Win10 pro 20H2 taskbar switched to second monitor when starting up

Question

I use a dual monitor system with my LG Nano TV connected via HDMI as a second monitor and My Dell Vostro 5940 as my primary monitor. I have the laptop set as my primary monitor and the LG as 2nd monitor in settings. I have it also set to only show on the primary monitor. Every time when I start up my laptop the taskbar switches from the laptop to the 2nd monitor even when that monitor is switched off. Settings still shows the laptop as monitor 1 and the LG as monitor 2, so it is not swapping the monitors as such, but the taskbar is moved to monitor 2. The only way to fix it is by going into settings and duplicating the monitors and then extending them again. IF I set it to show on both monitors then the WIFI/Sound Icon etc all move to the second monitor. This does not happen if I reboot the laptop, only when starting it up for the first time.

The laptop is a dell vostro 5940 i5 10th gen with 16gb ram running windows 10 pro 20H2

Answer 1

Hello @DR B

Typically, choosing your default monitor will move the task bar, but not always. This can happen if you have previously moved the task bar.

If you select a default monitor and your task bar doesn't move to the new default display, you can simply move your Windows taskbar by dragging back.
Just make sure your Windows taskbar isn't locked, then just grab and drag it to whatever monitor you want it to be on

or refer to this resolution:
The taskbar appears on the wrong monitor after you change the primary monitor in Windows 7

Best Regards
Karlie

----------

If the Answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and upvote it.
Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Answer 2

Hi, the problem is not the taskbar, the problem is the system tray moves to the 2nd monitor if I have the taskbar on both monitors, or the whole taskbar switches to the 2nd monitor if I only have it set for my primary monitor which is the laptop screen., This only occurs when I switch the laptop on for the first time. when I reset the taskbar by duplicating and extending the monitors it stays put on subsequent reboots. But as soon as the laptop is turned off when restarted it goes back to the 2nd monitor, but the laptop remains as the primary monitor in settings.