How do I restore sanity to my desktop after displays became reversed?


  1. perkinw
    Posts : 129
    Windows 10 Pro
       New #1

    How do I restore sanity to my desktop after displays became reversed?


    I have a dual display setup with display 1 (my "main" display) on the left and display 2 (my "auxiliary" display) on the right. Today, with the computer turned off, I changed the way the displays are cabled. When I started the PC, the cable to display 1 had not been properly connected, and my "main" desktop came up on the auxiliary display, which according to Windows Display Settings, had become display 1. It seems reasonable that if you remove a display, the remaining display should become display 1.

    Once I got display 1 properly connected, I went to Display Settings and reversed the order of the displays so that my "main" display is once again 1 and my auxiliary display is once again display 2. I also selected display 1 and checked "Make this my main display". This moved the notification area from the display 2 taskbar to the display 1 taskbar.

    The only remaining problem is that all my desktop icons are still on display 2.

    Is there an easier way to get my desktop icons back onto display 1, rather than dragging them from 2 to 1?

    Windows Version 10.0.19042 Build 19042
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  3. NavyLCDR
    Posts : 18,434
    Windows 11 Pro
       New #2

    Well, you say your problem started when Display 1 had not been properly connected.... so.... maybe disconnect Display 2 and reboot?
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  4. perkinw
    Posts : 129
    Windows 10 Pro
    Thread Starter
       New #3

    NavyLCDR said:
    Well, you say your problem started when Display 1 had not been properly connected.... so.... maybe disconnect Display 2 and reboot?
    Before I try the restart, I have one question: is the identity of the display (1 or 2) an attribute of the port that the cable is plugged into? If so, that would explain what happened.

    What I did at the beginning was to switch the types of cables connecting my two displays to the PC. I switched my main display from DVI to HDMI. I switched my auxiliary display from DisplayPort to DVI. I did this while the PC was turned off. When I booted the PC, the PC saw the DVI connection and assumed it was display 1 and therefore put the "main" desktop on my auxiliary display.

    OK, I just restarted. The PC remembered the port association and restored my desktop the way I left it.
    Last edited by perkinw; 22 Feb 2021 at 20:56.
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