How to Change the Primary Monitor on Windows 10

All versions of the Windows Operating System that are currently supported by Microsoft have dual monitor and even multiple monitor support. This means that you can have more than one monitor not only connected to your computer but also display whatever you want it to display in order to increase productivity and improve ease of use. Windows 10, the latest and greatest in a long line of Windows Operating Systems, also has multiple monitor support. In fact, Windows 10 is rather good at handling more than one monitor. Multiple monitor support is a godsend for power users as most power users out there have more than one monitors connected to their computers.

When you connect more than just one monitor to a computer running on the Windows Operating System, Windows makes one of the monitors the primary monitor (in almost all cases, this is the monitor that was connected to the computer first) and the rest of the monitors the secondary, tertiary and so on monitors. The primary monitor is the default monitor Windows displays everything on, which is why being able to determine which monitor connected to your computer you want to be the primary monitor is immensely important. Thankfully, Windows 10 not only allows users with multiple monitors to choose their primary monitor at any given time but the process used to do so is also pretty simple.

For Windows 7

To change the primary monitor on a computer running on Windows 7 with more than one monitor connected to it, you need to simply:

1. Right-click on an empty space on your Desktop.
2. Click on Screen resolution.
3. In the space underneath Change the appearance of your display, all of the computers connected to your computer will be visible, each represented as a screen with a number in the middle. The screen that has the number 1 at its center is the monitor that is currently configured as your computer’s primary monitor. Click on the monitor that you would like to make your computer’s primary monitor to select it.
4. Check the checkbox beside the Use this device as the primary monitor option (or the Make this my main display option, depending on the iteration of Windows you are using) to enable it. Doing so will tell Windows 10 to change the primary display to the monitor you have just chosen.
5. Click on Apply, and the change you have made to your computer’s display configuration will be applied.
6. Click on OK and close the Screen Resolution window.

For Windows 10

In Windows 10, the steps are slightly a little different. Some names are changed here and there but the main method is the same.

1. Right-click anywhere in the Desktop and select Display Settings.

Display Settings – Win 10 home screen

1. Here all the displays will be shown in graphical shapes. You can easily distinguish the screens from one another. Now select the display which you want to set as the primary display. Now navigate down at the screen and select Make this my main display.

Settings screen as the primary display

1. If you see the Make this main display greyed out, it probably means that the current monitor which you are trying to set as the primary display is set already.

Note: If you have graphics hardware installed on your computer, it is likely that the graphical application’s settings are overriding the system’s default display settings. In that case, open the application and select the primary display from there in the settings.

Primary display in graphic settings – AMD

Furthermore, you should also make sure that the displays are extended. If you have not extended the displays, there will be no option of making a primary monitor as all monitors will be treated alike. You can change the setting to Extend these displays from the display settings in Windows 10.

Extending screen – Win 10 settings

Note: Try to Connect your HDMI cable to the monitor which you want to use as primary because some users have reported that the monitor that is connected using the HDMI cables is actually recognized as the primary monitor. This might not be the case with all of you but it might still help some people.

How to Change the Main Display in Windows 10 ?

I have multiple Displays .. I cant Set my main as main .. it Keeps showing as number 2 ?!

Wasted 2 hours of my time trying to do that .. please clarify how to do that ?

>>>>(I need No1 on the right side and No2 on the left side ) I have the same question (200)

Replies (3) 

Thank you for posting your question ion the Microsoft Community.

Sorry to know that you are facing this issue.

Please answer these questions to get more clarity on this issue:

Have you installed all pending updates on the computer?

Have you updated all device drivers after upgrading to Windows 10?

You may unplug all external devices connecting to the computer, restart the system and then plug in the external monitor to check if that helps.

Click the larger monitor icon with the number two on it. Check the box below the “Multiple displays” menu that says “Make this my main display”, then click “Apply,” followed by “OK” to dismiss the window to see if that helps.

Further you may also update the display driver from Device Manager to check if that helps.

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Hello, thanks for reply

Its not an individual issues .. none of my friends could solve it either .. the Window that allowed me to choose different wallpapers for each Desktop is Gone .. Its not there in Windows 10 ..

And the Option To set a Display as main .. Doesn’t Show Unless its Duplicated or single Display .. On Extended Doesn’t Show its somehow transparent .. Cant set it . So If it Duplicated or Single .. whichever display I choose to click on : Set this as main Have you installed all pending updates on the computer? Yes

Have you updated all device drivers after upgrading to Windows 10? Yes

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Windows 10 — Change Display Numbers / Identity

I can get to the display setting where I can re-order displays:

But is it possible to actually re-number them as well?

The reason simply re-ordering doesn’t fit my use case, is because other applications, like Skype, will use the original numbers and locations, which leads to some counterintuitive selections

All of these threads just suggest using display settings to shuffle monitors around:

4 Answers 4

The numbering for monitors identity depends on which port of your computer’s graphics card the monitor is plugged into. For example, the port that monitor #1 is connected-to will always be #1.

The only solution for changing identities is to swap the monitors, meaning connect them to different ports.

Even if the cables are switched Windows 10 will unfortunately still remember the monitor numbers as it looks like it’s using some monitor hardware identifier to attach the identity number. The only way I could find to change the monitor identities was the following.

If it’s a laptop, disconnect it from your dock or disconnect all monitors and use the laptop monitor for the following procedure. If you are using a desktop your mileage may vary but disconnect all monitors except #1. Delete the following entries from the registry. (Export them and back them up before you delete of course just in case something goes wrong)

Shut down the machine, connect only the first monitor to the dock (or the machine) and switch the machine on. The monitor will be identified and added as monitor 1 back into the registry. Proceed to connect what you would like to be monitor 2 (and 3 and so forth) and they should be numbered properly.

This procedure was inspired from this page

Unfortunately, I do not think it is possible to change the monitor identities. You can move the monitors around, and change the primary display. Depending on how the monitors are arranged, it may be possible to set the main monitor and then move the other 2, so they match the arrangement. The main display is the only thing you can change. Here is an article I found dealing with this: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/3871-change-main-display-windows-10-a.html I am not so sure, but depending on what you use for graphics, you may be able to go into the control panel for the graphics, (Usually you can right click on the desktop and it will say: «NVIDIA Control Panel» or «Intel Graphics Settings» depending on what you use for graphics processing.

For my Win10 desktop, I used the REGEDIT solution above. After a clean install of Win10, I had a test monitor plugged into plug 2 of my graphics card, since is my HDMI native connection.

The monitor I wanted as #1 AFTER my original testing, needed a Displayport to HDMI converter. When I plugged that one in, it would also be seen as Display 2 in Win10.

Rather than delete the following entries, I just renamed them:

(In my case I renamed to . ConfigurationOriginal, and . ConnectivityOriginal just to make it easy to revert if needed.)

I turned off the machine, unplugged everything but what I wanted as Monitor 1, restarted and it booted to Monitor 1.

While in Windows, I had the Display page opened, plugged in Monitor 2, then Monitor 3 and they came up and numbered exactly in the order I wanted.

Now my monitors match the connections in the back of my graphics card, going from one to three, from left to right.

Easy to remember.

I also looked at the new keys via Regedit, and Windows recreated «Configuration» and «Connectivity» and now has the three monitors I’m using.

Worked the first time, took less time than writing this THANK YOU message to triadiktyo for posting a working solution.

Monitors identified correctly, in the right order, everything works as expected.

Windows change display number

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• Moved by Carey Frisch MVP Thursday, June 21, 2018 6:02 AM Relocated

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Wanikiya and Dyami—Team Zigzag Windows IT-PRO (MS-MVP)

• Proposed as answer by Karen_Hu Microsoft contingent staff Thursday, March 9, 2017 6:26 AM

S.Sengupta, Windows Insider MVP

• Proposed as answer by Karen_Hu Microsoft contingent staff Thursday, March 9, 2017 6:26 AM

Settings ->System, select Display in the left pane. Click Advanced display settings link. Then click and drag one of the monitors to its correct location. The Identity numbers don’t matter.

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• Proposed as answer by Karen_Hu Microsoft contingent staff Thursday, March 16, 2017 7:06 AM

Right click on the desktop and OPEN

Intel Graphics Properties

Youl find the display options etc..

If your using a laptop..

You may need to be connected to an external display monitor, as the setting maybe set to only display externally.

You Rock. I have been racking my brain and you just nailed it!

Settings ->System, select Display in the left pane. Click Advanced display settings link. Then click and drag one of the monitors to its correct location. The Identity numbers don’t matter.

Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help.
If you have feedback for TechNet Subscriber Support, contact

You are absolutely wrong that the identity number do not matter. I am routinely having the issue where I turn on my TV to watch cable show and my computer is detecting that it is on as a monitor. The TV for some stupid ass reason is identified as 1. Especially when I return from sleep/hibernation, even though the display identified as 2 is set as my main display, when I open a new window it automatically opens on the display set as 1, and even some of the windows that were originally on the main monitor now show on 1 as well. I have to go and switch the tv input to the computer input, drag the windows back over (including the window for Settings) and then disconnect the display via the Display options window.

There is absolutely no reason that the number identity should not be a user configured setting, the fact that it isn’t shows the utter ineptitude of the programmers and designers of Microsoft.