Displaying Mac, Windows screens on two monitors?

F

FrankO1

Member
I'm using Windows 10 under Parallels Desktop 13 in coherence mode in macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 on my MacBook Pro.

I just bought a free-standing HDMI video monitor. I'd like to plug it into the HDMI port on the MacBook Pro, and set things up so that a Windows 10 window appears on the external monitor, while the Mac desktop appears on the laptop's built-in display.

Is this possible? If so, what do I need to do to configure it? Also, assuming this can be accomplished, how do I then toggle the keyboard/touchpad/etc between controlling the Mac vs Windows systems?
 
Switch to normal window mode.
Drag the window onto the second screen.
Stretch it to fill the screen.

You now have a 'Windows window' on this screen and the Mac desktop on the other.
The Touchpad, keyboard etc., will control whichever you use. If your mouse cursor goes over a Mac icon on it's screen and you click, the Mac application will be selected. Move across onto the other screen and click, and the Windows application will be selected. When you click on the Windows application, it'll get keyboard focus, click on the Mac application and it'll have keyboard focus. All the running applications will also be available using Alt Tab, and when you select one, it has the focus. It's like having the two computer side by side, and your mouse can move across both.
 
Last edited:
RogerH6 said:
Switch to normal window mode.
Drag the window onto the second screen.
Stretch it to fill the screen.
Click to expand...

Thanks, that seems to work pretty well. Windows 10 defaults to opening in full-screen mode, so I need to exit from that before I can drag it over (I gather that is your first instruction, switching the normal window mode). Where do you normally do that?
 
This is one of the option combinations from the Parallels button on the Mac top bar. I just can't remember what it is actually called, and am not on the machine with Parallels on it at the moment...
I think it may be the one you get if you turn all the other view options 'off'.
 
RogerH6 said:
This is one of the option combinations from the Parallels button on the Mac top bar.
Click to expand...
I see that there, thanks. However, I also noticed that when I start a new Parallels session with Windows 10 with the external monitor attached, Parallels appears to remember my last screen layout and puts the Windows frame on the external monitor, the Mac desktop on the MacBook's built-in monitor. So it's just what I was looking for. Thanks again for the help.
 
Exactly.
That is how I run it, and it works well. Windows on one screen and the Mac stuff on the other. Like most things it is down to working out what actual settings you ticked to get it like this!...
Glad you have it suiting you now. :)
 
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