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Windows Remote Desktop can use two or more monitors, but the steps depend on which client you use. The built-in Remote Desktop Connection client (mstsc.exe) has a “use all monitors” option, while Windows App and the Microsoft Store Remote Desktop app let you choose specific displays.
Microsoft recommends Windows App for current Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, and Microsoft Dev Box connections. The built-in Remote Desktop Connection client remains available for Remote PC and Remote Desktop Services connections.
Use multiple monitors with Windows App
Windows App is Microsoft’s current client for Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, and Microsoft Dev Box. It can use every connected monitor or only the displays you select.
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- Open Windows App.
- Find the desktop connection you want to change.
- Right-click the connection and select Settings.
- Turn off Use default settings.
- Open the Display tab.
You will see these display choices:
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| All displays | Uses every monitor currently connected to the Windows PC. |
| Single display | Uses one monitor. |
| Select displays | Lets you choose which monitors the remote session can use. |
Choose All displays if you want the remote desktop spread across your complete monitor setup. Choose Select displays if, for example, you want the remote session on two monitors but need to keep a third monitor for local applications.
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Make full screen follow the monitors holding the window
Windows App includes Maximize to current displays. When enabled, maximizing the session uses the monitor or monitors where the session window is currently located, even if they differ from the displays originally selected. If the window overlaps two monitors, both are used.
This is useful with a laptop and dock. You can move the session to an external monitor, maximize it, and have the remote desktop follow that monitor arrangement instead of reopening on the original screens.
Use all monitors with the built-in Remote Desktop Connection client
The traditional Windows client is called Remote Desktop Connection and runs as mstsc.exe.
- Press Windows key + R.
- Type mstsc.exe and press Enter.
- Select Show Options.
- Open the Display tab.
- Enable Use all my monitors for the remote session.
- Return to the General tab and connect, or save the connection settings.
The remote session will use the monitors available to the local Windows computer. The remote PC does not need to have the same number of physical monitors attached.
Start an all-monitor session from Command Prompt
You can enable the standard multi-monitor layout without opening the Display tab:
mstsc.exe /multimon
There must be a space between mstsc.exe and /multimon. This switch matches the remote session to the current monitor configuration on the client PC.
You can also combine it with a server name:
mstsc.exe /v:Office-PC /multimon
For a server using a non-default RDP port, use:
mstsc.exe /v:Office-PC:3390 /multimon
Use only selected monitors
Using all monitors is not always desirable. A common arrangement is two monitors for work and a third display for local email, monitoring, or video.
Windows App or the Remote Desktop app
In Windows App or the Microsoft Store Remote Desktop app’s connection Settings → Display screen:
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- Turn off Use default settings.
- Select Select displays.
- Choose the monitors to include.
- Save the setting and reconnect.
Selected displays are also supported by the built-in Remote Desktop Connection client through RDP configuration.
Configure selected monitors in an .rdp file
For a saved connection, add or edit these lines:
use multimon:i:1
selectedmonitors:s:<monitorID1>,<monitorID2>
For example:
use multimon:i:1
selectedmonitors:s:0,1
The IDs in this example are only examples. Monitor IDs are machine-specific, so find the actual values on the computer that starts the RDP connection.
Run this command to list the locally attached monitors and their IDs:
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The first ID listed in selectedmonitors:s: becomes the primary display in the remote session. The selected monitors must also be contiguous in the local display layout. A noncontiguous selection, such as choosing monitors 1 and 3 while leaving monitor 2 between them, is not supported by this property.
Edit an existing RDP file
Use mstsc.exe /edit followed by the path to the saved connection:
mstsc.exe /edit C:\Users\Alice\Documents\Office-PC.rdp
Alternatively, open the file in Notepad, add the display properties, save it, and double-click the file to connect.
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Useful RDP display properties
These properties can be placed in a saved .rdp file.
| Property | Value | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| use multimon:i:0 | 0 | Use one display. |
| use multimon:i:1 | 1 (default) | Use multiple displays. A saved connection file or client setting can override the default. |
| selectedmonitors:s:… | Monitor IDs | Restrict the session to specified monitors. Requires use multimon:i:1. |
| dynamic resolution:i:1 | 1 (default) | Update the remote resolution when the local session window is resized. |
| dynamic resolution:i:0 | 0 | Keep the remote resolution static. |
| singlemoninwindowedmode:i:0 | 0 | Keep all selected displays when leaving full-screen mode. |
| singlemoninwindowedmode:i:1 | 1 | Switch to one display when leaving full-screen mode. |
| maximizetocurrentdisplays:i:1 | 1 | Make full-screen mode follow the displays currently occupied by the session window. |
singlemoninwindowedmode and maximizetocurrentdisplays require use multimon:i:1. They are documented for Windows App and the Remote Desktop app for Windows.
Full-screen mode and multi-monitor RDP
An RDP file commonly contains:
screen mode id:i:2
This requests full-screen mode. However, when use multimon:i:1 is enabled, the multi-monitor setting takes precedence and the session opens across the selected displays.
Do not confuse the newer multi-monitor mode with legacy monitor spanning. Microsoft documents same-resolution and horizontal-alignment requirements specifically for spanning across monitors. Those requirements should not be treated as universal rules for every use multimon or selectedmonitors configuration.
Important monitor-layout limitations
Vertical monitor arrangements
The built-in client does not currently support spanning multiple monitors vertically. For legacy spanning behavior, the monitors must be arranged side by side horizontally.
This is separate from the newer multi-monitor and selected-monitor properties, but a complicated layout can still produce an unexpected session arrangement. Check Settings → System → Display in Windows and confirm that the monitor rectangles reflect the physical layout.
The remote computer does not need matching monitors
RDP uses the displays attached to the local client computer. The remote host does not need two or three physical monitors. This applies to Remote PC, Remote Desktop Services, and Azure Virtual Desktop connections, subject to client and server policy.
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Server policy can limit the number of monitors
If the client is configured correctly but the session still uses fewer monitors, an administrator may have restricted the session on the server.
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On Windows Server, the relevant Group Policy setting is:
Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → System → Windows Components → Remote Desktop Services → Remote Desktop Session Host → Remote Desktop Session Environment → Limit number of monitors
A server-side limit overrides what the user selects locally. Contact the administrator if this policy is enabled or if the option is unavailable.
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Troubleshoot a dual-monitor RDP connection
The second monitor is blank or not used
- Disconnect the session.
- Check Settings → System → Display on the local PC and confirm Windows detects both monitors.
- Reconnect using All displays or enable Use all my monitors for the remote session.
- If using an RDP file, verify that it contains use multimon:i:1.
- Check whether a server policy limits the number of monitors.
The session opens on the wrong screens
Use Select displays in Windows App, or specify the monitor IDs in selectedmonitors:s:. Remember that the first selected ID becomes the remote primary monitor.
If the session should follow the displays where its window is currently located, enable Maximize to current displays or add:
maximizetocurrentdisplays:i:1
RDP switches back to one monitor after leaving full screen
Set this property in the RDP file:
singlemoninwindowedmode:i:0
It requires:
use multimon:i:1
The layout changes after docking or undocking
Disconnect before changing the number or arrangement of monitors, then reconnect. For a session that should adapt to window size changes, use:
dynamic resolution:i:1
Docking can change monitor IDs and their arrangement, so a saved selectedmonitors configuration may need to be recreated after a hardware change.
Which Microsoft remote desktop client should you use?
| Scenario | Recommended option |
|---|---|
| Azure Virtual Desktop | Windows App |
| Windows 365 | Windows App |
| Microsoft Dev Box | Windows App |
| Remote PC or traditional Windows Server RDS | Built-in Remote Desktop Connection (mstsc.exe) or the client supplied by your organization |
| Older Microsoft Store client | The app is named Remote Desktop, but Microsoft labels its documentation as previous-version material and recommends Windows App for current Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, and Dev Box use. |
Outdated instructions often say to install the Microsoft Store “Remote Desktop” app for every Microsoft remote-access service. That is no longer the right general recommendation. Use Windows App for the services Microsoft has moved to it, and use mstsc.exe where the traditional Windows client is appropriate.
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FAQ
Can I use two monitors with Windows Remote Desktop?
Yes. In Windows App, open the connection’s Settings, turn off Use default settings, open Display, and choose All displays or Select displays. In the built-in client, open mstsc.exe, choose Show Options, open Display, and enable Use all my monitors for the remote session.
Does the remote PC need two physical monitors?
No. RDP uses the monitors attached to the local computer starting the session. The remote computer can have a different number of physical displays, although server policy or client limitations may restrict the result.
How do I use only two of my three monitors?
Use Select displays in Windows App or the Microsoft Store Remote Desktop app. With an RDP file, set use multimon:i:1 and add selectedmonitors:s: followed by the required local monitor IDs. The selected monitors must be contiguous.
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Run mstsc.exe /multimon. The space before /multimon is required. You can also specify a host, such as mstsc.exe /v:Office-PC /multimon.
Why does Remote Desktop only show one monitor?
Check that Windows detects all local monitors, enable the multi-monitor option in the client, and inspect the RDP file for use multimon:i:1. A Windows Server administrator may also have enabled the Limit number of monitors policy.
Can RDP use monitors arranged vertically?
The built-in client does not support spanning multiple monitors vertically. Legacy spanning requires side-by-side horizontal monitors. Newer multi-monitor modes are configured separately, but unusual display layouts can still cause placement issues.
The Bottom Line
For the simplest setup, use All displays in Windows App or enable Use all my monitors for the remote session in mstsc.exe. Use mstsc.exe /multimon for a quick command-line connection, and use selectedmonitors in an RDP file when only particular displays should be used. If the client configuration is correct but monitors are still missing, check the local Windows display detection and ask the server administrator whether a monitor-limit policy is enforced.
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