How to Use Multiple Monitors with Remote Desktop on Windows

Can you use multiple monitors with Remote Desktop?

Thanks to the development of technology, remotely accessing another computer is not a dream anymore. It’s not exaggerated to say that it creates a huge convenience in many aspects such as study, work, and so on. However, can you use multiple monitors with Remote Desktop on Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7?

The answer is totally positive. Remotely accessing a computer with multiple monitors in Remote Desktop allows us to handle more kinds of stuff and the work, study, etc. will be more efficient. Keep reading this post and you’ll get the ways with specific steps to operate.

How to use multiple monitors with Remote Desktop?

Here are four methods for using Remote Desktop with multiple monitors on Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7. However, it should be noted that when using Remote Desktop, Remote Desktop multiple monitors won't work in Windows 7 Professional as it does not natively support multiple monitors. Users must purchase an expensive upgrade to Windows 7 Enterprise or Ultimate editions, or to a newer Windows release, in order to use this feature.

Way 1. Configure RDP

Configuring RDP settings is quite easy. But it only can be operated on Windows 11,10, and 8. If your PC is Windows 7 and earlier, then resorting to the next solution may be more effective to use RDP with multiple monitors.

Step 1. On the local computer, search remote desktop connection in the search box and then open it.

Step 2. Click on Show Options.

Step 3. Locate the Display tab and then check “Use all my monitors for the remote session”.

Step 4. Enter the IP address of the remote computer and then click on Connect.

Step 5. Enter the credentials of the remote computer, and then click on OK.

Now, using a Remote Desktop with multiple monitors can be achieved successfully.

Way 2. Run command line

Apart from that, you can also run the command line to achieve a remote desktop connection with multiple monitors.

Step 1. Press Win + R and then enter “cmd”.

Step 2. Input mstsc.exe -multimon, and then hit Enter.

Step 3. Enter the IP address of the remote PC and then click on Connect.

Step 4. Type in the credentials of the remote computer and then the remote connection will be established successfully. And you can view multiple monitors with Remote Desktop at the same time.

And you can also run the command line mstsc /l in Command Prompt to check the list of the monitors of the remote computer.

Way 3. Create RDP file

We can also create the RDP file to realize Remote Desktop multiple monitors. Now follow me to know how to operate.

Step 1. On the client's PC, go to the Generaltab, and click Save As under Connection settings.

Step 2. Enter the File name you want.

Step 3. Find the saved RDP file, right-click it, and then choose Open with Notepad. Enter “use Multimon:i:1” and save it. In this way, you can directly enable multiple monitors.

Step 4. Search remote desktop connection in the search box and open it. Enter the IP address of the remote PC and then click on Connect. Type in the credentials and then you could view multiple monitors with Remote Desktop.

Way 4. Invoke dialog box

Invoking a dialog box and running commands is also a good idea to connect the remote computer with multiple monitors on Remote Desktop.

Step 1. Press Win + R and then type in mstsc /span and then press the Enter key.

Step 2. Input the IP address of the remote PC and then click on Connect. Enter the credentials. Then remote access to a PC with multiple monitors is successfully realized.

Free alternative to Remote Desktop: supports multi-monitor switch

After the illustration of the 4 ways above, you must clearly know how to use Remote Desktop with multiple monitors. But what if you encounter some issues like “RDP multiple monitors not working” or 2 PCs are not on the same LAN? At this time, remote access software that supports multiple monitors, AnyViewer is recommended.

It is a professional & secure remote access tool that allows you to access a PC with multiple monitors remotely and supports multiple-monitor switch (show all monitors or a specified one) during remote sessions. You could also use it to control multiple PCs at the same time. We know that the connection between 2 PCs with Remote Desktop should be on the same LAN, which seems not convenient in most cases, while AnyViewer can totally avoid the problem for you. More importantly, it is compatible with Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7, including Windows 7 Professional version and Windows 10 Home Edition, and Windows Server 2022/2019/2016/2012 R2.

Step 1. Free download, install, and launch AnyViewer on both computers. To access from mobile devices, download AnyViewer mobile app from App Store or Google Play.

Step 2. Go to Log in > Sign up to create an AnyViewer account.

Step 3. Log into the same account on both computers. Your device will automatically be assigned to the account you've logged in to.

Step 4. On your local device, go to Device, then you can achieve unattended access by clicking One-click control.

Important Note: It's recommended to upgrade to Professional or Enterprise to enjoy more rights, including connecting in privacy mode, controlling more computers from one computer simultaneously, high-quality image, assigning more devices for secure one-click access, and so on

Now you can control a remote computer with dual or multiple monitors. You can click Screen and choose to show all screens or the specified one on the window.

Conclusion

Here in this post, we list the ways to use Remote Desktop with multiple monitors on Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7, such as configuring RDP, running the command line, and creating an RDP file. But when it comes to operability and effectiveness, AnyViewer could be your best choice. The app also supports you to transfer files between remote computers.