FCPX select a specific secondary monitor on a 3-monitor setup pot luck - no Apple Support

We get this question from time to time.

Yes, there is a way to make it work. It is not as elegant as it would be if FCP would just let you choose the secondary display, but that is how things are.

Let's say, as an example, that you want to put the main window in the center display, and use the display on the left as the secondary display.

Note: this assumes "Displays have separate Spaces" is turned ON; from your screenshot it looks like maybe you have that setting off, which will have an impact on the usability of this workaround ****

1) In System Settings->Displays, click "Arrange..." and drag the little representation of the menu bar to the left display

2) Start FCP on the center display (*)

3) Window->Show in Secondary Display->(what you want there)

Done.

(*) There are several ways to do that. I typically click the menu bar in that display, and launch FCP via command-space; and you can, of course, just drag the main FCP window if it lands on the wrong display.

Another possibility is to select the third display as "AV Output", if it is offered as a possibility. This would remove it from consideration as a secondary display. It only works, AFAIK, for 1080 or 4K monitors (possibly connected via HDMI, not sure if it works over USB-C).

austenlennon wrote:

Many thanks for your suggestions.... "Displays have separate Spaces" was very good and I am using that unfortunately it doesn't help with he position of the secondary screen. What I might do is screen mirror the screen that has the secondary screen... and just use it that way... that will mean that I can't see my email, etc, as I am working, but thanks again.

"Displays have separate Spaces" is needed (and I would not use a mac without it), but did you follow the steps I mentioned?

You absolutely CAN force FCP to use the two displays that you want. I have tested this on multiple occasions.

I just did it NOW. I had to use my iPad, as I only have one external and my MBP display.

Here is what I did:

1) Opened System Settings->Displays, and dragged the grey "menu bar" over the left display

2) Started FCP on my internal display (it appeared on the Samsung in this instance, but I just dragged the window)

3) Chose Window->Show in Secondary Display->Browser

It properly used the left display (in this case, the Samsung).

To make sure this was not a fluke (and although I have tested this method for years), I repeated the process, except this time I put the grey menubarlet on the iPad:

As you may have guessed, this time when I selected Window->Show in Secondary Display->Browser, it used the iPad.

Bottom line is: the procedure that I outlined works.