Monitor Preference Tool

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Use the Monitor preference tool to configure the monitors that your computer uses.

Note - On most laptop keyboards, you can use the key combination Fn+F7 to cycle between several typical monitor configurations without starting Monitor Preferences.

Choose System → Preferences → Monitor to display the Monitor preference tool.

Drag the graphical representations of the monitors in the upper left part of the window to set how your monitors are arranged. Monitor Preferences displays small labels in the top left corner of each monitor to help you identify which rectangle corresponds to which monitor.

Changes you make in Monitor Preferences don't take effect until you click the Apply button. Settings will revert to their previous settings unless you confirm the changes. This is to prevent bad display settings from rendering your computer unusable.

The following table below describes the monitor preferences

Table 10-12 Monitor Preferences

Dialog Elements	Description
Same image in all monitors	When this option is selected, your entire desktop will fit on a single monitor, and every monitor will show the same copy of your desktop. When it is not selected, your desktop spans multiple monitors, and each monitor shows only a part of your entire desktop.
Detect monitors	Finds monitors that have been recently added or plugged in.
Show monitors in panel	Adds an icon to your panel that enables you to quickly change certain settings without opening the Monitor preference tool.

The following list explains the options you can set for each monitor. The currently selected monitor is the one whose graphical representation has a bold black outline. It is also indicated by the background color of the section label.

On / Off – Individual monitors can be completely disabled by selecting Off.
Resolution – Determines the resolution to use for the currently selected monitor. Resolution refers to the pixel dimensions of the screen. A larger resolution means that more items fit on the screen, but everything will be smaller.
Refresh rate – Determines the refresh rate to use for the currently selected monitor. The refresh rate determines how often the computer redraws the screen. A refresh rate that is too low (below 60) makes the monitor flicker and can cause visual discomfort. This problem is less noticeable on LCD displays.
Rotation – Determines the rotation for the currently selected monitor. This option might not be supported on all graphics cards.