How do I show my desktop on monitor 2?

I've searched but I can't find the information I need. I have a monitor and a TV connected. Monitor display 1, TV display 2. When I extend the displays the desktop shows on the TV. I want it to display on the monitor. Setting either display as the main display changes the display where windows open but not where the desktop is displayed.

Please post some screenshots to explain what you mean.
Upload and Attach Images and Files in Post - ElevenForumTutorials

This is a screenshot of my computer with its monitor as Display 1 and an external screen as Display 2.



Oh, and it will probably save a bit of toing & froing if you also post a screenshot of Settings, System, Display.




Denis

The last pic is the desktop displayed on my TV. I want that on my monitor instead.

Your screenshot 4007 makes me think you have told your computer to use the TV as the main display because that checkbox for Make this my main display is only active [clickable] on one display when the other display is set as the main one. So set that checkbox to make the computer's monitor the main display instead - which is what I think you are asking for.


More generally -
- If you use the PrntScrn key [which would be Fn-PrntScrn for many laptops depending on their keyboard design] while you have set it to Extended displays then it will display as my first screenshot did - showing what is on both displays in a single screenshot. And that is what I think will enable me to understand your situation better.
- If you use Option 1 of that tutorial I will be able to see your screenshots at the same time as your words which will make your posts easier to understand.




Denis

If you have the Nvidia control panel, you can select which monitor is the "Primary" like @Try3 mentioned.
Just right click whichever you want to be Primary and choose that.



In the Nvidia control panel, the asterisk shows which screen is the Primary.
The Primary screen shows the desktop.

I changed monitor to the main display but as you can see the desktop icons are still on the TV.

johnr283 said:

I changed monitor to the main display but as you can see the desktop icons are still on the TV.

Click to expand...

Drag the icons to the Main display.

Please would you click on the Identify button in Settings, System, Display then post your new 4007, 4007 screenshots as one single screenshot so all the info can be seen together - firstly with display 1 selected and then with display 2 selected. I'll add mine in a minute as examples.


Denis

In both these screenshots [left large so you can read all the text in them], the lower half is my computer monitor [Display 1] & the upper part is an external monitor [Display 2].
In the first picture, Display 1 is selected for its details to be displayed as you can see in the display layout diagram at the top.
You can see that the control/checkbox is inactive, greyed out, because it is already the main display so it cannot be switched to become the main display.


When I then select Display 2 so its details are displayed, that checkbox is not greyed out, it is active so that you can, if you wish, set it to be your main display.


And do note that the display layout diagram at the top just changes which display's details are shown in Settings, System, Display - it is not a mechanism for changing which of them is the main display - you use the checkbox for that decision.


Denis