Dual Monitor Support

[Anonymous]

I feel that most of us use dual monitors for our CAD stations. Will AutoCAD ever support more dual monitor goodies like docking, using both screens, etc?

Thanks.

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

you can use dual monitor today, you can either place palettes outside of your application window on the second monitor, you can stretch the AutoCAD application window to go from the leftmost up to the rightmost monitor (just tried it with AutoCAD 2017 to go trough 3 monitors, and it also saves this display config when restarting AutoCAD then).

Well, the first option would be preferred I guess.

- alfred -

[john.vellek]

Hi @Anonymous,

What kind of configuration are you trying to set up with multiple monitors? I currently use three monitors on my workstation.I usually have one dedicated for AutoCAD graphics, a second one for layer and property windows, and the third for other office "stuff".

Please hit the Accept as Solution button if my post fully solves your issue or answers your question.

[Anonymous]

Docked pallettes on the second display would be great. Also, being able to throw/drag a drawing to the other monitor, much like tabbed windows would be AWESOME.

Thanks.

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> being able to throw/drag a drawing to the other monitor, much like tabbed windows would be AWESOME

Stretch the application window to cover 2 monitors, then you can have 2 drawing windows on two separate monitors.

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

Ugh, stretching my window is the last thing I want to do. That isn't dual monitor support but a workaround that is awkward, janky, and plain not fun.

Thanks.

[JWillisWaters]

Do you mean that you would like to have two different .dwg files open without having to tab between them to copy and paste between them or leaving one on the second monitor for referencing? Only way I know how to do that is to have AutoCad open twice. Which isn't really fun. 

I usually use my second monitor for the properties and layers box, but I don't konw if you can dock them anywhere unless you drag AutoCAD to both monitors. I just leave them floating. Please correct me if I am wrong, because I would love that option to dock pallets to the 2nd or 3rd monitor without stretching AutoCAD to both or all three. 

[Anonymous]

Yea JWatersFR9V2 thats more along the lines of what I would be looking for, but with the ease of use that tabbed windows like Chrome or Firefox offers.

[john.vellek · Accepted solution]

Hi @Anonymous

Thank you for suggestion how we can improve the product.
I have logged your feedback with product development.

You are also welcome to contact the product team directly through the Product Feedback page. The links below go into more detail about the best ways to make suggestions.
How to provide feedback on Autodesk products
Raising enhancement requests for Autodesk products

Another great option is to participate in the AutoCAD Customer Council. This is an opportunity for our customers to partner with the AutoCAD development team to improve future releases of AutoCAD by giving continuous feedback on ideas, designs, and early builds.
In order to get involved email autocad.beta@autodesk.com 

[PatrickHughes]

You do know that each tabbed drawing is its own window right? So when you've got your main AutoCAD open and stretched, each drawing window can be "un-maximized" (upper right corner drawing window control) and then sized to your satisfaction. Now you're viewing two drawings at the same time, side by side in one AutoCAD instance.

[Anonymous]

Hi, do you know why when I leave my desk for some time and come back all my windows get shifted to the primary monitor?  See Before and After.  Thanks.

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> do you know why when I leave my desk for some time and come

>> back all my windows get shifted to the primary monitor?

Could be sleeping mode of monitor (graphic card detects "monitor 2 missing" and moves all to the primary display)

Could be sleeping mode of graphic card.

Just my 2c, - alfred -

[Anonymous]

Very true, keeping monitors on through the pc's power settings fixed it.  Thank you!   

[rdanie14]

I am running AutoDesk 2018 now and there is still no support that I can see for dual monitors. I both SolidWorks and AutoCAD at work and SolidWorks has a feature called "Span" which works for what you are describing. It maximizes the main application across both screens and you can dock documents to the left, right, or stretch across both screens with automatically. No manual manipulation of windows. That is what AutoDesk needs to work on.

[jfox3294]

I don't mean to exhume an old post, but aside from sleep mode on monitors, it could be a coworker-related issue lol

[Anonymous]

fortunately not ghosts

---

@Anonymous wrote:

Very true, keeping monitors on through the pc's power settings fixed it.  Thank you!   

---

[Reinhardt.Pienaar]

I would also very much like this. I do not want to stretch the window across two or more monitors. A single button that maximises your window across screens would be amazing. Especially when working with multiple views. 

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> A single button that maximises your window across screens would be amazing.

Ask Microsoft as this is an operating system function.

You might ask the graphic card vendor too, I have seen drivers that combine multiple displays to one virtual monitor, so the click to maximize-window thinks it's just one display and expands the application window accordingly.

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

This is great! I have just tried it and I hope this can be improved...autoCAD stretched on 2 monitors

[aholman]

thats the same problem i have, using windows 10 when you got to lunch or your monitors kick into power save mode

the AutoCAD shrinks back to 1 monitor and you have to re-stretch it again across 2 monitors. why wont it stay like it did in windows 7