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How to change numbered order of monitors

Anonymous
2023-11-24T23:47:37+00:00

Hi all,

I've been trying to find a way to change the numbered order of my two monitors for an hour now and I can't find any solutions. To make things clear, I'm NOT looking to change the primary display - that's simple, easy, and I can do that. The problem is that my primary display is display 2, when I need it to be display 1 to avoid a variety of issues with screen recording and other bugginess in different programs, like games.

Every time I unplug and replug the monitors, it immediately picks the old, rubbish Dell monitor I'm using as a second screen to be monitor 1. I've tried removing the old configuration in regedit, I've tried rebooting with only my MSI (main) monitor plugged in, I've tried reordering the ports they're plugged into my graphics card, but nothing has worked.

Thanks!

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Devices and drivers

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-11-25T18:44:51+00:00

    Hi

    Welcome to Microsoft community.

    I understand how frustrating it can be when your monitors aren't ordered the way you want them to be. Unfortunately, as far as I know, the monitor number assignment in Windows is typically determined by the graphics card and its drivers, and Windows does not have an in-built option to change this.

    The monitor numbers don't necessarily correspond to which is treated as the primary monitor, but I understand that this can cause confusion and issues with certain software. Here are a few more things you can try:

    1. Graphics Control Panel: Check your Graphics Card's Control Panel (Nvidia Control Panel, AMD Radeon Settings, Intel Graphics Control Panel, etc.). Some graphics cards allow you to change the display order from their control panel.
    2. Try Different Ports: If you have not tried this yet, switch the connections on your graphics card. For example, if monitor 1 is connected to HDMI and monitor 2 is connected to DVI, switch them around.
    3. Monitor Software: Some monitor manufacturers provide their own software that allows for more detailed control over the display settings. Check if MSI provides such software for your monitor model.
    4. Windows Display Settings: Confirm that you've not only set the correct monitor as the primary display in the Windows display settings, but also rearranged the graphical representation of the monitors to match their physical arrangement.

    Please feel free to let me know if you have any further updates, thanks.

    Best regards

    Derrick Qian | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

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