Can Dual Monitors Have Different Resolutions?

Having dual monitors with different resolutions, your experience will be spoiled because one display will always look bizarre. This usually happens because Windows 10 selects the primary display resolution.

Can Dual Monitors have Different Resolutions? Yes, you can. Most people think that windows 10 doesn’t allow this option because it is not super easy or clear. You have to change a few settings to set up dual monitors with different resolutions.

Multiple monitors will give you extra space if you are working or playing video games. These days, setting up a dual monitor is super easy to do. Once everything is set up, there are more things you can do. In this article, I’ll solve this problem.

Before configuring dual monitors on your device, make sure that all the essential cables are linked to the monitors and the computer. That includes Display Port Cables, HDMI, DVI and VGA connectors.

If you’re not sure, first confirm the model of the monitor and search online for the manufacturer’s manual to get an idea of how to connect the display.

How to Configure Dual Monitors With Different Resolutions?

You can configure dual monitors with different resolutions for each monitor. Here are the methods below.

  1. First, go the Settings (Shortcut: windows + I)
  2. Click on the System
  3. Click on Display

In this display window, Here you will see a preview of dual monitors. Numbered as 1 and 2, as shown in the following picture.

For example, If you want to change the second monitor resolution, select a second numbered monitor in the Rearrange your Display section, as shown in the following picture.

Tip:  When rearranging monitors on the ‘display’ section, ensure that all monitors align at the top perfectly. Otherwise, you’ll face some problems, like moving the mouse cursor between monitors from the corners.

Then, scroll down to the Scale and layout Section.

  1. Click on the Display resolution.

Here you can change the resolution of the display. 

Note: you can use the preview pane to drag and rearrange displays to match their actual physical alignment.

  1. Click on Apply

Once you completed every steps, Windows 10 will save the physical layout. Then you will be able to work on each display and run apps without having any issues.

If one of the monitors isn’t showing up, make sure that it’s receiving power and connected to all necessary cables perfectly, and click the detect button. In that case, if you’re still having this problem, reset their connections or restart your computer. Again you can try the detect button.

How To Set The Primary and Secondary Monitor?

Setting up primary and secondary is super easy to do; you don’t have to be a pro for this. Here are the methods below.

  1. Open Settings(Shortcut: windows + I)
  2. Click on the System
  3. Click on Display

At the top of the resulting dialogue box, your available monitor appears as a blue or grey numbered box; Each box represents a monitor. 

Tip: box ‘1’ assemble with the left monitor and box ‘2’ assemble with the right monitor.

  1.  From Display, select the monitor you want to be your primary monitor

Scroll down to the ‘Multiple Displays’ section 

  1. Tick the box that says, ‘Make this my main display’

The other monitor will be automatically converted to the secondary display

  1. Click Apply

How to Select the Correct Resolution?

Generally, after connecting a monitor, Windows 10 will set the automatically recommended pixel resolution. But you can change the resolution manually by following these steps.

  1. Open Settings (Shortcut: Windows + I)
  2. Click on the System
  3. Click on Display

Scroll down to the ‘Scale and layout’ section and use the Display resolution drop-down menu to change the resolution manually.

Tip: Use the recommended resolution to get the best performance.

Should Dual Monitors be at the same resolution?

No, but it’s better to have that. Because when you want to move one tab from one monitor to another with a different resolution, you might have to face some problems like colours and scaling problems.

Would Having a Dual Monitor Setup with different sizes and resolution be fine?

It’ll work. In a two-monitor setup, there is no requirement for them to be the same size or the same resolution. However, there are some incompletenesses. When the cursor moves from a bigger monitor to a smaller one, sometimes you’ll hit the edge of the larger screen where there is no second monitor to move and then the mouse will stop.

Final words

I hope you understand how to set up different resolutions for dual monitors. It takes little effort to set multiple resolutions for multiple monitors. If you want to share any knowledge or any alternative method, let me know in the comment below.

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