HOW DO I MAKE A PROGRAM OPEN ON A SPECIFIC MONITOR THAT I DESIGNATE EVERY TIME I WANT TO OPEN IT?

Anonymous
2024-02-15T00:34:12+00:00

This isn't a new question but I've seen it asked here for 15 years and 3 OS variants with no actual answer (you'd think this would be something to work on instead of obfuscating how to get to your control panel, file, and drive locations while trying to turn my +$3K pc into a sub $400, non-portable tablet with no touch screen).

HOW DO I MAKE A PROGRAM OPEN ON A SPECIFIC MONITOR EVERY TIME?

Note, the question is NOT how to move a program after you open it; it is NOT how to change primary display; it is NOT how to anything other the actual question asked as specifically as the question is. If there is no answer and Windows just isn't able to (and our programmers don't care to work on it) just say so.

I have an OLED gaming monitor that I paid more for than I would ever have wanted to pay for a monitor and would like it to last as long as possible. I would therefore like it not to be the primary display. I only use it for media and gaming. The problem is that windows doesn't let me choose secondary displays to open games and reverts half of the applications I open and move over back to the primary display. I can do this with some games but most default to only opening on the primary monitor. I have a good LCD monitor I use for productivity and streaming while playing games that I would like to remain my main display where most apps, and all non-media apps, are default opening. So far the only way I know to do it is to turn the OLED off unless I am using it. This solution is clunky and kind of like using a kitchen knife to sharpen pencils when a pencil sharpener is can be made.

So please don't answer this if you are going to give the same non-answers I've been reading while searching for an answer to this (going back 15 years btw, because someone really cares about the user experience). If you have a real answer please give it, again, even if it is "we don't have a way and don't care to make one."

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Display and graphics

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  1. Anonymous
    2025-04-10T04:33:35+00:00

    JUST PRESS AND HOLD WINDOWS KEY + LEFT SHIFT THEN PRESS THE DIRECTION KEY OF THE DESIRED SCREEN ACCORDING TO YOUR DISPLAY POSTION SETTINGS.....EASY PEASY

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  2. Anonymous
    2025-04-07T12:31:10+00:00

    Frank,

    I am not looking for monitor placement of the Remote Desktop. I looking for placement of applications I open on the Remote Desktop to be in specific monitors. For example, I would like Outlook in monitor 2 and Edge in monitor 3 and so on. All apps open in the "main display", then I have to manually move them to the monitor I want them in.

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-02-26T18:30:43+00:00

    Thanks Frank.

    All of the suggestions you provided were in past replies, and none work for me with any consistency or regularity.

    I have all my xlsx documents on one wide-screen monitor, and regardless of any "zones/fences" or general Win11 position, setting or -screen:X parameter (which doesn't work), if I shift between systems with my KVM, or launch another instance of Excel, it moves some, if not all, of my current xlsx windows back to the default monitor. Acrobat doesn't do that, nor does any other non-MS app. Just MS. Word is equally frustrating, as it will open on the last active monitor I was using. But One-Note stays where I put it. Same with Edge. TEAMs is its own problem. It simply doesn't give a ****. It does what it wants. It'll open on a virtual desktop, Full screen, default to groups, not chat. Sometimes it will just relaunch mid-day and put itself front and center. Excel is the biggest issue as I'll have 5-6 different spreadsheets open at a time, and it's annoying to have to move them repeatedly throughout the day.

    Still. I appreciate the suggestions.

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  4. Anonymous
    2025-02-25T19:26:52+00:00

    Does not work for me either. This should not be so difficult. I have wasted hours trying to fix this problem

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  5. Anonymous
    2025-02-21T18:34:54+00:00

    So I know this is a year late a saw this while searching for the answer myself but I knew what I was looking for because I've done it before and always forget how to so on a thing about windows 7 and 8 they say to hit windows key + shift + enter while the app is where you want it and clicked on it doesn't seem to always work tho it's weird so I move it to where I want it to open hit this combination immediately close and re open and see if it reopens where I wanted it sometimes take more than one try and even after it works I normally hit the button combination and close and open a second time just in case cause I've had it change it after a restart on me but normally after this it continues to open where I want

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