Dual monitors and fullscreen fiasco, is there a work around?

I think i might have a solution to this issue well it worked for me , I recently bought a new screen for my iMac and was having the fabric cloth issue.

To rectify it i bought a program off the Mac AppStore called Better Snap Tool, this tool is similar to a Windows feature in which you snap the window to the right side and it takes up half the screen on the right etc snap to the left it takes up half the screen on the left etc, however if you snap the screen to the top it full screens the app without using the arrows in the top right hand corner, so you are free to put on desktop 1 whatever you wish. I think you might have to do a bit of tinkering for it to display in full when you snap to the top or oit could be the default I cant remember. Above is my result.

In short

Download Better Snap Tool from Mac AppStore (maybe tinker with the settings)

open a program you want to full screen and drag it on to monitor 2

snap it to the top and watch it full screen

open another program on monitor 1snap it to the top and there you have it two apps open full screen

I recommend seeing if it is possible to get a trial of this software maybe from there website as i will not be held responsible for anyone trying this method then finding it doesnt work for them and leaving them out of pocket

The fact that we have to pay and copy Windows functionality for this is absurd I know.

Those are not full screen, they are simply maximised windows.

I agree but its near enough until Apple eventually fixes the problem maybe one day. And saves maximizing for optimal window display yourself

I believe that this is the answer to your question; you can play your movie through iTunes and it will make that fullscreen on one of your monitors, while leaving the others free to work or whatever you please.

I hope this helps you 🙂

Sam

For the 35th time.... and how exactly does this help the rest of us doing WORK who can't use OTHER PROGRAMS full screen?

Apple don't care and don't communicate.

Well, donebylee mentioned in his post 'I know I don't have to use fullscreen, but it was nice to be able to view a Quicktime movie fullscreen on one monitor while continuing to work on the other.'

So, this script will allow him to watch a fullscreen movie on one display and continue to work on the other. I said that in my last post.

It is also on the website that I linked to if you want to take a look at that.

Sorry Glennny2Lappies, I thought that you had replied to my post but just relalised it was to Big Al2.

I have to say that this is my feeling too. I am still within the two-week period where I can decide to return my Macbook Pro (top of the line model) and this issue is the first that is making me seriously debate it. I was due for a new laptop (I am a PC person) but I could not justify spending the money on any of the clunky trash that is now called a laptop for the PC market. So, I purchased the 768gb 2.8ghz Macbook Pro for work (engineering).

But, this full-screen issue for two monitors is insane. Apple needs to respond to this. It makes zero sense to block out the other monitor when I am not even clicking anything on it. It makes zero sense to have both monitors scroll when I use the 'four finger' gesture with the focus on a single screen. None of this behaviour is intuitive in any way. Also, my Macbook Pro keeps reverting to 'mirror' mode even though I never go to the display settings and check it.

Apple, I would be happy if you just said, "A fix for multiple monitor and full-screen mode is in the works."

Hallo - i found that discussion somehow interesting and funny. However, when I correct understand the different points and reduce the polemic part: what you want is, that both screens works independently. like, if you have the mouse in one screen and wipe, then only that screen should change the selected desk. The other remains the same.

I am not sure, is there an example where it works that way ? As far as I can remember, I do not know that functionality in Windows or Linux (but I am willing to get educated).

To be honest, I had not really a point where I missed that and I am regularly in customer meetings and use the Projector for the customer view and the laptop screen for my view.

I can imagine, it would be a nice feature to separate the screens and then to have customer views sorted over different desks and the primarly screen is showing my view, also sorted as I want.

However, I am using the Maximize and Full Screen and did not have a real issue. But other people might see it different. With the foresaid limitations, the second screen is an extension of the primarly, I was always able to manage my stuff in way in front of the customer that it was fully satisfying.

@bjohnson: not sure what you meant with "reverting to mirror..." but what I can see is, that my Mac is remembering the second screen and my arrangements (like the different wallpaper) and only for new second devices it is in a mirror mode. I experienced that also during a customer meeting. I entered the room, attached their projector and found an arrangement which I made months ago (i even forgot that I was already in that room)

Ciao

I can only speak for myself. I just want it to work logically. Maximising one screen to have the other blanked is utterly ridiculous.

It makes sense for both screens to be linked as they are; 'swiping' with the mouse affects both screens simultaniously. Just stop this stupidity of blanking screens.

hm, I wouldnt call it stupidity because that mode is described by Apple as it works: full focus on one application. What I experienced in the beginning was, that Full Screen only worked on the primarly screen. I had attached a larger second screen and wanted to have it on the secondary display. But that is working

If I want both screens active but full screen, then i use the MAximize. But I learnt not all people in that discussion acknowledge it as sufficient.

R.

I call it rank stupidity when it is not doing what *all* other operating systems do -- including OSX prior to Lion with its tablet-inpired nonsense.

It's infuriating when you maximise one application that *all* other applications become unavailable. This kills the whole point of a windowed interface where you do more than one thing at once -- e.g. on the other monitor or even in front of the foreground application. That may be fine on an iPad, but it is is completely sub-optimal on a full-sized desktop with multiple monitors.

Yep. Fullscreen behavior and Mission control are still completely screwed up because they won't operate independently of one another. So I want to have a full screen safari window on one display and browse some finder windows on the other at the same time? I'm out of luck. Apple should implement two simple user options in addition to the current limited setup where Mission Control mirrors on both displays.

1) Allow users to set mission control on desktops to work independently for each display. So three finger swipe would only change one desktop view depending on where the cursor was located, and full screen apps would work independently from each other according to which display's Mission Control they were located in.

2) Allow Mission Control to treat the multiple displays as an array. You would set the position of the multiple displays to the right or left of each other in the System Prefs. > Display > Arrangement option. Say I have Desktop 1, Desktop 2, and Desktop 3 open in mission control. I have my main monitor display Desktop 1, and the monitor to my right display Desktop 2. I swipe left with 3 fingers on either display, and both Desktops move in sync, so now my main monitor displays Desktop 2, and the monitor to my right displays Desktop 3. This would allow for a more flexible arrangement of virtual desktops, and multiple fullscreen apps could still be open at the same time.

Thanks Apple, for doing nothing about this for so long.

Yes - it should allow you to choose either mode. In my office, I've got two identical, external monitors that I want it to treat as a single display - including putting wallpaper across both. Why is that so difficult.

In meetings, I need to connect to a video projector. In that mode, I want the external display (the projector) running an app in fullscreen (and not just to watch a movie!! Why does everyone in this forum think the only use is to watch movies on one screen???) while the internal monitor can be running other apps and switching spaces independently without screwing up what people are seeing on the projector.

My laptop at work was just upgraded from XP to Win7 and I see greatly improved multi-screen support from MS. Why can't Apple do as well?

unfrostedpoptart wrote:

My laptop at work was just upgraded from XP to Win7 and I see greatly improved multi-screen support from MS. Why can't Apple do as well?

Rest assured, Microsoft followed Apple's trend in Windows 8. While the classic desktop still works as one would expect, the Start screen tiled apps do the fullscreen thing. Annoying.

It's as though Apple and MS have convinced themselves that we're in a post-PC world WHILE USING THE BLASTED THINGS.

Sowwy for yelling. 😝