Overview

When reconnecting to a Softdrive session from a different location — for example moving from the office to home — the monitor layout may not update automatically.

This occurs because the Softdrive session may retain the monitor arrangement from the previous connection environment.

In most cases, manually refreshing the display layout inside Windows Display Settings resolves the issue and correctly initializes all connected monitors.

Applies To

• Softstream Client
• Softdrive Virtual Desktops
• Windows 10 / Windows 11 guest operating systems
• Users with multiple monitors
• Users reconnecting from different physical locations or monitor configurations

Symptoms

• One or more monitors do not display correctly after reconnecting
• The monitor arrangement does not match the current physical setup
• A secondary monitor appears in the wrong position
• The desktop does not extend properly across all monitors
• The issue appears after changing locations, docking stations, or monitor setups

Possible Causes

• The previous monitor layout was retained from another location
• The local workstation is using a different monitor count, resolution, or scaling configuration
• Windows Display Settings inside the Softdrive session did not refresh automatically
• Docking stations or display adapters changed monitor order

Resolution

Before adjusting settings inside Softdrive, confirm that all monitors are detected and arranged correctly on the local computer.

Follow the steps below to refresh the monitor layout inside the Softdrive session.

1. Reconnect to the Softdrive session.
2. Inside the Softdrive desktop, right-click the desktop and select:

   Display Settings

3. Under:

   Scale & Layout

   change the display resolution to another supported value.
4. When prompted, select:

   Keep changes

5. If the mouse pointer becomes misaligned and you cannot click:

   Keep changes

   press:

   Tab

   until the option is selected, then press:

   Enter

6. Open the Softdrive Overlay Menu.
7. Navigate to:

   Monitors → Show only Primary

8. Wait several seconds for the display layout to refresh.
9. Open the overlay menu again and select:

   Monitors → Enable All

10. Verify that all monitors appear correctly.

Manual Monitor Rearrangement (If Needed)

If the monitor layout still appears incorrect after refreshing:

1. Inside the Softdrive desktop, open:

   Display Settings

2. Under:

   Rearrange your displays

   click:

   Identify

3. Locate the incorrect monitor arrangement.
4. Drag the monitors to match the physical monitor layout.
5. Click:

   Apply

6. If prompted, select:

   Keep changes

   (or use Tab + Enter if the cursor is misaligned)
7. If the layout still does not refresh, disconnect and reconnect to the session.

Expected Result

The Softdrive session refreshes the display configuration and correctly initializes all connected monitors based on the current physical setup.

The monitor arrangement inside the VM matches the user’s actual monitor layout.

Troubleshooting

• Disconnect and reconnect to the session if changes do not apply immediately
• Verify all monitors are detected correctly on the local computer before connecting
• Check whether monitor resolution or scaling changed between locations
• Reconnect docking stations or display adapters if used
• Restart the Softdrive Launcher if display synchronization fails
• If issues persist, reboot the Softdrive VM and reconnect

Support

If the issue continues after following these steps, contact:

support@softdrive.co

Include the following information:

• Computer name
• Number of monitors connected
• Local operating system
• Whether the issue started after changing locations or monitor setups
• A screenshot of Display Settings inside the Softdrive session