There are several ways you can move your full screen game to the second monitor. The process depends on the nature of the game, the monitor settings and the graphics drivers installed in the computer.
In this article we will talk about how to move full screen game to second monitor.
These methods include use of simple settings or software tools to automate the task.
Once you achieve making your second monitor the primary monitor, you can then change the game settings so that it can adapt to the monitor settings.
Moving fullscreen games across monitors varies depending on different systems and one of the three options below may be the best solution for your system.
Let’s first talk about how to move full screen game to second monitor using the projector mode.
This trick is not known to many computer users but it works very well. It is the easiest process as follows:
First, ensure that your game is not playing and then switch the computer to Projector Only mode by pressing the Windows key+P and selecting the projector only mode.
The process will make the computer appear as if it receives signal from only one monitor – which is the second monitor. Unfortunately, in this case, the first monitor will not display any output from the computer.
However, the fullscreen game will play on the second monitor just normally.
You can now launch the game, and as soon as it gets launched, switch the projector mode off. The game will then continue displaying on the second monitor.
Option Two:
Set the Second Monitor as Primary Monitor
The second method on how to move full screen game to second monitor is also straightforward.
Since by default, the first monitor is the primary monitor, you need to change the settings and make the second monitor your primary monitor. Follow these steps to set the second monitor your primary monitor:
On Windows 10 follow these steps to move full screen game to second monitor.
- 1Connect the second monitor to your computer.
- 2Within your desktop, lay the mouse on an empty area and right click and then select the screen resolution on the pop up menu.
- 3Alternatively, the screen resolution can be found by searching it at the control panel.
- 4Once you are at the screen resolutions, choose the desired display and select the checkbox with a label “make this my main display’. The checkbox will only appear when you have selected the display. Ensure that you differentiate your first monitor from the second monitor.
The steps above works on later versions of windows operating systems. If your windows version is the earlier version, follow the steps below to make the second monitor your primary monitor.
- 1Go to start menu and click control panel.
- 2Choose category view and select either display or appearance and themes depending on the item provided.
- 3Select the settings tab.
- 4Choose the monitor that contains a large 2 and then click the checkbox with a label ‘make this my primary monitor. By clicking the square monitor with large 2, you are choosing the second monitor. Apply the settings by clicking the ‘apply’ button. This will then display all the items that are on the first window the the second monitor.
- 5Sometimes you may find that the checkbox is already checked and the second monitor is detected yet it's not displaying the game, hence you need to choose a different square (with a large 1).
As for the earlier versions of Windows that use ATI cards, follow the steps below to make the second monitor your primary monitor.
Having logged on to the Windows, click on start menu, then control panel. At the control panel, choose category view and select either ‘Display’ or ‘Appearance and themes’.
- 1Click the settings tab.
- 2Select ‘Advanced
- 3Select ‘ATI Displays’ if it is available. If you can not find it, you need to update your computer graphics drivers.
- 4Switch the computer that you need to make them your primary display then click apply to save the settings.
Change Your Game Settings
Having made your second monitor your preferred monitor, you can now change the game settings to run as either allow full screen or borderless windowed.
While some games do not have such settings, some games allow you to choose the mode that you want to play.
Windows recommends that you first set your preferred primary monitor before you can switch the display of game application-switching monitors does not work automatically.
Option Three:
Use Software Tools
Finally, let talk about how to move full screen game to second monitor using 3rd party software.
There are several tools online that you can use to automate the process of moving fullscreen game to second computer.
These tools help you to switch the HDMI audio and the primary display to help you launch fullscreen games on secondary monitors.
Besides, the tools may help you to set display settings for monitors, prevent hibernation, sleep or screensavers, and even display the game on a TV screen.
While some of them are open source, some are paid applications. An advantage of such tools is that it makes the process simple and gives you the ability to manage all things under one window.
The settings made using such tools may be reverted on completion of the game, depending on the nature of the tool. To get these software, you can download them from the internet or manufacturers’ websites.
If you do not find a software tool that is compatible with your operating system, you can then consider the above two options.
The display of fullscreen games on a second monitor may also be affected by the graphics card installed on the computer. Ensure that your graphics card is up to date and that it is compatible with the game settings.
Conclusion
Here we looked at a few ways on how to move full screen game to second monitor.
The best way to move the fullscreen game to the second monitor is to consider the second option, where you make your second monitor to be your primary monitor by default and then changing the game settings.
This is built-in for every computer device and it works very fine for most users.
Ensure that you have good graphics card and that your video drivers are updated if you want to maintain the performance of your gaming laptop when working with the second screen.
Andrew White is the founder of TechGearoid, a leading technology review & information website that is designed to help consumers make better decisions when it comes to their IT purchases. As a specialist tech writer (nerd) with over 10 years of experience, he enjoys writing about everything there is to do with modern technology & the newest market innovations. When he isn’t providing value for his readers, he’s usually drinking coffee or at the beach. Andrew lives in Sydney, Australia with his wife and family.