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Use virtual displays on Windows and Mac#

Virtual display settings in Jump Desktop on Windows and macOS control how many virtual displays the host creates and their size. Each virtual display either matches one of your own screens or uses an exact resolution, scale, and refresh rate. Use these settings to show the host's desktop on every screen at your desk, or to give a workstation host the same 4K 120 Hz layout on every connection.

Applies to#

  • Jump Desktop on Windows and macOS.
  • Fluid connections to Jump Desktop Connect 10 or later. See Requirements.
  • One virtual display on all plans; two to four need the Jump Desktop for Teams Enterprise plan. See Plans.

Open the Display menu#

During a Fluid session, open the Display menu in the session window on Windows or in the menu bar on macOS. In full screen on Windows, click the Switch Display button in the toolbar.

Changes apply immediately and are saved for that computer, so your next connection also uses them.

Choose a preset#

Under Presets in the Display menu:

Preset What it does
Single Virtual Display Creates one virtual display that fits your screen, with Retina and Match Display Resolution on.
Matched Virtual Displays Creates one virtual display for each of your screens, with one window on each screen. When you have more than one screen, Retina remains off.
Host Displays Turns virtual displays off and shows the host's own displays, each in its own window, with Retina on.

Applying a preset clears any fixed virtual displays set for that computer.

Choose the number of displays#

In the Display menu, under Virtual Displays:

  • Off (Show Host Displays Only): use only the host's own displays.
  • Same as this PC (Windows) or Same as this Mac (macOS): one virtual display for each of your screens.
  • 1 to 4: a fixed number of virtual displays. Intel Mac hosts offer up to 3.

With two or more virtual displays, each virtual display opens in its own window. Closing a window removes its virtual display, and your next connection uses one fewer.

Match your displays#

With Match Display Resolution on (under Resolution in the Display menu), each virtual display matches the size of its window and resizes with that window. Same as this PC or Same as this Mac creates one virtual display for each screen connected at the time you choose it.

  • Refresh rate: each virtual display uses the refresh rate of the screen its window is on. On a Mac with macOS 12 or later, this is the maximum refresh rate of the screen, such as 120 Hz on a ProMotion display. On Windows, this is the current refresh rate of the screen.
  • Retina: with Use Retina Resolution on, virtual displays use the full pixel density of your screen to render sharper text. When you connect from a Mac with a Retina screen to a Windows host, virtual displays use 175% scaling.
  • Arrangement: virtual displays are arranged left to right, in window order. The first window is the main display.

Set fixed virtual displays#

Fixed virtual displays are virtual displays with an exact resolution, scale, and refresh rate that does not depend on your screens or windows. Use them for a display such as a video grading monitor at 3840 × 2160 and 60 Hz.

  1. Open the computer's settings:

    Right-click the computer and choose Edit, then select Display.

    Right-click the computer and choose Edit Computer..., then select Display.

  2. Set Display type to Virtual.

  3. Set Virtual displays to the number of displays you want. Each display has a monitor card, which starts at 1920 × 1080, 100%, and 60 Hz.
  4. Set Resolution to Fixed Size.
  5. Click a monitor card and set:
    • Resolution: a preset from 1280 × 720 (HD) to 6016 × 3384 (6K), or Custom… for any width and height up to 16384. The smallest custom size is 320 × 240 on Windows.
    • Scale factor: 100% or 200% for a Mac host, or 100% to 300% in 25% steps for a Windows host.
    • Refresh rate (Refresh on macOS): a preset from 24 Hz to 240 Hz, or Custom… for 1 to 500 Hz.
  6. Repeat for each card, then save the computer's settings (Save on Windows).

Monitors are arranged left to right in card order, and Monitor 1 is the main display. To remove a monitor, lower Virtual displays; Jump Desktop removes cards from the end of the list. Choosing a preset or a number under Virtual Displays in the Display menu replaces the fixed displays.

Save your own layouts#

A saved preset is a named copy of your complete display configuration that you can apply to any computer. It stores:

  • Single or separate windows.
  • Use Retina Resolution, Match Display Resolution, and Keep After Disconnect.
  • The virtual displays: off, same as your screens, a number, or fixed sizes.
  • The position of each window on your screens.

To manage saved presets:

  • Save: choose Display > Saved Presets > Save Current as Preset… and enter a name.
  • Apply: choose Display > Saved Presets > preset name > Apply.
  • Remove: choose Display > Saved Presets > preset name > Remove.

Saved presets are stored on the device you connect from, not per computer. Presets that use virtual displays are hidden when the host does not support virtual displays. If the screen a window was on is no longer available, the window opens on your main screen.

Keep virtual displays after you disconnect#

To keep virtual displays on the host after you disconnect:

  • During a session: choose Display > Virtual Displays > Keep After Disconnect.
  • Before connecting: in the computer's Display settings, select Keep virtual displays after disconnect (Windows) or Keep After Disconnect (macOS).

To learn when kept displays are removed, see Keep virtual displays after you disconnect.

If a team administrator enforces this setting on or off with Persistent, Keep After Disconnect is dimmed in the Display menu and shows Host policy keeps these displays on the host after you disconnect. or Host policy removes these displays when you disconnect. The computer's Display settings do not show the policy, but the policy still applies.

Check that it worked#

  • The Display menu lists each virtual display under Active Displays, marked Virtual.
  • For fixed displays, each monitor card shows its size and refresh rate, such as 3840×2160 and 60 Hz.

Limitations#

  • Plan prompts: without the Enterprise plan, Same as this PC, Same as this Mac, and counts above 1 are hidden, and Virtual Displays shows Upgrade for more displays…. Choosing it shows "Adding more than one virtual display requires a subscription to Jump Desktop for Teams Enterprise." on macOS, or "This feature requires a subscription to Jump Desktop for Teams Enterprise. Please upgrade." on Windows. See Plans.
  • Mac App Store version: upgrade items, including Matched Virtual Displays, are hidden instead of prompting.
  • No message when displays cannot be created: this can occur when another connection controls them, or when a Mac is at its login window or in a background user session. If the host does not create the displays within a few seconds of applying a preset, your previous settings are restored.
  • Saved presets and high refresh rates: a preset cannot be saved while a fixed monitor is set above 240 Hz. On macOS, Could not save preset appears; on Windows, nothing is saved.
  • No custom arrangement: you cannot arrange fixed virtual displays vertically or choose a different main display.