Comparison of multi-monitor software
PC setups with multiple monitors become more and more popular not only among professionals but also for home users (especially the simplest and most reasonable dual-monitor configuration). However, even modern versions of Windows, such as Windows 7, provides the very basic support for multi-monitor desktops.
The following table compares the software utilities which extend the multi-monitor abilities of the Windows operating system.
Features
|
Actual Multiple Monitors |
DisplayFusion |
Dual Monitor Taskbar |
Dual Monitor Tools |
MultiMon Taskbar |
UltraMon |
ZBar |
Homepage |
Homepage |
Homepage |
Homepage |
Homepage |
Homepage |
Homepage |
Homepage |
Price |
$29.95 USD[1] |
$24.95 USD[1] |
Free |
Free |
$28 USD[1] |
$39.95 USD |
Free |
Version |
3.4.2 Pro |
3.4 Pro |
1.10 |
1.4 |
3.0 Pro |
3.1.0 |
0.81 |
Release |
22.11.2011 |
02.10.2011 |
04.11.2011 |
01.06.2010 |
Unknown |
20.12.2010 |
13.12.2010 |
Supported OS |
Windows 8[2] / 7 / Server / Vista / 2008 / XP / 2003 / 2000 (x86 / x64) |
Windows 8[2] / 7 / Server / Vista / 2008 / XP / 2003 / 2000 (x86 / x64) |
Windows 7 / 2008 R2 |
Windows 7 / Vista / XP |
Windows 7 / Vista / 2000 / XP |
Windows 7 / Vista / 2000 / XP (x86 / x64) |
Windows 7 / Vista / XP |
Multi-monitor Taskbar (emulation of the main Windows Taskbar on secondary monitors) |
Individual mode[3] |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Mirror mode[4] |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Support of Windows native visual themes[5] |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Support of custom visual themes[6] |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Start button |
Yes |
Yes |
Partial[8] |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Notification area[9] |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Clock |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Clock/Calendar Popup |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Toolbars (Quick Launch, Desktop, Windows Media Player, etc.) |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Semi-transparency |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Thumbnail previews |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Auto-hide |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Change taskbar buttons' alignment[10] |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Grouping similar buttons |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Multi-preview for group buttons |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Reordering taskbar buttons |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Reordering icons in the notification area |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Minimize all windows |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes[11] |
No |
Yes[12] |
No |
Custom taskbar settings per-taskbar[13] |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Advanced Windows 7 features |
Pin buttons to taskbar |
Yes |
Partial[14] |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
State icons on buttons[15] |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Progress indicators on buttons[16] |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Aero Peek |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Control buttons in thumbnail previews[17] |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Show Desktop button |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Aero Shake |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Jump Lists |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Context menus for Jump List items |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Show hidden notification area icons in the special fly-out window |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
Actual Multiple Monitors |
DisplayFusion |
Dual Monitor Taskbar |
Dual Monitor Tools |
MultiMon Taskbar |
UltraMon |
ZBar |
Multi-monitor Window Management |
Fit to the monitor |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Group window operations |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Change specific window's position at startup |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes[18] |
No |
Specific settings for any application |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes[18] |
No |
Display window size and location when moving/resizing |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Move windows between monitors |
Via additional title bar button |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Via additional command in each window's system menu |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Via hotkeys |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Via middle-click on window's title bar |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Partial[19] |
No |
Maximize windows to entire desktop |
Via additional title bar button |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Via additional command in each window's system menu |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Via hotkeys |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Maximize windows just to selected monitors |
Via additional title bar button |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Via hotkeys |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Snap windows |
To desktop boundaries |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
To each other (from outside) |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
To each other (from inside) |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
To a customizable virtual grid |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Aero Snap on edges between monitors |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Partial |
No |
Aero Snap emulation in XP/Vista |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Moving maximized windows |
Via additional title bar button |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Via hotkeys |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Via mouse dragging |
Yes[20] |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
Actual Multiple Monitors |
DisplayFusion |
Dual Monitor Taskbar |
Dual Monitor Tools |
MultiMon Taskbar |
UltraMon |
ZBar |
Multi-monitor Background Wallpaper Management |
Custom multi-monitor background[21] |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Custom profiles |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Slideshow mode |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Auto-downloading wallpaper pictures from online media library |
No |
Yes[22] |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Custom image sizing modes[23] |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Custom color modes[24] |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Custom image position adjustments per-monitor[25] |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Custom image scaling per-monitor[26] |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Customizable text displayed on the desktop |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Multi-monitor Screen Saver Management |
Custom multi-monitor screen saver[27] |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Multi-monitor Display Management |
Desktop profiles[28] |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Custom display settings for certain applications |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes[18] |
No |
Toggle any secondary monitor |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
Assign wallpaper profile to desktop profile |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Switch desktop profiles via hotkeys |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Switch desktop profiles via title bar buttons |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Switch desktop profiles via Windows Desktop's context menu |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Activate desktop profile at program's startup |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Multi-monitor Mouse Features |
Move mouse to next/previous/primary monitor via hotkeys |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Lock mouse within active window |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Lock mouse within current monitor (hard[29]) |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Lock mouse within current monitor (soft[30]) |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Shrink mouse locking area by custom size |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Custom actions in response to clicks on standard window parts |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Edgeless desktop[31] |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Other Options |
Copy of the Alt-Tab Task Switcher on each monitor |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Exclusions for certain applications |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Title bar buttons management |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Save/Restore position of desktop icons |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Ignore any secondary monitor |
No |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
Customize Windows Logon background image |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Hotkeys management |
Customize key combinations |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Add custom hotkeys |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Mirroring |
Entire monitor on two or more other displays |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Single window |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Selected part of desktop |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Area around the mouse pointer |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
See also
References
- ^ a b c Product has a freeware edition with limited functionality and some licensing restrictions.
- ^ a b Developer Preview build (Build 8102).
- ^ Each taskbar displays only applications running on its host monitor.
- ^ All taskbars display all applications.
- ^ Emulated taskbars look the same as the main taskbar with any native visual theme applied.
- ^ Emulated taskbars look the same as the main taskbar with any custom visual theme applied.
- ^ In beta status yet.
- ^ Secondary taskbars can display a copy of the notification area providing a quick access from any monitor to applications running in background.
- ^ Option to align buttons to the left/right side of the taskbar.
- ^ Via hotkey only.
- ^ Via taskbar's context menu only.
- ^ Each taskbar can have its own settings (including visibility on a specific monitor).
- ^ Adding shortcut buttons to additional taskbars via special configuration window (essentially, it is an analog of Windows Quick Launch toolbar).
- ^ Like Online/Away status for Windows Live Messenger.
- ^ Like IE/Firefox/Chrome download indicators
- ^ Like Previous/Play/Pause/Next buttons for Windows Media Player.
- ^ a b c Via application's desktop shortcut.
- ^ Requires to download an add-on.
- ^ With the Aero Snap emulation enabled.
- ^ Ability to stretch a single picture over entire composite desktop or set an individual picture on each monitor.
- ^ Supports two media libraries: Flickr.com, Vladstudio.com.
- ^ Set one of the available mode for each wallpaper (center, stretch, etc.).
- ^ Overlaying the custom visual effect (Grayscale, Sepia Tone, Inverted, etc.) on the picture.
- ^ Setting the offset for each wallpaper to the left/right/up/down (relative to the center, in pixels).
- ^ Zooming of a wallpaper for each monitor.
- ^ Ability to stretch a single screen saver over entire composite desktop or run an individual screen saver on each monitor.
- ^ Ability to store various desktop configurations as named profiles and switch between them.
- ^ Hard lock keeps the mouse pointer within current monitor unconditionally, until the lock is turned off.
- ^ Soft lock holds the mouse pointer on the boundaries between monitors automatically for a specified time; if user continues dragging the mouse to another monitor longer than this time - the mouse crosses the boundary.
- ^ Tool that automatically warps the mouse pointer to the opposite edge of desktop when user tries to drag the mouse beyond desktop limits.