Setting up a PC with multiple monitors is cool and improves productivity. However, when using multiple monitors, one common problem is that the display settings are not always correct. Sometimes you get different resolutions on different monitors. The second screen displays everything wider than it should be and much more.
However, fixing these problems is quite simple due to incorrect monitor settings and driver issues. So, let’s go ahead and talk about the fixes below:
Why is my secondary monitor’s display settings messy?
There are several reasons for the discrepancy between your primary and secondary monitor. The most common reason is the lack of drivers. There is a good chance that your monitor drivers are outdated or corrupt, or it failed to detect the secondary monitor and update its settings.
Another reason could be a resolution mismatch. If you are using two monitors of different sizes, there is often a resolution mismatch. You must set the correct resolution for each monitor to fix this.
Fixed: Second screen displaying wider than it should be
Display issues with a multi-monitor setup are fairly common. Fortunately, fixing them is not difficult. You can do this by following these steps:
- Check aspect ratio settings
- Adjust screen resolution
- Change scaling settings
- Update display driver
You will need to use an administrator account to complete these suggestions.
1] Check the aspect ratio settings on the second screen.
You can also adjust the aspect ratio settings on the secondary monitor. To do this, you need to access your monitor settings.
Most monitors come with OEM software that allows you to adjust various monitor settings. If your monitor does not have such software, use the monitor buttons to see if there is any aspect ratio option.
If there is, experiment with it – try different aspect ratios and see which one works for you.
2] Adjust screen resolution
Then you should try adjusting the screen resolution for both monitors. A popular screen resolution for most computer monitors is 1920×1080. However, Windows may offer the ideal screen resolution depending on the size of your monitor.
To set it up, follow these steps:
- Right click on desktop.
- Go to display settings.
- At the top you should see two different monitors – select one of the monitors.
- Scroll down to Screen resolution and select the appropriate resolution from the drop-down menu. In addition, Windows may list the resolution as recommended. If you haven’t selected the recommended one, please do so.
- Finally, see if your second screen is still showing wider.
3] Change zoom settings
You should also check your display scaling settings. Display scaling options adjust the size of text, icons, and other navigation items. This will make it easier for you to see and use your computer. Thus, you can try changing the scaling options to make common Windows icons and other elements larger, or zoom out.
To access this feature, follow these steps:
- Right click on desktop.
- Go to display settings.
- Then select the monitors one by one.
- Scroll down to scroll and use the drop down menu to adjust your zoom settings.
4] Update display driver
One of the common causes of the problem is outdated or corrupted drivers. It is also possible that the existing drivers are unable to recognize the second monitor and update its settings.
There are several ways to update the display driver in Windows. However, it is better to consider downloading the monitor driver from the OEM website. For example, if you have a Dell monitor, go to the Dell website, find your monitor’s model number, download the available drivers, and install it.
If the problem occurred because Windows automatically updated the driver, then you need to roll back and use the version that worked before. Once you fix this, disable driver updates through Windows.
Conclusion
So that was it for fixing the second screen displaying wider than it should. The best place to start is by updating the driver and changing the resolution and scale settings, which should fix the problem. Alternatively, you can reset your monitor settings to factory defaults and run the Windows Troubleshooter for more help.