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I have looked a lot on the Internet and can't find a proper solution to this.
I have 3 screens plugged into my GPU, I will call them 1, 2 and 3 for better understanding.
I want to switch between two setups without using Windows configuration display settings:

Setup one:
Screens 1 and 2 turned on, screen 1 as the main screen and screen 2 as extended to the right of screen 1.

Setup two:
Screen 3 only with screen 3 as the main display with screen 1 and 2 off.

Is there any possibilities to switch easily between those two setups only?
For example, bind a shortcut like Crtl+Alt+F1 for setup one and Crtl+Alt+F2 for setup two.
I would even prefer a way to remap options in the Project menu accessible from Win+p but so far I haven't been able to find if it's possible or not.

Edit 1:
I have tried to dump the registry key with the screen configuration and reimport it, but it seems that I need to trigger some system call to make the change to registry effective.
If you know which DLL or command I should invoke to refresh configuration modified in registry, I could build a small script myself.

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  • 1
    After loading the registry settings, have you tried restarting your GPU? In Windows 10 pressing WIN - CTRL - SHIFT - B will restart your GPU and this may reload the settings. Commented May 16, 2018 at 15:16
  • @music2myear I shall try this in one hour Commented May 16, 2018 at 15:22
  • @music2myear Doesn't work Commented May 16, 2018 at 16:43
  • if you know c++, you could write yourself a small application using Device Context Functions Commented May 16, 2018 at 22:40
  • @JourneymanGeek: You just deleted the last answer to this post: "Answers suggesting software should talk about how they help, and how they are used should be more than a list of links". What can I do if I don't have the environment to test them, nor the time to write a small tutorial for each? I'm just a private person, not a large corporation with lots of equipment and man-power. The poster is supposed to to some work on his side, too, and report. Commented May 24, 2018 at 15:08

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
25

I finally find an almost correct setup to achieve what I want. It requires no tool but you need to be precise when using it.

  • Use the shortcut Windows+P to switch to PC screen only.
  • Switch on all the screens you have
  • Use the shortcut Windows+P to switch to Extend mode.
  • Set up your display configuration in my case screen 1 and 2 extended with screen 3 turn off.
  • Use the shortcut Windows+P to switch to Second screen only.
  • Set up your display configuration in my case screen 1 and 2 off with screen 3 turn on.

Now if you are in Extend mode and you turn your third screen on nothing will happen.
If you want to only have your third screen on, switch it on and use the keyboard shortcut to switch to Second screen only.
If you want to revert to Extend mode, do it while all your screens are ON.
If you switch to Extend mode while the third screen is off it will mess up your configuration and you will have to do it again.

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17

You can use Monitor Switcher to do this with more configuration

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  • Thanks, I needed this! I have to switch between 3 different setups and "Win+P" just won't cut it for me. Monitor Switcher works like a charm! Commented Dec 12, 2020 at 18:51
  • 2
    Unfortunately this Monitor Switcher tool is pretty useless! More often than not when trying to apply a previously saved profile it reports "Failed to load Monitor Profile XYZ". I even tried to make the file where it keeps the settings read-only (to make sure, it doesn't get corrupted or so) but even then it often fails to load... :-( . Must be something else that's buggy. Thus: not a viable solution! Commented Nov 4, 2021 at 6:43
  • For what it's worth, this little utility worked great for me. Needed to switch my three monitors between 4k with 200% scaling and 1080p with 100% scaling for triple monitor iracing (at least until I get a monstrous video card) and this works perfectly. Commented Nov 30, 2022 at 0:04
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    It's 2023 and this lightweight tool, Monitor Profile Switcher, is still gold for the quick switching between pre-established monitor configurations. Commented Jul 30, 2023 at 14:06
  • This should be the correct answer. What an insane tool! Finally, I can switch my 3-4 screen setup easily! Commented Oct 10, 2023 at 2:36

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