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Games no longer work on primary monitor

Anonymous
2019-08-30T15:08:35+00:00

Hello

I am having an issue where it appears that the I cannot run ANY game on my primary monitor anymore natively.

If I run a game at 1920x1080 or lower resolution, it displays on my secondary monitor which natively runs at x1080. My primary is at 3840x2160. No matter how many times I select 'display 1' in whatever game or program I am using, it still uses the secondary monitor for some reason.

The only workarounds I have found are upping the display resolution or running the game in windowed mode (can't do fullscreen as it just defaults back to secondary monitor for no reason.)

Bonus issue: If I disable the display in Windows, or otherwise unplug it - any game I try to run afterwards doesn't work at all!

Is there any way to fix this issue so that I can get software to properly run on my primary monitor without changing the display resolution? This has really been bugging me and so far nothing has worked.

I am running Windows 10 Pro (64 bit) and have a NVIDIA 980 GTX.

Help?

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Devices and drivers

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous
2019-08-31T21:19:11+00:00

Hi DanDa

You are welcome and a cute cat by the way. :)

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  1. Anonymous
    2019-08-30T16:07:28+00:00

    Hi DanDa

    My name is Andre Da Costa; an Independent Consultant, Windows Insider MVP and Windows & Devices for IT MVP. I'm here to help you with your problem.

    Which version of Windows 10 is currently installed? See how to verify:

    https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wik...

    Press Windows key + X

    Click Device Manager

    Expand Monitors

    Right click the primary monitor

    Click uninstall

    Restart your computer then check if its working again properly again with the game in full screen mode.

    If not...

    First, try restarting your graphics driver:

    Press Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + B

    If that does not work...

    Press Windows key + X

    Click Device Manager

    Expand Display adapters

    Right click the current display adapter

    Click Properties

    Click Driver tab

    Click Rollback driver if the option is available

    If not

    Right click the current display adapter

    Click Uninstall

    Check the box that says, "Delete the driver software for this device.”

    Exit Device Manager

    Restart

    Go to Start -> Settings -> Update & security, then Check for updates and install any available updates.

    You might need to update the display driver from the manufacturer of your computers website.

    If you have an nVidia, AMD ATI video card or Intel HD graphics installed, you can download the latest drivers from their website.

    First, determine what type of graphics you have installed.

    Press Windows key + X

    Click Device Manager

    Expand Display adapters

    Once you have determined the graphics driver, go the vendors website and search for the driver in the download section:

    nVidia - http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx

    Some of these sites offer autodetect options.

    Information in the above link is sourced from a trusted Microsoft MVP Blog.

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  2. Anonymous
    2019-08-31T20:53:48+00:00

    Hi DanDa

    I just wanted to follow up with you regarding my recommendations.

    I noticed that you marked my answer as not helpful. It would be great in order for me to improve if you would provide any feedback as to why my answer was not helpful.

    Based on my previous experience answering questions in this forum, I try to provide a comprehensive answer that includes multiple options to fix a problem.

    In my experience, one or two options may not work, so I wanted provide you with the most common options available to fix your problem.

    I also asked for details regarding the make and models of your computer.

    Hello,

    I apologize for the late reply.

    It turns out that this issue's cause was a driver update, or at least that's the way it seems so far within a few days of usage!

    I want to thank you for your combined support and helpful efforts~

    Here is a cute cat that I hope makes your day! ![](https://learn-attachment.microsoft.com/api/attachments/546f7699-f292-42c1-af02-19a6f3b1773a?platform=QnA

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  3. Anonymous
    2019-08-31T04:31:24+00:00

    Hi DanDa

    I just wanted to follow up with you regarding my recommendations.

    I noticed that you marked my answer as not helpful. It would be great in order for me to improve if you would provide any feedback as to why my answer was not helpful.

    Based on my previous experience answering questions in this forum, I try to provide a comprehensive answer that includes multiple options to fix a problem.

    In my experience, one or two options may not work, so I wanted provide you with the most common options available to fix your problem.

    I also asked for details regarding the make and models of your computer.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments