Question How does Windows 10 assign numbers to multiple displays?

[modeonoff]

Hi, in Settings->Display, monitors are often numbered by Windows. How does Windows assign the numbers? Can it be changed?

 

[USAFRet]

Hi, in Settings->Display, monitors are often numbered by Windows. How does Windows assign the numbers? Can it be changed?

It is probably a condition of which port they are connected to.

But the ID number does not really matter.

This is my 3...

They do not have to go in order, left to right.

 

[modeonoff]

If possible, I would prefer Windows to number them as 1-2-3 even it does not matter.

Another confusion is that Nvidia Control Panel numbers the displays differently from Windows. So arranging the displays under Nvidia Control Panel does not change the numberings in Windows's display settings.

 

[USAFRet]

If possible, I would prefer Windows to number them as 1-2-3 even it does not matter.

Another confusion is that Nvidia Control Panel numbers the displays differently from Windows. So arranging the displays under Nvidia Control Panel does not change the numberings in Windows's display settings.

Change which physical ports the monitors are connected to.
What happens?

 

[modeonoff]

For Windows PC, is it safe to unplug and re-plug the video cable while the machine is on?

 

[hotaru.hino]

Hi, in Settings->Display, monitors are often numbered by Windows. How does Windows assign the numbers? Can it be changed?

It's likley in order of what GPU the system enumerates them in (so integrated GPUs go before discrete GPUs) and by the port numbers in the GPU itself. So if ports 1, 2, and 3 were HDMI, DP and DP in your video card, anything plugged into the HDMI port is always going to be monitor #1.

So this can't be changed.

For Windows PC, is it safe to unplug and re-plug the video cable while the machine is on?

Yes.

In any case, the numbering is simply for identification purposes.

 

[modeonoff]

It's likley in order of what GPU the system enumerates them in (so integrated GPUs go before discrete GPUs) and by the port numbers in the GPU itself.

Thanks. I only use the DisplayPort ports. So what I should do is to figure out which physical port corresponds to which number?

 

[hotaru.hino]

Thanks. I only use the DisplayPort ports. So what I should do is to figure out which physical port corresponds to which number?

Just plug in monitors into various ports and see what number they come up with.

In my case, my video card's outputs, if you look it from the backplate are DP, HDMI, DP. To test things out, I have a 4K, 1080p, and 1440p monitor hooked up to those ports in that order. This is what Windows shows me:

If I swap the 1440p and 4K monitors however, this is what it shows me:

So we can infer then that the first DP port is monitor #1, the second DP port is monitor #2, and the HDMI port is monitor #3.

However if I don't have the 4K monitor plugged in:

Now the 1080p monitor shows up as monitor #2.

Your video card may vary in how it assigns the numbers, but you can't really figure it out unless you actually try playing around with it.