How to Set Up Dual Monitors in Windows 11

When you work from home, there’s nothing better than getting multiple monitors set up for productivity. Here’s everything that will help with setting up your workspace and making the most out of them in Windows 11!

Why Use Multiple Monitors?

The best reason to use multiple monitors is simple: more screen space. With an extra monitor, you can have several programs open simultaneously without constantly switching between windows using Alt+Tab or endless mouse clicks!

Moving your mouse between screens is an easy way to switch programs and interact with what you’re doing. If writing, then having all of these open for reference will be helpful when scrolling through slides or creating reports; whether it’s time-consuming research into facts that need verification (like sources) or just trying out different ways in order to get inspiration – having them right there allows more creativity than being stuck on one single page!

You are the social media manager for your company. You can have Tweetdeck open on one display to monitor what’s happening on Twitter- Meanwhile, you’re working with a web browser and Microsoft Word simultaneously! As you work, your company’s analytics dashboard and Microsoft Word will be open on one side of the screen.

A report can easily be accessed from here with just a web browser for viewing purposes if needed!

As a writer, you might have the word processor in one half of your screen and notes on another. You could also be using a browser for research at any given time!

By opening all these programs at once, it will require that your computer has enough power to run them. However, most mid-range computers with an i5 processor or higher should be able to handle the workload without any problems though if you want to use video editing software alongside Photoshop then make sure your RAM isn’t too low because this could cause stalling on systems with less memory available.

The idea of using Windows Snap to divide your screen into quarters might sound a bit uncomfortable, but it’s an option if you want more space and don’t mind doing some compromise. You could also get one giant 4K monitor or even just go back in time by adding another computer monitor onto what is already there!

Getting Started With Multiple Monitors

The more monitors you have, the better your setup will be. But for this example, we’re using two but it works for three or even four displays! The number of screens really depends on what type of use case that someone has; however most people can get by with just 2-3 monitor sets at their disposal – unless they need extra space then there’s no harm in grabbing one more stand to stack them up high enough where everything lines up nicely sidewise.

Multiple monitor setups are quite easy to set up. All you need is an extra screen and the right connection cable for your computer! If it’s a laptop without a graphics card then use the HDMI port on the motherboard; if there’s one installed just plug in from here with no hassle at all – sometimes they’re even labeled “HDMI. If you have a graphics card, however, then the cable needs to use the card’s ports and not the motherboard’s.

With or without a graphics card, most people will be looking to use HDMI when they want an extra monitor. However, gamers can also opt for DisplayPort connection if the refresh rate is more important than cost savings on cables! Once you plug in your display windows should pause briefly while it figures out what’s going on before coming back alive within seconds with all of its displays working smoothly as expected – no problem here at least not yet.

If you have a PC with two or more monitors, then by default Windows may show them in mirror mode. This means that each screen displays exactly the same desktop and can be distracting if they are near one another but not actually touching! To fix this go into Settings via the Start menu shortcut key combination “Windows Key + I”.

First, make sure “System” is selected in the left-hand navigation pane (this is the default) and then click “Display” in the main window. When you’re running Windows 11, there will be a set of icons at the very top that display your current monitor configuration.

Want to change which monitor is your primary? Windows 11 lets you do just that by dragging and dropping the extra monitors around. If an icon has a number underneath it, then this will be its designation as 1 or 2 depending on where they’re placed in relation with each other – meaning if one goes left while another right (or vice versa), there are no more than two displays involved here so don’t worry too much about getting confused! If you aren’t sure which monitor is which, press the “Identify” button underneath the icons, and Windows 11 will show the numbers in the corresponding displays.

You’ll notice a drop-down menu below the monitor icons. Click on it and select from several options: Duplicate These Displays, Extend these displays, Show Only On 1, Show Only On 2, and so on.

The option we want is “Extend These Displays” so that both screens become one big desktop where you can have different programs displaying on each.

Next, click on the “Multiple Displays” tile. The settings here may not need to be changed unless you are using a laptop or Windows incorrectly assigned your primary monitor as something else (the one that’s in focus).

To make the external monitor your main display in a laptop set-up, highlight that screen and select “Make This My Main Display”.

If you see this option grayed out, then your display is already set as the primary one.

Multiple Monitors in Windows 10 Versus Windows 11

This is a good moment to talk about the differences between primary monitors and secondary monitors in Windows 11 versus its predecessor. In Windows 11, you can’t put the clock on both monitors. In contrast with its predecessor which allowed this feature in order to provide a comprehensive overview of all apps at once; as of right now (January 2022), you can mirror the taskbar on all monitors in order to see all the active apps at a glance, you can’t put the clock on both monitors in Windows 11 as you could in Windows 10.

That’s a little annoying, but it will be fixed soon. You should already have the update in your Windows 11 dev channel if you’re using that version of Microsoft’s operating system— With the release of Windows 10, it was not possible to keep both clocks in sync. The slow arrival isn’t surprising given this fact!

Scaling With Multiple Monitors

Scaling is an important setting to get right. For example, if you have a 24-inch 1080p monitor in your setup and want text or icons not to be too small for most people it will likely hurt their eyes after extended use which means scaling comes into play so these displays can maintain their native resolution while making everything bigger–this helps reduce eyestrain when working on computers all day long!

To make the monitor scale 125%, go back to Settings > System and select Display from where you will be able to find your device’s display settings. In this menu, click on ” Scale & Layout” under Scaling Options with a drop-down menu. Click it and select “125%,” to start.

See if that’s comfortable enough for you, if not increase it using the presets you see there. Windows also allow for custom scaling, by clicking on the “Scale” tile to open a new screen. Custom scaling, however, is not recommended as Microsoft warns it may make text and apps unreadable.

Adjusting Display Resolution and Refresh Rates

Windows 11 by default should automatically detect your monitor’s native resolution. If it doesn’t, go back to Settings > System > Display > Display Resolution and find the correct resolution in the drop-down menu.

If you have an expensive gaming monitor with a high refresh rate such as 75Hz, 144 Hz, or 164 hertz then there will be some adjustments needed too. By default Windows only recognizes and sets your monitors to operate at 60 Hz. To increase the refresh rate you need to go to Settings > System > Display > Related settings > Advanced display.

Your monitor might have a tile labeled “Choose your refresh rate,” and another drop-down menu. Clicking on this latter will show you all of the different refresh rates that are available for viewing comfortably on screen!

Most people will want to choose the maximum.

You may not see the maximum refresh rate you’re expecting. For example, if your 144Hz monitor only supports up to 75 Hz and it’s connected with HDMI instead of DisplayPort then there could be some issues related in terms on performance. Most high refresh rate monitors require a DisplayPort connection, not HDMI, to hit their full potential.

Using HDR With Multiple Monitors

HDR is a technology that can deliver a greater color range, brighter whites, and deeper blacks. If you have an HDR-compatible display then it’s worth turning on for the experience of what this new feature offers!

As before, click on the monitor you want to adjust using the icons at the top of Settings > System > Display, and then scroll down to the “Use HDR” tile, and then just click the slider to “On.”

There are many benefits to having multiple monitors, such as increased productivity and ergonomics. Once you’ve set up your displays correctly with the right settings for each monitor (which is rather easy), it will be like running three separate computers!

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