Second Screen Shortcut - Create in Windows 8

How to Create a Second Screen Shortcut in Windows 8 and 8.1


information   Information
Second Screen (aka: Display Switch) is used to change the presentation mode of the main display (screen) of your Windows 8 device or PC to display on the PC screen only, duplicate on another screen, extend across another screen, or on the second screen only.

This tutorial will show how to create or download a Second Screen (aka: Display Switch) shortcut in Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows 8.1, and Windows RT 8.1.

Note   Note


  • PC screen only - The second screen is ignored and only the main display is used.
  • Duplicate - The main display is mirrored on the second screen.
  • Extend - The main display is extended across the two screens and allows you to have a desktop that spans two screens or to use Metro on one screen and the desktop on the other.
  • Second screen only - The main display will be disabled and only the second screen is used as your new main display.


EXAMPLE: "Second Screen" in Windows 8
Second_Screen.jpg





OPTION ONE

To Download a "Second Screen" Shortcut for Windows 8


1. Click/tap on the Download button below to download the ZIP file below.​
Second_Screen_Shortcut.zip
download

2. Save the .zip file to the desktop.
3. Open the .zip file and extract (drag and drop) the Second Screen shortcut to the desktop.
4. Unblock the Second Screen shortcut.​
5. If you like, you can Pin to Taskbar on desktop, Pin to Start screen, add to Quick Launch, assign a keyboard shortcut to it, or move this shortcut to where you like for easy use.​
6. When finished, you can delete the downloaded .zip file if you like.






OPTION TWO

To Manually Create a "Second Screen" Shortcut in Windows 8


1. Right click or press and hold on a empty area of the desktop, and click/tap on New and Shortcut.​
2. Copy and paste the command you want below into the location area, and click/tap on the Next button. (see screenshot below)​
(Second Screen (Windows 8) or Project (Windows 8.1) flyout)​
%windir%\System32\DisplaySwitch.exe
OR
(PC screen only)​
%windir%\System32\DisplaySwitch.exe /internal
OR
(Duplicate)​
%windir%\System32\DisplaySwitch.exe /clone
OR
(Extend)​
%windir%\System32\DisplaySwitch.exe /extend
OR
(Second screen only)​
%windir%\System32\DisplaySwitch.exe /external
Shortcut-1.jpg

3. Type Second Screen for the name, and click/tap on the Finish button. (see screenshot below)​
NOTE: You can name this shortcut anything you would like though.
Shortcut-2.jpg

4. Right click or press and hold on the new Search Apps shortcut, and click/tap on Properties.​
5. If you like, you can Pin to Taskbar on desktop, Pin to Start screen, add to Quick Launch, assign a keyboard shortcut to it, or move this shortcut to where you like for easy use.​


That's it,
Shawn


 

Attachments

  • Second_Screen_Shortcut.zip
    835 bytes · Views: 3,134
  • Second_Screen.png
    Second_Screen.png
    2.2 KB · Views: 267
Last edited by a moderator:
Is there a way to create just a shortcut to extend the display without having to use the second screen shortcut and then click extend? Not that it's a big deal, but i'm just trying to extend the display with a single click from desktop or start screen and also have another shortcut to go back to monitor only. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    i7-3770K @ 4.1
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H
    Memory
    Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) 1866
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB GDDR5
    Browser
    Firefox / Chrome
    Antivirus
    wot?
Hello btakasper, and welcome to Eight Forums.

I suppose that you could create a .vbs script like the ones below to do this. It's basically running the display switch shortcut, and simulating key strokes for the arrow keys and Enter to do this.

The problem is where you start off at. You may need to adjust how many UP or DOWN arrow keys to send.


If you start at "PC screen only", this will send two DOWN arrows and Enter to set "Extend" display.

Code:
WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell").Run "%windir%\System32\DisplaySwitch.exe"

WScript.Sleep 500
 
WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell").SendKeys "{DOWN}"

WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell").SendKeys "{DOWN}"

WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell").SendKeys "{ENTER}"



If you start at "Extend", this will send two UP arrows and Enter to set "PC screen only" display.

Code:
WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell").Run "%windir%\System32\DisplaySwitch.exe"

WScript.Sleep 500
 
WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell").SendKeys "{UP}"

WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell").SendKeys "{UP}"

WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell").SendKeys "{ENTER}"


Hope this helps, :)
Shawn
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Works great. :dinesh: Any chance to get it on context menu?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-3770K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 Extreme4
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" 24"
    Hard Drives
    1 TB WD
    PSU
    550w

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Thanks Brink, it makes life easier.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-3770K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 Extreme4
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" 24"
    Hard Drives
    1 TB WD
    PSU
    550w
You're most welcome. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
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