Beyond the basics

Windows 8, Windows RT

	Overview
	Change settings
	Keyboard shortcuts
	Multiple monitors
	Access files on other PCs
	Task Manager
	Optimize hard drives

Three monitors showing different screens

Do more with multiple monitors

If you want to get more done at once, consider adding another monitor. Chat with friends on one monitor while you work on another. And some apps, like video editing apps, are easier to work with when they’re spread across two or more monitors.

When you connect additional monitors to your Windows 8 or Windows RT PC, you can:

Use the four corners of any monitor to open the Start screen, charms, and your recent apps.
Open apps from the Windows Store on one monitor and desktop apps on any of them.
Move apps from the Windows Store to another monitor by pressing Windows logo key +PgUp or
Windows logo key +PgDn.
Move desktop apps to the left, center, and right on a monitor and then to the next monitor by pressing
Windows logo key +Right arrow and Windows logo key +Shift+Left arrow.

Note

You can have the Start screen and apps from the Windows Store on only one monitor at a time. When you open the Start screen, charms, or your recent apps on a different monitor, apps from the Windows Store also move to that monitor.

Use taskbars on all of your monitors

Once you have your monitors set up to your liking, you might want to have more than one taskbar to make switching between apps and files easier on the desktop.

Here's how to get taskbars on all of your monitors:

Open the Search charm, enter taskbar, and tap or click Settings.
Tap or click Taskbar.
Under Multiple displays, select the Show taskbar on all displays check box, and then tap or click OK.

You can also change how the buttons appear on your taskbars. Here's how:

Open the Search charm, enter taskbar, and tap or click Settings.
Tap or click Taskbar.
Under Multiple displays, pick the options for how taskbar buttons appear, and then tap or click OK.