How to Clone Primary Display to Multiple Monitors with the Help of Actual Multiple Monitors

1. Introduction

2. How to Clone the Primary Display to Multiple Monitors

3. Conclusion

1. Introduction

Many Windows users wonder how to clone the primary monitor to several additional displays, as the standard system facilities allow cloning the primary monitor to a single additional monitor only. But with the help of Actual Multiple Monitors you will be able to overcome this limitation easily.

2. How to Clone the Primary Display to Multiple Monitors

To get the primary monitor's picture cloned onto more than one secondary monitor, Actual Multiple Monitors offers the Desktop Mirroring feature with the support of hardware video acceleration. All you need is to configure this feature properly:

1. Open the configuration window of Actual Multiple Monitors and follow to its Mirroring panel.

2. Create a new mirror by clicking the Add Item button.

3. Set the source type of the created mirror to Monitor, and select your primary monitor in the "Source monitor" combo box below.

4. In the Mirroring Settings group, check the "Start automatically" option (to run the mirror as soon as Actual Multiple Monitors starts) and the "Run as full-screen on" option, then select the desired target monitor in the related combo box; also, make sure that the "Use hardware acceleration" option is checked (it should by default).

5. (optional) Specify a hotkey combination to start/stop this mirror manually as circumstances require.

6. Repeat the steps 2-5 for all other monitors to be used for displaying the primary monitor's picture, then save your changes by clicking the Apply button. If Actual Multiple Monitors is running at the moment then you will get the cloned primary monitor's picture on all those monitors; otherwise, run Actual Multiple Monitors.

As the cloned picture on all used monitors is just a common full-screen window, the mouse pointer can be moved there freely so leaving the primary monitor. To avoid this, lock the mouse pointer inside the primary monitor:

• Open the configuration window and follow to its Mouse - Multiple Monitors panel.

• Activate the Lock mouse in monitor option.

• Apply changes, move the mouse pointer to the primary monitor, and press <Alt+P> (by default) to lock the mouse pointer within its boundaries.

As a result, you get a multi-monitor environment with a primary monitor cloned to an arbitrary number of secondary monitors (the actual number depends on your hardware capabilities).

3. Conclusion

Using the Desktop Mirroring feature in a way described above, you can clone any monitor to any other monitor, no matter how those monitors are actually connected.