplayPort) turn on the PC, press WIN+P on the keyboard and choose the best configuration for the dual screen:
- duplicate: to duplicate the contents of the first screen on the second monitor;
- extended: to extend the desktop of the first monitor to the second.
The best setup for gaming and for work is definitely extendedwhich effectively makes the two monitors independent of each other, with the ability to move the window, app and mouse pointer between the two.
To configure the second monitor, right click on its desktop, press on Desktop settings and choose the best settings for the type of activity to be carried out: in fact, we can move the second monitor to any point around the first (this will also change the access side of the mouse), choose whether or not to show the application bar on the second monitor, change the brightness, change the resolution and the magnification, so as to adapt it to the settings of the first screen.
To learn more we can read our guides on how to use TV as a secondary screen come on how to manage dual monitors on PC with extended desktop.
2) Mac dual screen settings
Macs and MacBooks also support dual screens: in this case we can both use the HDMI/DisplayPort ports that may be present on the Mac and the ports USB-C Thunderbolt 3which can work as video cables on compatible monitors or via cavi USB-C/HDMI o cavi USB-C/DisplayPort.
After connecting the additional monitor we can configure the dual screen by pressing on the top left of the menu Appleby clicking on System Settings and opening the menu Screens. In the new menu we click on the name of the screen, we press on the pop-up menu Use as and press on Extended screen.
If the Mac does not detect the connected screen let’s go to the path Apple -> System Settings -> Screenswe hold the key Option (Option) and press on Detect screens on the right as soon as the button to add the new screen appears.
3) Programs to manage the dual screen
In addition to the procedures built into operating systems we can use a screen management appespecially if we have to connect more than two screens (triple or quadruple monitor configuration).
1) MultiWall is a program to download and view wallpapers for dual monitors. The program automatically stretches background images across multiple screens.
2) John Background Switcher and the best program to change desktop background automatically which also supports dual monitors.
3) Dual Monitor Taskbar it is essential to manage dual monitors because it extends the Windows taskbar on both. Each screen then shows the taskbar and quick launch buttons which otherwise disappear on the second.
4) Display Fusion to have the desktop extended on two monitors with application bar and background is one of the best programs to manage two screens on Windows PC.
5) Swap Screen allows you to move an active window to various locations, on different screens, using keyboard shortcuts. The buttons are customizable and you can thus better organize the view of many windows together. Swap Screen also allows you to maximize a single window to the full space of a multiple screen. This program is part of a dual monitor tools package.
6) On the same previous site we can also find Dual Wallpaper to set two different wallpapers on each monitor e Dismon which instead blocks the passage of the mouse from one monitor to another (when, for example, playing a video game).
7) MultiMonitorTool is a powerful program for game lovers, which extends the gaming space across all monitors. If you open a 3D car racing game or a flight simulator, you can play with 3 screens and immerse yourself in the track or sky in a more realistic way.
8) Dual Display Mouse Manager freeze mouse movement on a screen. It is therefore possible to work on a monitor without the mouse going to scroll on the other and then moving it to the other side quickly by pressing the CTRL key or by holding the cursor for a few more milliseconds on the edge. It also has the option to jump from one screen to another via a customizable key shortcut, with which the cursor is teleported to the exact same position between different screens (useful if you are working on two windows of the same program.
7) GridMove cuts the screen into pre-set or custom grids so that you can move windows to any region of any screen with a hotkey. GridMove is one of programs to align Windows windows on a grid by moving them quickly.
8) WinSplit Revolution offers a different, perhaps even better solution than the GridMove grid, for divide the desktop space with many open windows. The large desktop space that is obtained with the dual monitor can thus be divided into various separate parts, so that each window can be opened without overlapping, always being able to move them with quick key combinations.
9) To have a single background, enlarged on both monitors, you can go to Wallpaperfusionone of the sites to download high definition desktop wallpapers hd.
10) MultiMon Taskbar adds taskbars to extended monitors in windows. Each monitor’s taskbar shows only the apps open on that monitor.
Conclusions
For those who work or play professionally (broadcasting live on Twitch or YouTube) the Dual screen setup is criticalso as to manage the main applications on the larger monitor or with more functions and leave the second monitor for managing the map, chat or secondary programs that we use during the live stream (for example using Note Studio).
On the same topic we can read our articles on how Use laptop or tablet as a second PC monitor e How to choose a great gaming or work monitor.