How Do I Toggle Between Screens On My Computer? Want to add another monitor to your computer screen? You can do it with ease once you know the basic steps to take. The computer gives you access to add another monitor to your screen if you want to increase your productivity. In a situation where your primary display is small or you regularly run with multiple open browsers or applications, Windows note this.
Any time you want to add monitors to a computer, you have to take a couple of steps and also ensure that external cables are properly connected. Irrespective of the model you are running be it Windows or macOS, you have to go into system settings to configure how extra display devices function. However, depending on the configuration you opt for, you may need to know the shortcut for switching monitors in order to use the displays accurately.
How to Use Multiple Displays With Windows 10
If you are using Windows 10, it includes support for adding one or even more display devices to a laptop or tower computer. Once you are done connecting an additional monitor:
- Access Display Settings by pressing the right mouse button on the desktop.
- Alternatively, you can access Display Settings by choosing System in the Settings dialog
- Then select Display.
Additional display devices which are correctly connected are automatically detected and displayed in the Multiple Displays section. You can then change how the displays are arranged, which is on the left and which is on the right. Then you will have to specify which display is the primary display.
Also, the dialog has a pop-down menu where you choose the display mode which determines how the extra monitors display content. The Duplicate Desktop option displays the desktop on all displays, and the Extend option expands the desktop across all displays. The “Disconnect this Display” selection, on the other hand, disables one of the displays. The Extend option enables you to gain more screen real estate for multiple windows as well as applications. Making use of the Duplicate Desktop option in Windows 10 with multiple desktops on multiple monitors is useful when you connect a projector as an additional display device.
Windows Shortcut to Switch Monitors
The display mode for multiple screens can be easily changed from outside Settings using the Project keyboard shortcut, which is Windows Key +P. The Project panel extends from the side of the main display. From here, you can change the mode to Duplicate or Extend on the fly. An additional mode, Second Screen Only, closes a laptop’s display when another monitor gets added to use for display. It is possible to use the same shortcut in Windows 7, where a pop-up menu in the middle of the primary display contains options which includes Computer Only, Duplicate, Extend and Projector Only.
Setting Up Extra Displays for Macs
Just like Windows, Mac computers are able to accommodate additional display devices. Multiple display modes on the other hand control how extra screens are used. System Preferences under the Apple menu are where display locations are arranged. You can change the primary display as well as specify a display mode. There are two modes, which are Extended and Mirror, which are similar to the Windows Extend and Duplicate Display modes. In case you have an Apple TV device, you can mirror your Mac’s display on your television display or use the TV as a separate display.
Mac Keyboard Shortcut for Mirroring
If you have an extra display device connected to a Mac computer note this. You can make use of the Command key and the F1 function key in switching the monitor’s display mode. The shortcut accomplishes the same thing just as changing the Mirror Display toggle in the System Preferences dialog. As such, clicking the Command + F1 a second time will restore the display mode to its previous settings. Where the F1 key is not working as expected, you can check Keyboard under System Preferences. Any time the check box linked to whether F1, F2, and other function keys should be used as standard function keys is checked, the keyboard shortcut for toggling the mirroring display mode is Function + Command + F1.