Windows 10: Can't set two different backgrounds in Windows Display Settings

Hello,

I have two monitors and I like to use a different background for each. I used to be able to do this by right clicking one of the backgrounds in display settings and clicking "set for monitor one" and so forth. Today I noticed that the two backgrounds were the same so I went to display settings to change it and found out right clicking a picture only shows "set as desktop background."

:)

 

Different Backgrounds on each monitor

Hi,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.



We understand that you are unable to set different wallpapers on each monitors.



We would suggest you to refer the steps mentioned below and see if that helps.



Method 1: Identify Displays.



Try using the Identify option to identify the displays and then check if you can set different background. Refer the steps mentioned below:

1. Press Windows key + I, to open
   Settings.
   
2. Click on System, and select
   Display on the left pane.
   
3. Now, under Rearrange your displays, click on
   Identify to identify the displays.
   

Refer screenshot below:









Once the displays are identified as Monitor 1 and Monitor 2, try setting the background.



Method 2: Duplicating Displays



One other thing we can try is to set the displays to Duplicate first and then Extend them.



To Duplicate the Displays, press Windows key + P, and select
Duplicate. Follow the same steps and select Extend.



After Extending the displays, check if we get the option to set different backgrounds.



Method 3: Reinstall Display Drivers.



If Method 1 and 2 didn’t help, we can try uninstalling and reinstalling the Display Drivers. Refer the steps mentioned below:

1. Press Windows key + X, and select
   Device Manager.
   
2. Expand Display adapters.
   
3. Now, right click on the Display
   device and select Uninstall Device.
   
4. Once the device is uninstalled, click on Actions and select
   Scan for hardware changes.
   
5. Restart the computer.
   

Let us know the results.



Regards,

Nikhar Khare

Microsoft Community - Moderator

 

Setting different Backgrounds for Dual Monitors in Windows 10


Hi All,
If you have a dual monitors and want to set a different background for each. You don't need third party program to set them. Here's an easy way:

1. Copy the background images to: C:\Windows\Web\Wallpaper\Windows
   
   
   
   
2. Use CTRL key for multiple selection to select both backgrounds.
3. Right click on one background->Set as desktop background

You should have a separate background for each monitor.

The background images will be stored under:
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Themes
as:
Transcoded_000 and Transcoded_001 without extension

If you want to swap the images, just rename 0 to 1, 1 to 0. Sign out and sign back in or
right click on desktop and select: Next desktop background





Here's an example:

 

Display Resolution for two monitor have different settings

Hi,

Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.

The display resolution depends on the monitors that you have plugged into your computer. The display resolution modes will vary with each display based on the video card device, monitor size, video driver, and monitor driver.
By default, Windows chooses the best display settings for your PC based on your monitor, so it is recommended to set the screen resolution of the display to the (Recommended) native resolution to get the best display on your monitor.

To have better clarity on the issue, let us know the model numbers of your monitors, so that we can provide you the exact display resolution which is recommended to your monitors.

Meanwhile, try the below methods and see if this helps.

Changing the Display Resolution from Settings.

Step 1: Right Click on an empty space on the desktop and click on
Display Settings.

Step 2: In the
Display Settings window, scroll down and click on 'Advanced display settings' option under
Multiple displays.

Step 3: Then, click on
Display adapter properties for Display 1, Display 2, or
Display 3; whichever monitor you want to change the resolution for.

Step 4: Once the Display properties pops-up, click on 'List All Modes' option.

Step 5: Select a display mode that you want for the selected display and click on
OK.

Step 6: Then, click on
Apply and OK for the changes to take effect.

If these steps don't work, try reinstalling the driver by opening
Device Manager, right-click on the monitor drivers, and select
Uninstall. Restart your PC and Windows will attempt to reinstall the drivers.

Hope it helps.