Monitor Layout Assistant is a small Windows utility that arranges a laptop display and connected external monitors. The user only selects whether the laptop is physically positioned to the left or right of the external monitors.
The application then:
- switches Windows to extended desktop mode;
- applies the maximum available resolution to each display;
- positions all displays horizontally;
- selects an external monitor as the primary display.
The interface and configuration are intentionally simple. Monitor Layout Assistant is intended for standardized desks where external monitors are connected in a consistent order.
- Switching to extended desktop mode
- Detecting connected monitors
- Applying the maximum available resolutions
- Arranging the monitors
- Setting the primary display
The primary supported configuration is:
- one active built-in laptop display;
- one or two external monitors;
- all monitors positioned in one horizontal row;
- the laptop positioned completely to the left or right of the external monitors.
The script can process more than two external monitors, but those configurations have not yet been designated as the primary tested scenario. Vertical layouts, stacked displays and a laptop positioned between external monitors are not supported.
Important
Monitor Layout Assistant cannot determine where a monitor is physically located. External monitors are arranged according to the display order reported by Windows.
When using a docking station, connect the external monitors so that the order reported by Windows matches their physical left-to-right arrangement. A connector labelled Display 1 or Port 1 on a dock is not guaranteed to become DISPLAY1 in Windows. Enumeration can vary by dock, graphics driver, firmware and connection method.
Validate the monitor order with Settings > System > Display > Identify before deploying the tool broadly on a particular hardware combination.
Monitor Layout Assistant always selects an external monitor as the primary display:
| Number of external monitors | Primary display |
|---|---|
| 1 | The external monitor |
| 2 | The left external monitor |
| 3 | The center external monitor |
| 4 | The second external monitor from the left |
With an odd number of external monitors, the center external monitor becomes primary. With an even number, the left monitor of the two center displays becomes primary. The built-in laptop display is never selected as primary.
This selection uses the display order reported by Windows, not the labels printed on docking station ports.
- Windows 10 or Windows 11
- Windows PowerShell 5.1
- An interactive user session
- At least one external monitor
- MultiMonitorTool
MultiMonitorTool.exe is mandatory and is not included in this repository. Download it from the official NirSoft website and assess it according to your organization's security requirements.
By default, Monitor Layout Assistant looks for MultiMonitorTool.exe in the same directory as MonitorLayoutAssistant.ps1. A different location can be configured in config.json:
{
"multiMonitorToolPath": "C:\\Tools\\NirSoft\\MultiMonitorTool.exe"
}Environment variables are supported, for example:
{
"multiMonitorToolPath": "%ProgramFiles%\\NirSoft\\MultiMonitorTool.exe"
}The -MultiMonitorToolPath script parameter can also override the configured location for a single invocation.
The interface language is configured in config.json. English is used by default and as the fallback when the configured language file does not exist or cannot be read.
Included languages:
| Locale | Language |
|---|---|
en-US |
English |
nl-NL |
Dutch |
de-DE |
German |
fr-FR |
French |
es-ES |
Spanish |
it-IT |
Italian |
pt-PT |
Portuguese |
Each translation is stored as a separate JSON file in the App/Languages folder, for example App/Languages/en-US.json and App/Languages/nl-NL.json. This keeps translations easy to review and extend without changing the PowerShell script.
Set the language in config.json:
{
"multiMonitorToolPath": "",
"language": "nl-NL"
}Language selection is not derived from the Windows display language. Change the language value in config.json whenever another included translation should be used.
Interface colors can be changed without editing the PowerShell script. Add or modify the theme section in config.json using six-digit hexadecimal colors:
{
"multiMonitorToolPath": "",
"language": "en-US",
"theme": {
"primary": "#243B53",
"window": "#FFFFFF",
"headerText": "#FFFFFF",
"text": {
"primary": "#202020",
"secondary": "#525252"
},
"choice": {
"background": "#DCECF8",
"foreground": "#174F7A",
"hover": "#C9E1F3",
"pressed": "#B5D5EC",
"border": "#DCECF8",
"borderSize": 0,
"arrowSize": 26
},
"information": {
"background": "#F7F7F7",
"border": "#D8DEE5",
"borderSize": 0
},
"controls": {
"border": "#BECAD5"
}
}
}The choice.borderSize value accepts a whole number from 0 through 5; the default 0 creates borderless choice buttons. choice.arrowSize controls the arrow length and accepts 16 through 40. The information panel has square corners and supports an optional border of 0 through 5 pixels; 0 disables the border. The installer reads this configuration from App/config.json and writes it to the installed application directory. Individual settings may be omitted to retain their built-in defaults. Missing or invalid values do not prevent the application from starting; they are ignored and recorded as warnings in the application log.
- Download the application package from the latest release, or download this repository.
- Download MultiMonitorTool from NirSoft.
- Open the
Appdirectory. - Place
MultiMonitorTool.exenext toInstall.ps1. - Run Windows PowerShell as administrator from that directory.
- Run:
Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope Process Bypass
.\Install.ps1The installer copies the application, language files, icon assets and MultiMonitorTool to:
C:\Program Files\Monitor Layout Assistant
It also creates a Start menu shortcut for all users.
The running application sets its own Windows taskbar identity and window icon. This allows Windows to display the Monitor Layout Assistant icon instead of identifying the window as the generic PowerShell host.
To reference an existing copy without placing it in the application directory:
.\Install.ps1 -MultiMonitorToolPath "C:\Tools\NirSoft\MultiMonitorTool.exe"The installer validates the path and writes it to config.json. It does not copy or modify the external executable.
Optional hidden PowerShell host
Windows PowerShell normally displays a console window while the graphical application is running. This does not affect functionality.
Administrators who want to suppress the console can assess and install SeidChr/RunHiddenConsole as powershellw.exe. The recommended location is next to Windows PowerShell:
%SystemRoot%\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershellw.exe
That directory is normally part of the system PATH. During installation, Monitor Layout Assistant checks this exact location. If powershellw.exe exists, the Start menu shortcut uses it. Otherwise, the shortcut uses the native powershell.exe and the console remains visible.
The PowerShell host is stored in the shortcut when the installer runs; it is not detected again when the application starts. If powershellw.exe is copied to the recommended location after Monitor Layout Assistant has already been installed, the existing shortcut will continue to use powershell.exe. Run Install.ps1 again to recreate the shortcut, or manually change its Target from powershell.exe to:
%SystemRoot%\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershellw.exe
RunHiddenConsole is optional, is not included, and must be assessed separately before use.
Monitor Layout Assistant can also be run without installation from the App directory:
.\MonitorLayoutAssistant.ps1Place MultiMonitorTool.exe in the same directory or provide its location:
.\MonitorLayoutAssistant.ps1 `
-MultiMonitorToolPath "C:\Tools\NirSoft\MultiMonitorTool.exe"Keep the Languages folder in the same directory as MonitorLayoutAssistant.ps1.
Monitor Layout Assistant writes a persistent per-user log file, including when the application is started with the optional hidden PowerShell host:
%LocalAppData%\Monitor Layout Assistant\Logs\MonitorLayoutAssistant.log
Every entry uses the same timestamp and severity format:
2026-08-31 09:42:13.125 [INFO] Application started. Version=0.1.0 Computer=PC01 User=user ProcessId=1234
2026-08-31 09:42:14.020 [INFO] Displays detected. Total=3 External=2 BuiltIn=1
2026-08-31 09:42:20.417 [INFO] Configuration completed successfully.
2026-08-31 09:43:02.006 [ERROR] Configuration failed. Message=...
The log records:
- application version, computer, user and process ID;
- selected language and MultiMonitorTool path;
- detected monitor count, order, names and resolutions;
- selected laptop position and primary display;
- configuration actions, cancellations, warnings and errors.
Line breaks in error details are normalized so every event remains on one log line. When the log reaches 2 MB, the previous file is retained as MonitorLayoutAssistant.log.1. If the log directory cannot be created or written, the application continues with console-only logging.
The log contains the Windows computer name, user name and connected monitor identification. Review this information against your organization's privacy and support requirements before deployment.
Run Windows PowerShell as administrator from a separate directory and execute:
.\Uninstall.ps1The uninstaller removes the application directory and Start menu shortcut. It never removes MultiMonitorTool from a separately configured external location and does not remove powershellw.exe.
MultiMonitorTool obtains monitor names from EDID data. The current detection logic treats a display without a Monitor Name value as the built-in laptop display and a display with a value as external. This works with the hardware for which the tool was created, but some panels, docks, adapters or KVM switches may expose different information.
Other limitations:
- Display order is based on Windows
DISPLAYxnumbering, not physical position or dock port labels. - Maximum resolution is applied; scaling and refresh rate are not explicitly configured.
- Existing display settings are not saved or restored.
- The application minimizes open windows before showing the layout selection.
- Only the first display detected as the built-in laptop panel is used.
Test the application with each intended laptop, dock, graphics driver and monitor combination before production deployment.
No third-party binaries are distributed with this project. See THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.md for details.
Monitor Layout Assistant is available under the MIT License. Third-party software remains subject to its own license and distribution terms.