Multi-Monitor Setup Guide for Windows

Connect each monitor to your PC using DisplayPort, HDMI or USB-C. If your GPU has fewer outputs than monitors, a DisplayPort MST hub or a Thunderbolt dock can add extra connections.

After connecting, Windows should automatically detect each display. If a monitor isn't detected, right-click the desktop, choose Display settings and click Detect.

• Use DisplayPort 1.4 or HDMI 2.0+ for 4K@60Hz or 1440p@144Hz
• USB-C / Thunderbolt monitors are fully supported
• Mixed connections (e.g. DP + HDMI) work fine

Open Settings → System → Display (or right-click desktop → Display settings). You'll see numbered rectangles representing your monitors. Drag them to match their physical positions on your desk — this determines how the mouse cursor moves between screens.

Set the correct resolution for each display using the Display resolution dropdown. Windows usually detects the native resolution automatically, but dual-monitor setups with mismatched refresh rates can sometimes default to a lower value.

Set one monitor as primary

Select the monitor you want as your main display, scroll down and tick Make this my main display. The taskbar and system tray will appear on this screen by default. Display EX saves which monitor is primary as part of each profile.

If you have a mix of screen sizes or resolutions — for example a 4K 27" alongside a 1080p 24" — Windows may set the same DPI scaling for both, which makes one screen look too small or too large.

In Display settings, click each monitor individually and set the Scale percentage independently. For 4K monitors at 27", 150% is usually ideal. For 1080p at 24", 100% works well.

Per-app DPI overrides

For any app that still looks blurry after setting the correct scale, open Display EX, go to DPI Overrides, add the app's executable and set the override mode. The app will relaunch with correct scaling applied.

Once your monitors are arranged and scaled the way you want, open Display EX from the system tray and click New Profile. Display EX will snapshot the current configuration — monitor positions, resolutions, refresh rates, HDR states and DPI settings — and save it under a name you choose.

What a profile saves

• Physical monitor arrangement and which is primary
• Resolution and refresh rate per display
• DPI / scaling value per display
• HDR enabled/disabled state per display
• Colour profile assignment per display
• Per-app DPI override list

Right-click the Display EX tray icon to see all saved profiles listed. Click any profile name to switch immediately — the monitor arrangement, scaling, refresh rates and HDR states all update in under a second.

Keyboard shortcuts

Assign a global hotkey to your most-used profiles: open Display EX → Settings → Hotkeys, select a profile and press the key combination you want. From then on, pressing that shortcut switches the profile instantly, even while a game is running fullscreen.

Common profile pairs

• Work: three monitors, 60 Hz, 150% DPI, HDR off
• Gaming: single primary at 240 Hz, HDR on, other monitors off
• Video / media: primary at 120 Hz, HDR on, low brightness on secondary
• Laptop only: single built-in display, 100% DPI

Display EX can automatically switch to a profile when a specific application launches, and restore your previous profile when it closes. This is ideal for games that need a different refresh rate or HDR setting.

To set this up: open Display EX → Profiles → select the profile you want to auto-activate → click Add trigger app → browse to or type the executable path. You can add multiple apps to a single profile.

For a deeper look at per-app profiles, see the per-app profiles explained page.

Monitor not detected after waking from sleep

This is a Windows driver issue. In Display EX, enable Re-apply profile on wake (Settings → General) — it re-sends the display configuration 2–3 seconds after the system wakes, which forces Windows to re-detect all monitors.

Wrong monitor order after reboot

Windows sometimes re-enumerates monitors in a different order after a reboot or driver update. Saving your layout as a named profile in Display EX and setting it to Apply on startup fixes this permanently.

Profile doesn't restore after sleep

Enable Re-apply profile on wake in Display EX settings. If the issue persists, check that your monitor's firmware is up to date — some older panels drop their EDID on resume, which confuses Windows.

Mixed DPI monitors: apps appear blurry

See the full fix blurry apps on 4K / HiDPI guide for per-app DPI override instructions.

Dual monitor setup in detail

For a simpler two-monitor walkthrough, see the dual monitor setup guide.