Here at Smart Dolphins, it’s not uncommon for one person to use both a workstation, a laptop and another monitor in different scenarios. The workstations are used in the office at our desks, while the laptops go onsite when visiting clients, in the boardroom during meetings and remotely at home.
However, recently we have been changing that. Some of us having been opening up our laptops while sitting at our desks and utilizing them as a third screen. Overkill right? Well, we are nerds after all.
Of course, it’s not really a third screen is it? It’s actually an entirely different computer that I’m working on, and not all that efficient if I have to juggle my hands between different keyboards and mice.
Did you know that you can manage your monitors with the Windows key?
Just press the Windows Key + P and you’ll see the popup below. Pressing Windows Key + P again will cycle through the various options.
COMPUTER ONLY
This first option will turn off your secondary screen completely.
DUPLICATE
This second option will duplicate your two screens, which is most useful when connecting to a projector or when you have a customer sitting across your desk whom you have a monitor pointed at.
EXTEND
This third option extends your desktop across both screens, which is the most commonly used setting for people who work with two screens regularly and just want the extra real estate.
SECOND SCREEN ONLY
This option is simply the inverse of the first option, and will cause your second screen (or projector) to be the only screen shown.
Hopefully this saves you a few clicks and a lot of frustration!