How to set resolutions with xrandr using multiple monitors

Question

I want to set specific resolutions to 2 monitors. How can I tell xrandr which monitor to change resolution.

Solution

First list your monitors and resolutions:

xrandr -q

Take note of your monitors names, example (I truncated the output so as to not list all the resolutions)

bodhi@zenix:~$ xrandr -q
Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1920 x 1200, maximum 4096 x 4096
DVI-I-1 connected 1920x1200+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 520mm x 320mm
1920×1200 60.0*+

DVI-I-2 connected 1920x1200+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 520mm x 320mm
1920×1200 60.0*+

Here my monitors are "DVI-I-1" and "DVI-I-2"

With that information you can then set a resolution. Use "--output" and "--mode" to set each monitor's resolution.

xrandr --auto --output DVI-I-2 --mode 1920x1200 --left-of DVI-I-1

See my blog post and/or man xrandr for additional options (setting a resolution or dpi or frequency).

Post back, with the output of xrandr -q if you require specific help with your monitors.

Note: xrandr does not work with proprietary drivers.