Installing two or more monitors on a computer has become very common. The main operating systems offer different tools to manage each one, but Windows in particular genuinely needs some external help. Dual Monitor Tools is a package of applications that allows you to pre-configure various actions, such as running software on a specific monitor, moving windows with keyboard shortcuts, and changing multiple wallpapers at the same time, among other things.
It is very likely that next weekend I will add an additional monitor to my desktop computer. Actually, I cannot complain about the resolution of my main screen, but the number of windows I need to open during a workday is reaching alarming levels. I imagine more than one reader is thinking of some solution like virtual desktops as an alternative. Unfortunately, I never felt comfortable with them, and adding a second monitor presents itself as a more robust solution.
Windows, OS X, and the many flavors of Linux have appropriately recognized this trend of using more than one screen, although third-party tools always find a way to simplify actions that would otherwise demand several clicks.
Dual Monitor Tools: Managing Multiple Displays
Dual Monitor Tools is an open-source package that enables the user to set different behaviors between programs, windows, and wallpapers across multiple screens. While it is true that Windows provides by design several of the functions that appear in these modules, there are options such as “user-defined areas” that lead to more precise and efficient control of the surface on each screen.
As an example, Swap Screen has a shortcut that sends the active window to the right half of the second screen. Dual Launcher uses “magic words” to launch applications in strict regions, and Dual Wallpaper periodically changes the wallpaper on all monitors.
Among other modules, which you can download separately, it includes one for general settings and another to manage the behavior of the mouse cursor between screens. All the modules together make the package almost essential for those who use more than one screen on their computer. Dual Monitor Tools is an open-source tool available for Windows.
Official site and download: Dual Monitor Tools
