How To Open Steam Games On Second Monitor

To open Steam games on a second monitor, use Windows display settings to extend your display, then launch the game and move its window to the desired screen.

Want to enjoy gaming on a bigger screen or use your main monitor for other tasks? Many players ask how to open steam games on second monitor. It’s actually quite simple once you understand the basic steps involved.

The solution relies on utilizing your operating system’s display options. You just need to configure your monitors correctly, and then drag the game window. You can now enjoy that immersive gaming on your preferred display.

How to Open Steam Games on Second Monitor

So, you’ve got a sweet dual monitor setup and you’re ready to take your gaming to the next level? Awesome! Playing games on one screen while having other applications, like Discord or a walkthrough, on the other can make your gaming much more fun and useful. The good news is, getting your Steam games to pop up on your secondary display isn’t too tricky. We’ll walk you through the steps, explain some common hiccups, and give you some extra tips to really make the most of your multi-monitor experience.

Understanding Your Display Settings

Before you even think about firing up a game, let’s get your display settings in check. Your computer needs to know which monitor is which, and how they should be working together. You see, Windows (or macOS or Linux) doesn’t just magically know which screen you want your games on. This is where you tell your computer that one monitor is your “main” display and another is your “secondary” display. Think of it like telling your computer who’s in charge of the movie and who’s just helping out with the popcorn.

Accessing Display Settings in Windows

For Windows users, the display settings are pretty easy to find. Here’s how you do it:

Right-click on your desktop.
Select Display Settings (or sometimes just “Display”).
You’ll see two (or more) rectangles that represent your monitors.
If you have multiple screens, the screen with the number “1” on it usually represents your main display. You can identify your actual screens by clicking the “Identify” button that’s visible when you select a screen. This briefly displays a large number on each of your screens, so you know which monitor is which.
You can re-arrange the screen positions by dragging them into the positions you have them physically in real life, this means if monitor 2 is physically to the left of monitor 1, drag monitor 2 to the left of monitor 1 in the settings screen.

Understanding Main and Secondary Displays

The main display is usually the one where your taskbar, icons, and most programs appear by default. It is the center of your computing world. Your secondary display will usually be considered an extension of your main screen. This means if you move your mouse off the edge of one of your screens, it will continue onto the next screen.

Now, let’s get to the important part: how to decide which display is “main.” Think about where you want most of your games to start. If you want your games to start on a certain screen by default, make that your main screen in your display settings. You can change your main display as needed, it is not a permanent choice. To make a display your main display:

Select the display you want to be your main display.
Scroll down to find the checkbox that says “Make this my main display” and check it.
Click apply, and your chosen display is now your main display.

Knowing your main and secondary monitors are essential to making sure your games will start where you want them. If your main monitor is set to the screen you want games on, great! If not, go ahead and switch the main display to where you want most games to start.

Launching Steam Games on your Preferred Monitor

Once you have your display settings set up correctly, you are ready for the fun part: actually launching the game on the monitor you want it to be on. Usually, Steam games will open up on your main monitor by default, but there are ways to get the game to open on the screen you prefer. Let’s go through the various ways to make this happen.

The Simple Drag and Drop Method

The easiest way to get your game on the secondary display is to simply drag it over! Here’s how it’s done:

Launch your game, and if you are playing a fullscreen game, press Alt + Enter to put it in windowed mode (or choose windowed mode in your game options).
Click on the window’s title bar (the top part with the game’s name)
Hold down the left mouse button while on the title bar, and drag the game window to the other monitor.
Once on the secondary monitor, you can then choose to maximize the window or turn it back to fullscreen in the game’s options.

This method is often the quickest and easiest way to move your game, but you’ll need to do this each time you start the game, so you’ll want to look at the following sections for better solutions.

Using Steam’s Built-in Settings to Target A Specific Display

Although Steam doesn’t have a setting that always forces your games to open on a specific monitor, some games do have their own in-game settings that can force the game to open on your desired display. When we do this, the game will remember our preference for the next time. You can usually find display settings inside the graphics or display options section of a game’s settings menu, not in Steam itself.

To access these settings in a Steam game:

Open the game you would like to configure.
Look for the Options or Settings menu from within the game’s menu.
Look for “Graphics”, “Display”, or other display-related settings.
You might find a specific dropdown menu that lets you pick the monitor you want the game to use.
Choose your secondary monitor and click apply.

It is important to note that not all games have this option, so it may not be available for every game in your library.

Using Windows Game Bar

The Windows Game Bar can be a great tool for managing your games, including moving them between monitors. Game bar is a free feature that comes with Windows. You can access the Game Bar by pressing Windows Key + G while playing a game. Here’s how you can use it:

Launch your game and press Windows Key + G to open the Game Bar overlay.
Look for the “Capture” widget or a similarly titled widget.
In some games, the Capture widget might let you move the game window between your monitors. It will appear as a small icon of two screens, when clicked, the game will be moved to the other monitor.
If you do not see an option to move the window, this functionality may not be available in all games.

Command Line Launch Options for Steam Games

For advanced users who want more control, or for cases where in game options fail, using command line launch options for Steam games can be a solution. Command line arguments are special codes you can tell Steam to use when launching a game, and one of these is useful for specifying what display you would like the game to open on.

Here is how you can add a launch option to your Steam game:

Right-click on the game in your Steam library.
Select “Properties”.
Click on the “General” tab.
Under “Launch Options” type in the following:

To open on the second monitor you would write the launch option:

-window-position X Y -screen-fullscreen

Where X and Y are the horizontal and vertical coordinates of the top left corner of your second monitor. We need to figure out these values before we can use them. This might sound complicated, but it’s not too hard. Here’s how you can find the values for X and Y for a specific monitor:

Go back to the display settings we talked about before
Look at the layout of the monitor diagrams, and see what the x and y coordinates for your second monitor are. They will show up on top of the monitors.
These values will be different for every setup.

For example, if my main screen is a 1920×1080 monitor, and the top left corner of my second monitor begins at x:1920, y:0, then I will write the following in the launch options:

-window-position 1920 0 -screen-fullscreen

If the second monitor was below your main screen, then the y value will start from 1080 and then you will need to add the height of the main screen monitor (e.g. 1920×1080 so y would be 1080 if the top of second screen is aligned to the bottom of main screen). This may take some experimentation to get the values just right, if your monitors have different resolutions. Also, the game may not always comply with these instructions, because it does not support the same option.

You can also force a game to be in windowed mode using the following launch option:

-windowed

You can combine command line options using spaces. For example, to launch the game on the second screen and in windowed mode, your command line arguments could look like the following:

-window-position 1920 0 -windowed

Remember to experiment with these options to find the perfect fit for your system and each game.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Sometimes, even with all the right settings, you might run into a few issues. Let’s tackle some of the most common ones.

Game Opens on the Wrong Monitor Every Time

If your game stubbornly keeps opening on the wrong screen, try these steps:

Double-check your Main Display: Go back to your Windows display settings and make sure the correct monitor is set as your main display. Sometimes a slight change in settings can cause confusion.
Windowed Mode First: If you are trying to move a fullscreen game, try forcing it into windowed mode before you move it by using alt+enter. Then, after you move the window, make it fullscreen again.
Game Settings Reset: Sometimes, a game’s settings might get corrupted. Try resetting the game’s graphics or display options to their defaults.
Check for Updates: Make sure both your game and your graphics card drivers are up to date. Outdated software can lead to unexpected behavior.

Game Runs Poorly on the Second Monitor

If your game runs fine on your main monitor but struggles on the secondary one, here’s what you can do:

Resolution Mismatch: Make sure your game’s resolution is set correctly for your secondary monitor. If the resolution is set to a higher resolution than what your second monitor is capable of, it may cause performance issues.
Refresh Rate: Check the refresh rate settings for your monitors. It’s best to have the same refresh rate for both. You can change your monitor’s refresh rate from Windows Display Settings.
Graphics Card Connection: If one monitor is connected to the motherboard and not the dedicated graphics card, this may cause the monitor connected to the motherboard to run poorly. All of your monitors should be connected to the dedicated graphics card in order to get the best performance.

Fullscreen Issues

When games enter fullscreen mode, they take over the entire screen. This can cause problems if you are trying to move a game from one screen to another, and it can be especially problematic if your game is opening on a screen you don’t want. If you are having issues with this, try some of these:

Windowed Fullscreen or Borderless Mode: Use the game’s option menu to select ‘windowed fullscreen’ or ‘borderless’ mode instead of ‘fullscreen’. These modes allow the game to run fullscreen, but it is rendered in a window, which allows you to move it to other screens if needed.
Alt + Enter: In many games, you can press Alt + Enter to toggle between fullscreen and windowed mode on the fly. This can help when a game opens on the wrong monitor.

Tips for a Smooth Multi-Monitor Gaming Experience

With everything set up and working well, there are still a few extra things you can do to make your multi-monitor setup even better.

Proper Monitor Placement

Think about how you physically position your screens. Ideally, they should be side-by-side or stacked in a way that feels comfortable. If you have your secondary monitor way off to the side, it can be a bit of a pain to look at it every time you need to glance over. If you are using a vertical monitor, keep in mind how you want your mouse movements to behave. For example, placing the secondary screen directly above the primary screen will feel more fluid as you can easily swipe the mouse upwards to move to the secondary screen.

Use Shortcuts

Get to know some handy shortcuts. Using Windows Key + Shift + Left/Right Arrow Keys will quickly move active windows to the other monitor. You can use these hotkeys to move any window, not just game windows. If you use multiple monitors often, shortcuts will be a lifesaver.

Background Apps

Choose what goes on each monitor. Use the secondary screen for other applications, such as Discord, a game guide, or a live stream, to keep the information you need easy to access.

Setting up a multi-monitor setup for gaming can initially seem like a puzzle, but it can make your gaming experience much better. With the instructions and tips in this guide, you should be able to easily move any game to any screen you like with ease. Now that you are an expert on using multiple monitors, you will be able to keep playing your games while keeping all of your useful information easily in view.

How to Open Game on Second Monitor on Steam (Full 2024 Guide)

Final Thoughts

In short, to open steam games on second monitor, first select the game’s properties in your library. Then, under “General,” find the “Launch Options” field and input -windowed -monitor 2. Finally, this forces the game to launch on your secondary screen, if it’s correctly setup. This method works for many games.
Remember, some games might not fully support this, and require manual adjustments within the game’s graphics settings. For some cases you can use windowed mode and move the window manually.