A 3rd dispaly shows up in system/display that no longer exists. Why?

Question

I have a long time issues, After windows updates and a reboot, a 3rd display shows up in system/display. This display existed a LONG time ago but no longer exists but still shows up. Why?

Answer 1

Hello there! I'm glad to help you today!

It's most likely that you have a cached monitor instance.

Please press Win + X - Device Manager

In the menu bar: View - Show hidden devices

-Expand Monitors

Now you’ll typically see:

2 normal monitors

1 faded / greyed monitor is the ghost monitor.

Right-click the greyed one - Uninstall device.

Then, please reboot.

If you're still having issues, I would suggest doing a clean install (not update, or reinstall) your GPU drivers. may I ask what is your computer's GPU? Nvidia, AMD, or intel?

-Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc

-Click Performance

-Select GPU

Your GPU name is shown at the top.

Answer 2

In device mgmt., it shows 3 displays, 2 of the displays have the same description/details, so HOW do I know which one is the ghost?

Answer 3

The issue of a non-existent third display showing up in the system display settings can occur due to several reasons, particularly after Windows updates and reboots. One common cause is that the display driver may still have remnants of the old configuration, which can lead to Windows recognizing a display that is no longer connected. This can happen if the driver enumerates the display incorrectly or if the system fails to refresh the display settings properly after a reboot.

Additionally, if you have previously used USB-attached monitors or display adapters, they may also contribute to this issue, as the system might retain configurations for devices that are no longer connected.

To resolve this, you can try the following steps:

1. Disconnect any external displays and restart your computer.
2. Check the display settings again to see if the phantom display still appears.
3. Update or reinstall your graphics drivers to ensure that they are functioning correctly and do not have outdated configurations.
4. If the issue persists, you may need to use device management tools to remove any ghost devices from the display settings.