Multiple Monitors - Have You Tried It?

About two years ago, I began using two monitors  - my laptop's built in monitor and another, larger one.  I have them set up to be two totally different windows, so they are not mirrors of the same content.  That setting is called "extended desktop" and you can find it under Control Panel ->Personalization->Display Settings.

My setup allows me to keep one monitor displaying something, for example some data in a spreadsheet, while another displays something else, like my email.  It took a little while to get used to using both of them, however now I find that I feel lost if I only have one monitor (like when using laptop away from office).


It's really useful for a few things that I often do:

• when doing any copy/paste from one document/spreadsheet to another
• during design or development on a website, to view the page as it appears on different size screens
• to monitor my email as I'm working on other things
• to read or reference a document while writing another document
• to work on a document or spreadsheet while displaying a presentation using a projector
• to work on a document while also looking at a webmeeting

If you've never tried to use multiple monitors, especially if your computer is a laptop with a 15" or smaller screen, it's worthwhile to try it.  You can buy an inexpensive monitor sized at 19" or 21" (or even bigger) for around $100 at most electronics stores.  It is essential for anyone who often does multitasking.