If you work every day in front of a computer screen, regardless of the operating system you are using and the task you carry out (writing texts, programming, administrative procedures or even the simple sending and receiving of emails), It is very likely that you have not yet discovered the benefits – and the advantages – that the use of two or more monitors provides .
The truth is that although it may seem like an unnecessary luxury to some users, the reality is that having a second screen can make a huge difference not only in our own productivity, but in absolutely the entire experience every time we work with it.
Let’s imagine that you are a journalist and every day you have to write several articles. And now that teleworking has become an essential option for many companies, it is to be assumed that part of your work activity is carried out from home. If so, it is very possible that you use a laptop, a desktop computer with a single monitor, or even an all-in-one (a computer that in one device includes a screen and all the hardware necessary for its operation, in the purest style iMac). Let’s also imagine that, when writing, you use different fonts.
Can you imagine what your work would be like if you put those fonts on one monitor, and the word processor put it on the other screen? It would be a function similar to the one that some operating systems have incorporated for some years, and that offer the possibility of dividing the same screen in two, to distribute the applications to our liking -or according to our needs-, whenever we want.
And it is clear that the advantages would be many . For example, you would save time because you would not have to continuously scroll through different advantages to consult the information. So not only will you save time, but it is very likely that your work will become much more productive, making the most of the hours you dedicate to your work activity. But, in what way can we configure it and what things can we do with this option?
Organizing our main screen
Both Windows and macOS offer us the possibility of selecting our main screen , which is the one where much of the main action occurs. For example, it is where we find the menu bar (in macOS) and the taskbar (in Windows), where the dialog boxes appear by default and where we will also find the different advantages of the application.
The configuration system offers us the possibility of placing the second monitor in the position in which we would apparently have it actually placed. And this has a basic sense: when we are going to use it, we will need to drag the window that we want to integrate into it, so it is convenient that the situation configuration is as similar as possible to the original installation of that second screen. In this way, the dragging function will be as simple as it is effective.
In macOS, you must go to System Preferences (from the Apple menu), then choose Display and finally click on Layout. You will only have to drag the white menu bar from the current screen to the screen you want to set as the new main screen.
In Windows, you must access Settings, and then choose System and Display. Select the screen you want to work as the main screen, and you will only have to check the Make this my main screen box.
Managing windows
It is true that managing different open application windows on two or more screens can be tremendously complicated. Fortunately, there are different tools, developed by third parties, that greatly facilitate the task. In macOS, the Magnet application becomes one of the most useful options, which offers the possibility of adjusting windows to the sides and corners of the screen, regardless of how many screens we have. Of course, it is not free, although its cheap price (just 3.99 euros) makes it a very interesting possibility.
However, if you don’t want to use a third-party app, you can always opt for the Split View function, available from OS X El Capitan, which allows you to select the windows in separate spaces, although only two at most.
If you use Windows instead of macOS, DisplayFusion becomes another excellent option, which helps to achieve much more precise control over how we can manage the windows on different screens. Its price, however, is somewhat more expensive: $ 29 per computer (24.86 euros to change).
Be careful with the resolution settings
On many occasions, especially when it comes to making work as comfortable as possible, it is advisable to use two identical monitors installed side by side . However, this is not always entirely possible, so the two screens will have different sizes and resolutions.
Although both Windows and macOS are able to manage this disparity almost automatically, making some adjustments in the settings can go a long way to improve the user experience.
In macOS you must open the Apple menu, access System Preferences and then Screens. Under the two Screen tabs you can adjust their resolution, rotation and even their refresh rate, although this requires clicking Scaling first.
In case you are using Windows, you must access Start, Settings and then choose System and Screen. Choose the screen for which you want to modify the settings, always at the top, and then use the Resolution and Orientation options.
Using an iPad as a secondary display
However, you may also not want to spend more money buying a second monitor. If so, you have an iPad at home and also a Mac Mini, iMac or Macbook with macOS Catalina , then you can choose to use the Sidecar feature.
This functionality allows you to configure an iPad as if it were a second screen for the Mac, without the need to use cables.
But if you don’t have an iPad, you have an Android tablet or you use Windows, there are also options like Air Display, which can work via USB or wirelessly. Or Luna Display, the only hardware solution that turns any iPad or Mac into a second wireless display via WiFi or USB.
