Can I set Windows default second-monitor behaviour to "Extend these displays"?

Posted by MT_Head on Super User See other posts from Super User or by MT_Head
Published on 2013-03-06T20:56:06Z Indexed on 2013/11/10 4:00 UTC
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Windows

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multiple-monitors

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duplicate

I travel to multiple offices (and multiple desks in those offices), and whenever possible I plug an external monitor into my laptop. Whenever I plug in a monitor I haven't used before, Windows defaults to "Duplicate these displays" - which messes up the arrangement of icons on my desktop if the external monitor is a different shape from my laptop's monitor. I then select "Extend these displays", and my laptop screen returns to its original shape - but my icons don't go back to their original arrangement. Grrrrr. Fast-forward a few days or weeks; I've got my icons arranged so I can find stuff again - then I go to a new office and it starts all over again. I'm tired of this.

Is it possible to make "Extend these displays" the default behavior?

I'm using Windows 8 x64 Home Premium, but I had the same complaint under Windows 7 x64 Ultimate. (Prior to that, I hadn't discovered the joy of dual displays. Ah, the time I wasted...)

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