How to change the 'Display Identity Number' of my 'Main Display' to 1 and therefore make it to the "Internal Display" of my setup?

Question

I have 3 monitors connected to my Win11 Lenovo Tiny PC one via HDMI which is 'My Main Display' and therefore should be the 'Internal Display' of my setup (positioned left) and 2 monitors via the 2 Display Ports (middle and right).

After plugging them all in and booting the PC for the first time, Win11 gave the right display "Display Identity Number" 1
(D.I.N. 1), making it the "Internal Display" of my setup. The middle one got D.I.N. 2 and 'My Main Display' on the left got D.I.N. 3.

I know that I can make any display in my setup THE "Main Display" by going to Settings > System > Display, but this does not solve the problem because the display with D.I.N. 1 is still the "Internal Display".

You might ask, why does this matter to me?

To quickly switch between display configurations, I created a batch with the onboard displayswitch.exe. As far as I know there are only 4 parameters to choose from:

/internal = switch to computer (internal) display only

/clone = switch to duplicate display

/extend = switch to extend display

/external = switch to external display only

Now you should see my problem:

Switching to /internal gives me the wrong display, which is no longer connected to the system when I switch to that mode.

Switching to /external gives me half of what I want. It still leaves me with windows popping up on the middle display that is no longer connected, so the windows are in the "not on display zone" which is uncool.

(Yes, I know how to make them appear in the "viewable display zone", but that does not address the cause of the problem, that just treats the symtoms).

Only switching to /extend works as intended.

So how do I change the D.I.N of "My Main Display" from 3 to 1?

Or in other words

How do I tell Win 11 that display with D.I.N. 3 is the 'Internal Display'?

What I have already tried:

Powering up the computer with only "My Main Display" connected via HDMI, which gave me NO display at all.

Switching cables does not work because "My Main Display" does not have a display port and it will mess up my second setup (when the middle and right displays are connected to a different computer.) The second setup works perfectly by the way.

Any help or ideas?

Answer 1

I had the same Problem - or let's say Issue, isn't a real Problem.

But finally I got it:

plugged out my second old Monitor (D.I.N 1) and opened Device Manager go to "view" -> show hidden devices.

-> expanded Monitors, and deinstalled ALL Monitors.

after that, I plugged my primary Display to another Display Port and restarted the PC.

than I plugged in the secondary Monitor which was D.I.N. 1 and now became 2

while the primary Monitor was now Number 1

Answer 2

Unfortunately, it seems you can't directly change the Display Identity Number (DIN) in Windows 11. Here's the breakdown and some workarounds:

Why Windows Might Behave This Way

• Plug-and-Play: Windows often assigns DINs based on the order displays are detected, not necessarily their logical position or type of connection.
• Hardware/Driver Influence: Sometimes graphics drivers can impact how displays are recognized.

Workarounds

• Rearrange in Settings:
  • Go to Settings > System > Display.
  • Try physically rearranging the display icons to match your desired layout. This might force a DIN reassignment.
• Third-Party Tools (Caution):
  • Some third-party display management tools exist that claim to allow DIN modification. Use these with extreme caution, as they could cause system instability.
• Batch File Modification:
  • Since the issue is with /internal in your batch file, try these workarounds:
    • Experiment with /clone: See if cloning your intended internal display works as a temporary solution.
    • Target by Resolution: Instead of /internal, try scripting your batch file to target displays by their specific resolutions. This would make it less susceptible to DIN changes.

Additional Tips:

• Update Graphics Drivers: Ensure you have the latest graphics drivers. Outdated drivers can cause display configuration issues.
• Check for Monitor-Specific Settings: Some monitors might have built-in settings that influence how they're recognized by the OS.

Answer 3

Hello,

Thank you for posting in Q&A forum.

We suggest that you try the following methods to change the Display Identity Number (D.I.N) of your monitor:

Disconnect all monitors and only connect the monitor you want to set as the primary monitor (D.I.N. 3).

Start the computer and ensure that only the monitor is connected.

Go to Windows 11 Settings>System>Display.

In the display settings, you should be able to see only the connected display and set it as the primary display.

Turn off the computer and reconnect the other two monitors.

Restart the computer and check if the main display has been correctly changed.

This should change the D.I.N of the monitor you want to set as the primary display to 1.

Hope this answer can help you well.

Best regards，

Jill Zhou