One exciting feature of the Windows 10 operating system is the ability to connect your PC to multiple monitors. This allows you to multitask, increases your productivity, makes your jobs more organized, and helps you with time management.
With dual monitors, you can choose which monitor you want as your main display. This main display automatically becomes your main screen as everything on your home screen like clock, taskbar, and so on appears here.
Users have often complained that while using dual monitors, the main monitor is reading as the second screen while the second screen becomes the main monitor. When they try to change this, the “make this my main display” is greyed out. This means they have to keep working that way which can make your job a little clumsy at times.
This article explains why it happens and how to fix it.
Is “Make This My Main Display” Greyed Out? Causes
Before you start panicking, understand that nothing is wrong with your PC. The “make this my main display” is greyed out usually because of the changes you have made to your displays. Here are the two common culprits:
- Incorrect dual monitor settings: If you remember your mathematics lessons back in school, you understand that you can’t get the right answer if you skip steps or if you don’t follow the right steps. The same is true with every command on your computer. To use dual monitors, you need to start the program first before connecting both monitors. However, if you had already connected both monitors before starting the program you are currently working on, you might see the “make this my main display” greyed out.
- Missing display driver: When display drivers are missing on your computer, while your PC monitor will not automatically stop working, the operating system will revert to the default driver used when the operating system was initially installed.
So, you won’t lose many monitor settings and your PC’s performance remains unaffected. But certain additional settings involving the monitor may start misbehaving, or in some cases, stop working. Extending screens, enabling dual monitors, and other related settings may be affected.
If you confirm that the display driver is not missing yet the “make this my main display” is greyed out, it could alternatively mean that your display driver is outdated and needs an update.
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Is “make this my main display” greyed out? working fixes
Having figured out what the causes are, it’s a lot easier recommending working fixes because by now you must have partially understood what needs to be done. Any of these recommended fixes may work for you. However, if one does not work, feel free to try any other suggestion.
Fix 1: Follow the right dual monitor settings
If the “make this my main display” is greyed out:
- First, when the PC is already on, turn on both monitors. Open display settings on your PC by clicking on the START menu. Then click on SETTINGS >> SYSTEM >> DISPLAY
- Find and click on IDENTITY. This is usually below the display screen
- The monitors will be displayed as rectangles and labeled 1 or 2. Click on the monitor you want as your main display. On clicking any of the rectangles.
- Finally, at the bottom of that page, check the box to make the selected screen your main display
This often fixes the issue immediately. However, in few cases involving missing display drivers, these steps will not work.
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Fix 2: Install a display driver
If a manual review of the steps does not fix the issue, you might be experiencing this because the display driver is missing. Downloading and installing the display driver is the only other way to fix it. There are two ways to do this
Step 1
On your computer’s search box in the taskbar, type ‘Device Manager’ and hit the enter button.
This opens the ‘Computer Management’ bar. Select ‘Device Manager’ and click on ‘Display Adapters’ When the display adapter loads, select the option that allows you automatically search online for updated driver software.
Once it completes the online search and a driver appears, follow the prompt to download and install it.
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Step 2
Depending on the type of computer you use, go to the official website of the brand to search for a compatible display driver.
Make sure you know your computer’s model and processor because you will be required to identify which driver you want downloaded.
Download the most recent display driver and install it on your computer. Restart your computer to finish the installation.
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