How to change default display for programs

Question

How to change default display for programs

Anonymous

I have 2 monitors.

1- 34 inch 2K resolution

2- 34 inch 4K resolution

I want the first one to be my primary monitor with desktop icons and taskbar. I want to run my games fullscreen on the second one.

Games always open on my primary monitor, which I don’t want. If I make them windowed and carry them over, they don’t have 4K resolution in the settings because they weren’t natively opened on that display. Even if they did it would be a terrible user experience every time moving game windows around. The only way to run games in my second monitor is to make it primary. I don’t want to do that.

I feel like this must be a very basic ask but can not find a solution anywhere. Do we not have control over which display our software prioritize?

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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3 answers

Answer 1

There’s no native setting in Windows that lets you dictate which monitor a program must open on—programs tend to default to the primary display unless they have their own built-in options to select a display. But you might be able to force it using macros, scripts, or third-party tools.

Here are some approaches worth exploring:

AutoHotkey is a powerful scripting tool that can automate tasks. You could use a script to move the window to your second monitor automatically when it opens. Something like this: SetTitleMatchMode, 2 Loop {
```
  IfWinExist, GameWindowTitle 

  { 

      WinMove, GameWindowTitle, , 3840, 0 

      break 

  } 

  Sleep, 500 
```
} Replace GameWindowTitle with your actual game window title and 3840, 0 with the correct coordinates for your second monitor.
Some games allow you to specify a launch screen via their settings or command-line arguments. Check if your game supports a launch option like -monitor 2 or similar when executed through a shortcut.
Some GPUs allow you to specify which display a full-screen application should use. Check if your NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Radeon Software has options to enforce display preferences.

Answer 2

Anonymous

So, you are saying there are no settings or run options to force a program to use a chosen display.

Can it be solved via macros or anything?

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Answer 3

Hello,

Thanks for posting to the Microsoft Community!

According to the description, you want to change the default display for programs on Windows 11. In order to do so, follow these steps:

Right-click on the desktop and select "Display settings."
In the Display settings window, you will see both of your monitors listed. Identify which monitor you want to set as your primary monitor (34 inch 2K resolution).
Drag and drop the monitor you want to set as the primary monitor to the left side of the other monitor in the diagram at the top of the Display settings window.
Check the box that says "Make this my main display" under the monitor you want to set as the primary monitor.
Click on "Apply" to save the changes.

By setting your desired monitor as the primary display, your desktop icons and taskbar will appear on that monitor. You can then run your games Fullscreen on the second monitor (34-inch 4K resolution) without them opening on the primary monitor.

Unfortunately, Windows does not have a built-in feature to control which display specific software prioritizes. The primary monitor is typically where most programs will open by default. If you want a specific program to open on the second monitor, you may need to manually move the program window to that monitor each time you launch it.

When everything is resolved, feel free to mark this thread as answer and helpful. Otherwise, please let me know if there's anything else I can help you with.

Best Regards, Van Johnson | Microsoft Community Moderator

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How to change default display for programs

3 answers