Virtual displays¶
Virtual displays are displays that Jump Desktop Connect creates on the remote computer for your session, instead of using the monitors plugged into it. Match them to the device you connect from, so text is sharp and nothing is scaled or letterboxed, or give them an exact size of your own.
- Match your screens exactly. Get one remote display per local screen, with the same size, sharpness, and refresh rate. Work on a desktop tower from a MacBook as if it were built for that screen.
- Set exact resolutions and refresh rates. Choose the size, scale, and refresh rate of each display, up to 16384 pixels per side and 500 Hz, such as an ultra-wide, 5K, or 6K layout above 60 Hz, whatever monitors the remote computer has.
- Skip the monitor. The remote computer doesn't need a monitor or an HDMI emulator (dummy plug). A rack-mounted workstation with nothing attached still gives you a full desktop, and its virtual displays can stay after you disconnect.
- Stream only what you see. A virtual display sized to your window is streamed at your window's size, so a remote 4K monitor isn't sent in full to a laptop screen.
Why use virtual displays¶
Without virtual displays, a session shows the remote computer's own monitors (Host Displays), and your screen has to adapt to them. Virtual displays turn that around: the remote computer adapts to your screen.
| Host Displays | Virtual displays | |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution | The closest size the remote computer's monitors support. | Exactly the size you ask for, up to 16384 pixels per side. |
| Refresh rate | Each display uses its monitor's refresh rate. The session's frame rate isn't limited to it. | Your screen's refresh rate, or any rate you set up to 500 Hz. |
| Fit in your window | Scaled down or letterboxed when the sizes differ. | Matched virtual displays fit your window and follow it when you resize. Fixed virtual displays keep the size you set. |
| Pixels streamed | The monitor's full resolution, even when your window is smaller. | With matched virtual displays, only your window's size, so less for the remote computer to encode and send. Fixed virtual displays send the size you set. |
| Number of displays | The monitors attached to the remote computer. | Up to 4, whatever is attached. See Plans. |
| Monitor needed | The remote computer's monitors. A Mac with no monitor attached needs an HDMI emulator (dummy plug). | No monitor or HDMI emulator. |
Use Host Displays when virtual displays aren't available, for example over a screen sharing connection or at a Mac's login window. See Requirements.
For settings that give the smoothest, sharpest sessions, see Get the best performance.
How it works¶
When you connect with Fluid, Jump Desktop asks the remote computer for the displays you want. Connect creates them on the remote computer, sized to your request, and they appear in the remote computer's display settings like real monitors. Your apps and windows use them as normal.
While virtual displays are on, the session uses only virtual displays. You can't mix them with the remote computer's own monitors, and it doesn't matter which monitors, if any, are connected to it.
Choose a setup¶
| Setup | What you get | Where to set it |
|---|---|---|
| Single Virtual Display | One virtual display that fits your screen or window. | Windows and Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android |
| Matched Virtual Displays | One virtual display per local screen, each matching that screen. Windows and Mac only. | Windows and Mac |
| Fixed virtual displays | Displays with the exact resolution, scale, and refresh rate you choose, whatever screen you connect from. | Windows and Mac |
| Team fixed displays | Displays an administrator sets for team computers. They replace what users choose. | Set virtual displays for a team |
| Host Displays | The remote computer's own monitors, no virtual displays. | Switch and arrange remote displays |
Requirements¶
| Requirement | |
|---|---|
| Connection | Fluid. Screen sharing connections, including Ask to Share Screen, don't use virtual displays. |
| Connect | Jump Desktop Connect 10 or later on the remote computer. |
| Windows remote computer | Windows 10 (version 1809 or later), Windows 11, or Windows Server, on x64. Windows on ARM isn't supported. |
| Mac remote computer | Apple silicon or Intel. Intel Macs support up to 3 virtual displays. Not available at the login window or in a session switched to the background with fast user switching. |
| Linux remote computer (beta) | Only in the desktop session Connect starts when no one is signed in. See When no one is signed in. |
| Jump Desktop | Windows, macOS, iPhone, iPad, and Android apps. iPhone, iPad, and Android use one virtual display. In a web browser, use Virtual Display in the settings drawer. |
A team administrator can turn virtual displays off for team computers. See Set virtual displays for a team.
Plans¶
| Plan | Virtual displays |
|---|---|
| Free and Jump Desktop for Teams Pro | 1 virtual display |
| Jump Desktop for Teams Enterprise | Up to 4 virtual displays |
Showing each remote display in its own window in Jump Desktop for Windows needs Teams Pro or Enterprise; on macOS it's included. For current plans, see plans and pricing.
High refresh rates¶
When a virtual display matches your screen, it uses your screen's refresh rate, so a 120 Hz or 144 Hz screen gets a 120 Hz or 144 Hz remote display. With fixed virtual displays you can set a rate from 24 Hz to 240 Hz, or a custom rate up to 500 Hz. Fluid in version 10 streams at up to 480 Hz; to cap it, set Frame Rate. See Get the best performance.
One connection at a time¶
On a Windows or Mac remote computer, only one connection at a time can create virtual displays:
- The first connection that sets up virtual displays controls them.
- Anyone who connects while that session is open sees the displays already in use and can't change them. Jump Desktop shows no message.
- When the first connection disconnects, the next connection's virtual display settings apply.
On a Linux remote computer (beta), each desktop session Connect starts has its own virtual displays, so this limit doesn't apply.
Keep virtual displays after you disconnect¶
By default, virtual displays are removed when you disconnect. With Keep After Disconnect on, they stay on the remote computer until the next connection. Turn it on in Jump Desktop for Windows or Mac. See Keep virtual displays after you disconnect.
Kept virtual displays are removed when:
- Someone uses the keyboard or mouse at the remote computer while no one is connected. It goes back to its own displays.
- The remote computer or Connect restarts.
When you or someone else connects again, the kept displays are reused and adjusted to fit the new connection's settings.
A team administrator can require or block keeping virtual displays with the Persistent setting. See Set virtual displays for a team.
Limitations¶
- A session can have up to 4 virtual displays.
- Each virtual display can be up to 16384 pixels wide or tall.
- Jump Desktop shows no message when virtual displays can't be created, for example at the Mac login window or while another connection controls them.