Windows 8: List All Modes in Advanced Display Settings in Control Panel displays incomplete list of modes when in Duplicate mode

This article provides a solution to an issue where the list of available modes is different than the list displayed in Windows 7 when you use multiple displays in "Duplicate" mode in Windows 8.

Applies to:   Windows 8
Original KB number:   2813712

Symptoms

Consider the following scenario:

The operating system is Windows 8 and you are using multiple displays in "Duplicate" mode. When selecting Advanced Settings in the Screen Resolution Control Panel and then selecting the List All Modes button on the Adapter tab of the monitor and display driver dialog box, the list of available modes is different than the list that is displayed in Windows 7.

Cause

This behavior is by design. The list of display modes available when "Duplicate" mode is selected on a Windows 8 client is based upon the selected primary monitor at the time of selecting Duplicate mode. In Windows 7, all display modes are displayed regardless of the primary monitor selection.

Resolution

If the desired display mode is not available in "Duplicate" mode, select a different monitor as the primary monitor prior to selecting "Duplicate" display mode.