How to use multiple monitors in Windows 10

After you’ve connected your Windows 10 PC to external displays, you can adjust the settings for each one.

Video: Connecting a monitor

Here’s a video on the basics of connecting to an external monitor.

Before you start

Before changing settings for your external displays, make sure everything is connected properly. Here’s what you can do:

Make sure your cables are properly connected to your PC or dock.

Check for Windows updates. To check for updates, select Start > Settings > Updates & Security > Windows Update > Check for updates.

Tip: If you’re using a wireless display adapter, connect to an HDMI port on newer TVs, then wirelessly connect your PC to it. After connecting your wireless display adapter to your TV, go to your Windows 10 PC and select Start > Settings > System > Display, then select Connect to a wireless display.

Rearrange your displays

You’ll see this option when Windows detects more than one display. Each display will be numbered to help you identify them more easily.

Identify a display

To see which number corresponds to a display, select Start > Settings > System > Display > Rearrange your displays, then select Identify. A number appears on the screen of the display it’s assigned to.

Detect a display

If you connected another display and it isn’t showing in Settings, select Start > Settings > System > Display > Rearrange your displays, then select Detect.

Arrange your displays

If you have multiple displays, you can change how they’re arranged. This is helpful if you want your displays to match how they’re set up in your home or office. In Display settings, select and drag the display to where you want. Do this with all the displays you want to move. When you’re happy with the layout, select Apply. Test your new layout by moving your mouse pointer across the different displays to make sure it works like you expect.

Change display options

After you’re connected to your external displays, you can change settings like your resolution, screen layout, and more. To see available options, select Start > Settings > System > Display.

Change orientation

Windows will recommend an orientation for your screen. To change it in Display settings, go to Scale and Layout, then choose your preferred Display orientation. If you change the orientation of a monitor, you’ll also need to physically rotate the screen. For example, you’d rotate your external display to use it in portrait instead of landscape.

Choose a display option

To change what shows on your displays, press Windows logo key + P. Here’s what you can choose.

See things on one display only.

See the same thing on all your displays.

See your desktop across multiple screens. When you have displays extended, you can move items between the two screens.

See everything on the second display only.

Second screen only

Related topics

Simply Windows on Youtube — These videos are only available in English

How to Install Windows 10/8/7 on Multiple Computers at The Same Time | System Deployment Solution

For ordinary computer users, it’s not a big deal to fresh install a Windows operating system, or update the present Windows into a new version. On the contrary, for business owners who have a batch of computers to handle, what’s the most efficient way to install Windows 10, for example, to multiple computers at the same time? Taking care of each machine, one by one is never the wise management method.

Besides, every time you install Windows OS on each PC, you’ll have to run to the computer’s location. It doesn’t sound like a time- and effort-saving efficient plan, either. So is there a way to remotely deploy Windows 10/8/7 system image to several nearby computers? Can you update all computers OS simultaneously? Don’t bother. To save time, energy, and money, you can rely on some professional system deployment tools.

Here in the following, you will learn how to set up, install, and configure Windows 10 operating system on new PCs, workstations, and servers with EaseUS system backup software and system deployment tool.

Part 1. Prepare for installing OS on several PCs at the same time

Before you start planting Windows 10/8/7 on side-by-side computers all at once, you must do three preparation jobs as below.

Step 1. Setup or gain a Microsoft DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server on your network;

Step 2.В Ensure that all computers which need to install or upgrade to new Windows OS are under the same LAN.

Step 3. Create a full system backup image with EaseUS Todo Backup and put the image on a network where you can access it from the master PC. (Detailed in Part 2)

Support Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP

Part 2. Create a system image for installing or upgrading OS on multiple PCs simultaneously

In order to deploy the system on several different computers at the same time, a highly recommended method and must-be access to solving such a problem are to create a system backup image. EaseUS Windows backup and recovery software allows you to create a backup system image with simple clicks. Remember to put the system image on a network place where other PCs and your master computer can access it.

Step 1. Run EaseUS Todo Backup and choose «OS» to backup the current operating system on your computer.

Step 2. On the «System Backup» window, there are several options for you to backup OS intelligently.

• Select a backup location — Click «Browse» to choose your own backup storage device.
• Add a plan name and description — it’s necessary when there are many similar backups in the same location.
• Schedule — Click «Schedule» and you can set an auto OS backup task by daily, weekly. or upon an event.
• Image-reserve strategy — manage your increasing OS backups in an organized way.
• Backup options — to create an OS backup without taking too much disk space, enable OS backup encryption, etc.

Step 3. Click «Proceed» after making all necessary settings.В

Support Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP

Part 3. Install Windows 10/8/7 on multiple computers at one time

So now it’s the last step, how can you deploy or install the Windows system into other PCs at one time? To realize the goal, you’ll need a specialized system deploy management tool. Here, we recommend you try EaseUS Deploy Manager, which allows you to place the Windows operating system on several computers with a few simple clicks. Follow the below steps to install Windows 10/8/7 on computers now.

Step 1. Deploy/Install OS (Windows 10/8/7) to multiple computers by creating computer/machine groups.

Launch EaseUS Deploy Manager and choose «Create group» and name the new group.

Or you can directly add computers by clickingВ «Add machines» > «choose «to add computers «From file» or «By Mac address».В

By Mac address: you can directly input the computer’s Mac address, Alias name into the group so to add machine for system deploying/installing.

From file: this allows you to directly import a file into the software to add computers. The TXT file contains the computers’ information including Mac address and Alias with Space or TabВ

Step 2. Create a system deployment task for installing OS on multiple PCs.

ClickВ «Create» and then enter a task name and select the machines that you’ve added in step 1. And click «Next».

Step 3. Execute to deploy/install Windows OS on target computers.

Choose the created task and clickВ «Run» to execute the deployment task. When the task is complete, you’ll successfully install OS on all involved computers then. All you need is to be patient while the software is executing the task.

Conclusion

EaseUS Deploy Manager can also help you update computer systems at the same time without any limits. It aims to simplify IT administration routine and improve work efficiency. With the help of such an efficient system deployment solution, you are able to intelligently create an exact copy of your system a master machine, including machine-specific configurations, deploy the image, and install Windows systems to a mass of live machines.

In a word, it is ideal for rapid bare-metal deployments to a large number of PCs or servers, and it ensures that changes deployed into a target system environment are executed in a structure. No need to manually install Windows on every machine.

Multiple Windows 10s on one computer

I have a machine with multiple hard drives with Windows 7. It’s a crude backup/compatibility system, but it works 🙂

Only one drive is connected, except raw data drives, at a time. This is not a problem with the way Windows 7 handles licenses.

However, Windows 10 uses/puts in the license from the motherboard, so I was wondering if it could handle multiple licenses.

Some of the Windows 7 installations can be upgraded to 10, some can’t yet (software issues).

If it matters, all Windows 7’s are Professional.

I’m worried it’s going to cause confusion when re-installing one of the OS’s in the future. None of the keys are volume.

Thanks in advance, Lasse

Replies (2) 

I would like to inform you that if you’re using more than one Windows 7 SP1 with different license, then you may upgrade them to Windows 10. However, if you change the motherboard then there could be some issues with Activation. I suggest you to refer to the section «What happens if I change my motherboard?» in the following wiki article by «Andre Da Costa» and check:

Let us know if you need more information and we’ll be happy to assist.

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I would like to inform you that if you’re using more than one Windows 7 SP1 with different license, then you may upgrade them to Windows 10. However, if you change the motherboard then there could be some issues with Activation. I suggest you to refer to the section «What happens if I change my motherboard?» in the following wiki article by «Andre Da Costa» and check:

Let us know if you need more information and we’ll be happy to assist.

No motherboard change. No hardware change at all — except for which OS drive is plugged in. No other changes, ever.

But what happens if I have 5x ‘Windows 7 -> Windows 10’ upgrades on one motherboard, and I have to reinstall Windows 10 in the future? How can I tell the difference and/or choose which license it uses?

Multiple operating systems on one computer [duplicate]

Can I have Ubuntu and Windows 7 on the same computer? If so, how do I do this? I want to be able to choose which operating system to boot up to when I turn on my computer.

1 Answer 1

Ok your question is a little bit foggy. Could you please tell me the specs of your computer i.e hardisk space, model e.t.c also the current operating system installed on it.

Well a windows operating system is currently installed on it well it as simple as partioning your hard disk to make space for ubuntu, downloading your ubuntu iso , using Unetbootin to create a bootable Usb (USB has to to be at least 2GB) and installing the ubuntu iso image into the USB using Unetbootin. When that is done just restart your computer (while keeping the bootable usb you just created connected to your computer at during the whole process) , I dont know what your key is but just after the computer starts to boot up just press Escape (That’s what i do anyways) select BIOS menu Navigate to where it says Boot Device or something like that ,make usb to be the first item on list, save and exit . It should boot you up to the Ubuntu setup . The installation of ubuntu should detect that you have Windows installed on you computer and ask you if it should be installed side-by-side or should delete windows and install ubuntu only (you should know what to choose).

When its done whenever you boot up it should ask you what OS you want to boot up to.

How Do You Install Windows to Multiple Computers at Once?

In this week’s Tech 911 advice column, a Lifehacker reader wants to automate an otherwis e time-consuming and annoying process: installing a fresh copy of Windows (presumably, Windows 10). The catch? T hey don’t want to install the OS on just one system.

Lifehacker reader Billy writes:

“How do I install Windows on eight other PCs from a central point?”

I suspect most people don’t have eight Windows systems sitting around their house that all need a brand-new version of the operating system. However, you might have two: a desktop and a laptop. And your spouse might have two: another desktop and a laptop. And maybe your kid has a desktop or a laptop as well.

Computers add up, and if you’re the one with the (unenviable) task of managing updates, troubleshooting, and reinstallations for all the systems in your house, it’s not too crazy to think that you might want to do everything en masse one day.

The simplest way to do this is to use the Windows Media Creation Tool to slap a Windows 10 image on a flash drive (or several), and use those to install the OS. Unless you’re talking about eight other PCs that are pretty far away from one another, it shouldn’t be that much of a burden to go from system to system, installing the OS on one while you’re running through the basic configuration steps on the other.

Assuming all of these systems are the same, you could also set up and configure one (without activating Windows), image the drive , and then clone that image onto the drives of your other systems. I haven’t done this process, but I know you’ll have to run Windows’ Sysprep tool—available via Audit Mode—to first generalize the image (which will then allow you to have a unique computer security identifier, or “ SID ,” for each machine). You’ll then need to capture the image and use that to clone Windows on your other systems.

What I would probably do is everything up until the “capturing the image” portion of that paragraph. I’d then use a tool like Clonezilla— Clonezilla Live , technically—to image the drive and clone that image onto your other systems. I believe you’ll then be able to boot into a regular version of Windows 10 when you power up those systems. (At least, that was Josh’s experience when he tried this out and documented the process.)

Again, with only eight systems to process, the time you spend fussing with this is probably equal to (or greater than) the time it takes to go the manual installation route via a flash drive. But let’s keep going. There are two other options you can try to install Windows on other systems from a centralized point (another PC, I’m assuming).

Clonezilla has a server edition that you can play with (as a Live CD), and you can use this to install Windows to a networked system. If I’m correct, the Live CD only works best for one-to-one installations, not one-to-many. I’m assuming you’re fine with the former setup, as you’ll instead need to install and configure Clonezilla’s server edition of on a Linux desktop if you’re looking to deploy Windows to multiple systems concurrently. (And you’ll want to make sure your client machines support network booting via the BIOS, or else this entire process will be a wash.)

If you’re having trouble, or you want alternatives, you can try using FOG or CloneDeploy . I like CloneDeploy, especially since its documentation is easy to follow—you’re going to need to do some reading to set everything up properly. You can also set up your clients (the systems receiving Windows) using Live CDs or flash drives, which is useful if network-boot process (PXE) is too confusing.

That’s it. It’s a complicated process, but one that isn’t impossible for a person to accomplish with a little research (and trial and-error). Resist the urge to add “dedicated IT professional” to your résumé’s skills section after you do all this, tempting as it might be.

Do you have a tech question keeping you up at night? Tired of troubleshooting your Windows or Mac? Looking for advice on apps, browser extensions, or utilities to accomplish a particular task? Let us know! Tell us in the comments below or email david.murphy@lifehacker.com .

David Murphy is Lifehacker’s Senior Technology Editor. He has geeked out writing for The New York Times, Wirecutter, PC Magazine, Reviewed, Computer Shopper, and PCWorld. www.thedavidmurphy.com

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DISCUSSION

I’d recommend the free edition of Macrium Reflect over Clonezilla, personally, since it’s considerably easier to use and at least looks like it was developed in this century .