Can I set Windows default second-monitor behaviour to "Extend these displays"?

I travel to multiple offices (and multiple desks in those offices), and whenever possible I plug an external monitor into my laptop. Whenever I plug in a monitor I haven't used before, Windows defaults to "Duplicate these displays" - which messes up the arrangement of icons on my desktop if the external monitor is a different shape from my laptop's monitor. I then select "Extend these displays", and my laptop screen returns to its original shape - but my icons don't go back to their original arrangement. Grrrrr. Fast-forward a few days or weeks; I've got my icons arranged so I can find stuff again - then I go to a new office and it starts all over again. I'm tired of this.

Is it possible to make "Extend these displays" the default behavior?

I'm using Windows 8 x64 Home Premium, but I had the same complaint under Windows 7 x64 Ultimate. (Prior to that, I hadn't discovered the joy of dual displays. Ah, the time I wasted...)

MT_Head

Posted 2013-03-06T20:56:06.243

Reputation: 864

Facing the same irritation. Wondering if any solution has been found meanwhile? Using windows 8.1 Enterprise. – Venkat – 2015-07-23T07:37:05.450

@Venkat - No solution that I'm aware of. Fortunately I've already used monitors at most of my clients, so I don't run into this very often anymore... but I dread the next time I get a new laptop and have to start all over. – MT_Head – 2015-07-23T07:46:48.760

check out a program called display fusion, its not terribly expensive, and it takes the hassle out of secondary displays. – MDT Guy – 2013-12-17T17:28:55.880

Answers

Also looking for a permanent configuration setting... In the meantime I'm using Iconoid (free) - it lets you save the icon positions for different screen resolutions, and you can set it to automatically restore positions when a screen is plugged in (new resolution is set)

Andrew

Posted 2013-03-06T20:56:06.243

Reputation: 46

Thanks for the tip - I'm on Windows 10 now and this is STILL driving me nuts. I'll give Iconoid a try; in addition to the external-monitor thing, Windows 10 occasionally likes to spontaneously re-arrange my icons after a reboot. (Well, ALL versions of Windows have done this once in a while, but 10 has been doing it a LOT - more than any version I've used since Me.) If Iconoid can stop this, it will be a lifesaver. – MT_Head – 2016-02-17T20:10:49.927

Thought I'd come back and report: Iconoid has done the trick! I just need to remember to run it and do a backup on a semi-regular basis. – MT_Head – 2018-03-22T02:12:57.433

With no second-monitor attached, open the charms bar and click Devices, then Second Screen, then Extend.

I've been having the same problem as you, and this seems to change the behavior for the next time you connect another monitor. I can't tell whether or not this changes the default behavior forever and for any non-specific second-monitor, but it seems to prevent the resolution on my laptop's screen from changing. I'd suggest routinely checking that before you attach any other monitor.

Sam Kramer

Posted 2013-03-06T20:56:06.243

Reputation: 29

Hmmm... I'll try that. I'm in standalone mode at the moment, so we'll see. If it doesn't work, the agonized scream of "Saaaaaaaaaaaam!!!!" you hear will be me. ;) – MT_Head – 2013-05-13T18:07:37.307

I still haven't had a chance to try it with a previously-unknown monitor, but I can tell you: I don't want to do this all the time. Windows pretended that I was still connected to the last monitor I'd been plugged in to - so my mouse kept drifting off the right side of the screen into emptiness. Drove me NUTS, so I turned it off again. The next time I'm just about to plug in an unknown monitor, I'll try turning it on again temporarily and see if it preserves my icon layout... – MT_Head – 2013-05-15T21:06:56.150

Update: it didn't work. Saaaaaaaaaaaaam!!! – MT_Head – 2013-10-07T23:30:08.320

Well, you can try this trick. Create a text file in notepad and name it, lets say "ExtendScreen.reg. Then open it in notepad and right the following:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
"ExtendScreen"="\"C:\\Windows\\System32\\DisplaySwitch.exe\" /extend"

Then save it. Of course if windows is in other driver than C: then you have to change it. Or you can use the following value instead of the previous one:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
"ExtendScreen"=hex(2):25,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,44,00,69,00,72,00,25,00,5c,00,53,\
      00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,44,00,69,00,73,00,70,00,\
      6c,00,61,00,79,00,53,00,77,00,69,00,74,00,63,00,68,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,\
  00,20,00,2f,00,65,00,78,00,74,00,65,00,6e,00,64,00,00,00

This is basically the same value but it's using Expandable String value instead of String value. The value is:

%WinDir%\System32\DisplaySwitch.exe\ /extend

This will be resolved every time windows boots up. This should force Windows 7/8/8.1/10 to select always Extend Desktop. All you have to do after saving that text file is to double click on it, or select it then hit Enter key. Windows will ask your permission to merge it with Windows Registry, just click on "Yes" button, then click "Ok".

Akram Alhinnawi

Posted 2013-03-06T20:56:06.243

Reputation: 19

You are making it too complecated. It would be enough to run "C:\Windows\System32\DisplaySwitch.exe /extend" inside a batch file and put it into the startup folder – Mehrdad Mirreza – 2020-01-31T05:52:44.457

To extend by default put this line a batch file inside Startup folder:

"C:\Windows\System32\DisplaySwitch.exe" /extend

And to clone by default this:

"C:\Windows\System32\DisplaySwitch.exe" /clone

Mehrdad Mirreza

Posted 2013-03-06T20:56:06.243

Reputation: 156

-1

You need to configure the Hardware Profiles, see my link below to TechNet it’ll describe how to do it.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308577

By the way, the layout of the options may be different for NT 6.2...

Ben Lavender

Posted 2013-03-06T20:56:06.243

Reputation: 550

This is a dead link! – Mehrdad Mirreza – 2020-01-31T05:54:14.617

Rather that down vote ancient posts why don't you read up on things yourself instead? Obviously Microsoft have been removing old posts related to un-supported software i.e WinXP... – Ben Lavender – 2020-02-09T15:39:32.833

That article is for XP; I don't find an equivalent for Windows 8 (or 7, for that matter). Is there an equivalent in newer versions? Searching TechNet doesn't give anything useful: http://search.microsoft.com/en-us/supportresults.aspx?form=mssupport&q=hardware%20profiles%20in%20windows%208

– MT_Head – 2013-03-18T21:00:32.890

Also, I'm not at all sure that Hardware Profiles would solve my problem anyway. I want to change Windows' default behavior before I plug another external monitor. Looking through that article, I don't see a way to do that even if Hardware Profiles exist in Windows 8. – MT_Head – 2013-03-18T21:44:05.147

Yes I believe Hardware Profs are an NT5.1/2 thing :( – Ben Lavender – 2013-03-18T22:35:15.520