How do I setup dual monitors in XFCE?

Question

I've got an laptop with a intel chip, and I'd like to setup dual monitors in Xfce.

How do I do this?

Solution 1

First, open up monitor config - it's in Start > Settings > Settings Manger, then open the Display item.

Make sure both your displays are on.

Then, open a terminal and run this:

xrandr

The output will look something like this:

Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 2464 x 900, maximum 4096 x 4096
LVDS1 connected 1024x600+1440+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 220mm x 129mm
   1024x600       60.0*+   65.0  
   800x600        60.3     56.2  
   640x480        59.9  
VGA1 connected 1440x900+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 408mm x 255mm
   1440x900       59.9*+   75.0  
   1280x1024      75.0     60.0  
   1280x960       60.0  
   1280x800       74.9     59.8  
   1152x864       75.0  
   1024x768       75.1     70.1     60.0  
   832x624        74.6  
   800x600        72.2     75.0     60.3     56.2  
   640x480        72.8     75.0     66.7     60.0  
   720x400        70.1

Then, run the following, changing VGA1 and LVDS1 to match the appropriate display:

xrandr --output VGA1 --left-of LVDS1

Note that you can move change --left-of to --right-of.

Now, it should work, but you've still got one problem.

It will disappear after you logout. So, you need to add it to your login items.

Head over to Start > Settings > Settings Manger, then open "Session and Startup", add the above command to your login items, and you're good to go!

Solution 2

There is a different solution to this problem.

According to this article, xfce 4.11 and 4.12 have implemented multi-monitor set-up out of the box. I guess this question will therefore be obsolete for ubuntu 13.04.

Meanwhile, for ubuntu 12.04 and 12.10, one can use the xfce 4.12 ppa :

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:xubuntu-dev/xfce-4.12
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
xfce4-display-settings -m

Solution 3

Now you can use Arandr.

It allows you to do that in visual editor and then save settings as shell script with xrandr command script.

Then you can add it to autostart.

Solution 4

I had the same problem and solved it using a graphical application. The name is grandr and it is in the universe repository (Ubuntu 11.04). You can change your dual setup at will. I hope that it helps.

Solution 5

If you have a "monitor switching" button on your keyboard

1. Plug in external monitor.
2. Click your monitor switching button, and then in the "Displays" dialog choose what monitor you want to use, or if you want one to extend the other or mirror the other:

---

If you have no "monitor switching" button on your keyboard

1. In the Whisker menu, find the Setting Manager and click Display (or search for Display in the Whisker menu).
2. Check "Configure new displays when connected", and close the dialog:
3. Plug in the external monitor
4. The "Displays" dialog should have popped up automatically, now you can choose what monitor you want to use, or if you want one to extend the other or mirror the other:

---

More information: http://docs.xfce.org/xfce/xfce4-settings/display

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Comments

[sam]

Interesting to point that solutions to this issues provided here makes possible to not use proprietary drivers (in a convenient way)!

[slashmais]

I created this account just so I can upvote your really helpful question & answer. I use debian-testing and got that ugly mess called gnome3 which I replaced with xfce4 - and now I'm totally happy :-)

[shay.porteous]

This will allow you to specify 'VGA1 is right of HDMI1' but fail to give you a vertical offset if the monitors are a different size. Arandr will cover this.

[sam]

Glad to learn it comes to XFCE...

[sam]

As arandr is a new solution, see the answer above

[jaorizabal]

@jrg I did xrandr --output CRT1 --left-of LVDS but I get xrandr: screen cannot be larger than 1600x1600 (desired size 2766x1050) when it's resolution is 1400x1050. What should I do?

[Admin]

Three years later! Thank you lots, this helped much more than you know!

[Aaron J Lang]

This is a good answer, but you'll have to repeat it for every user on a multi-user system. For a one-time system-wide solution see wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/…

[Alex]

Thanks alot! Works great on debian wheezy. ( Only difference: the "seetings manager" is called "session and startup" here )

[crysman]

I used to use the default system dialogue invoked by Fn+F8 or SUPER+P on my notebook (it runs "xfce4-display-settings --minimal" as may be seen in keyboard shortcuts), but after upgrade to 15.10 I am experiencing very unpleasant issue: although the second monitor is active and displays the desktop, I am unable to move windows beyond some vertical point - anybody experiencing this?

[crysman]

this problem has been solved by rebooting. I am unable to edit my previous comment, so I have to add a new one, sorry :/

[Gavin Simpson]

2021 with xfce on Ubuntu 18.04, and still working.