Windows 10: After more than six years, Windows still opens the app in a non-existing second monitor.

I have the exact same issue from this thread.https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/windows-opens-programs-on-a-second-monitor-that-is/a62c1f88-14dd-49c3-b0c5-95243e821657No second monitors are shown on Windows and it is set to use the default display only. Apparently, 6 years and 2 major OS updates are not enough for a billion-dollar company to fix an issue like this. Also, I can't find any shortcut to change the active monitor the app is on. win + arrow keys or win + shift + arrow keys don't seem to work.

:)

 

Settings App opens on a non-existent monitor and cannot be accessed

I have been successfully using three monitors on my Win 10 Pro Desktop for a long time. There is, I think, a limit of 3 monitors in Win 10, but somehow a 4th monitor appeared in Display Settings. I have never had a 4th monitor physically connected. Now
some apps open on the non-existing monitor 4. The apps can be seen using Alt-Tab but when selecting them with Alt-Tab, I cannot actually get the apps on any of the three real monitors. I cannot access them at all except I can close them by typing the X within
Alt-Tab. Now here is the real, non-trivial problem: All Settings open on the Phantom Monitor 4. I cannot change ANY settings because I cannot get to the Settings app. Right clicking on the desktop and selecting Display Settings causes the Display Settings
app to open on the Phantom monitor, where I can only see the Display Settings app using Alt-Tab. I clearly see that 4 monitors are in the Display Settings but cannot shut down #4 or make any other change to any settings(not just display settings, ANY settings).
How can I fix this? Microsoft Tech Answer has no answer except to do a clean reinstall of windows. Is there any less drastic option? This should be a challenge for the FixWin guys. I have disconnected all monitors except 1. The problem is still there.
I still see a non-existent Monitor #2, and Settings open on it. By the way, it is not just Settings that open on the Phantom, my Chrome browser opens there too, and is inaccessible. I can close Chrome but cannot access it otherwise. I am uninstalling
Chrome, and intend to reinstall it to see if that fixes the problem. Is there a way to uninstall just the Settings app and then to reinstall just it?

 

Settings App opens on a non-existent monitor and cannot be accessed

Thanks for responding Vanessa. Here are results of following your suggestions.

Method 1 Results: DeviceDiagnostic reports "Unknown USB device" Not Fixed

Method 2 Results: Scannow reports "Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations."

Original problem still there. Cannot access Settings that opens on phantom monitor.

Have not recently added any USP devices but I am disconnecting all non-essential USB devices and will rerun the diagnostic. Then reconnecting one device at a time until I find which one is the problem.

Will report results when done.

Have already looked at fixes suggested by other users elsewhere online. None of the suggestions work for me, particularly because Settings are inaccessible to me because it opens on the phantom monitor.

 

Open Edge On Second Monitor By Default