Question Why Doesn't Windows 10 Have a 'Third Screen Only' Option?

[Michael2211]

I have a three-display setup: one monitor connected via DisplayPort, another via HDMI, and a virtual display linked to my tablet using Artemis & Apollo. The DisplayPort and HDMI monitors are my primary screens, while the tablet serves as a portable gaming display, allowing me to play anywhere in the house.

When only the DisplayPort and HDMI monitors are connected, Windows Display Settings allows me to switch between them using the "Show only on 1" or "Show only on 2" options. However, when the virtual display is connected, there’s no option to display exclusively on the third screen. Instead, Windows only allows me to duplicate between 1 and 3 or 2 and 3, or extend across all displays.

Why is there no "Show only on 3" option?

Windows correctly detects all three monitors, as I can extend my desktop across them. However, I want to use only the third monitor without having to disconnect the second.

Is there a way to enable a "Third screen only" mode in Windows 10 without physically unplugging the second monitor?

 

[ferdnyc]

If I had to GUESS why you can't do what you want, my guess would be that the third screen rendering is performed as an "offscreen" virtual extension of one of the first two screens, taking advantage of the GPU that serves those physical screens. (In other words, one of your two physical outputs is resized internally to encompass both the connected display *and* the tablet screen, and the rendered output in that extended region is sent to the tablet.)

If that's the case, then it stands to reason that you can't disable both of the physical outputs of the GPU without also disabling your virtual screen. It may just be a limitation of the hardware.