Keep your monitor arrangement and main display consistent after wake

Use Layout Protection to keep two monitors on the correct sides and restore your preferred main display after wake or reconnect. You define how the screens fit together, such as placing the right monitor beside the left with their top edges aligned. BetterDisplay reapplies that relationship when the display configuration changes.

Before you begin

This example uses two connected monitors in an extended desktop: a left monitor called Desk Left and a right monitor called Desk Right. Desk Left will be the reference and main display. Desk Right will be positioned relative to it. Substitute your own display names and physical arrangement.

• Use displays with independent desktop positions. A target in ordinary mirroring does not have an independent position to protect.
• Keep BetterDisplay running for automatic enforcement. You need Pro or an active trial for the group protections described below.
• Use the same cables, dock connections and Mac ports during initial testing. Stable display identification matters, especially for identical-model monitors.

Note your current arrangement and main display so you can return to them later. If another display has Main Status enabled under App Menu > [display] > Configuration Protection, note that too. The group’s main-display choice can turn off that individual protection.

Positioning uses each screen’s desktop size, which depends on its selected resolution and HiDPI scaling. You do not need to calculate coordinates. The rule below keeps the screens next to each other even when their desktop sizes differ.

Create a group for your desk

A display group ties the rules to the monitors that belong to this desk.

1. Open Settings > Groups > Overview, choose Create New Display Group…, enter Desk layout in Display group name, then choose Create Display Group. Select the new group.
2. Keep Enabled on. Under Group Membership, turn off Treat all currently connected displays as group members and select Desk Left and Desk Right in the membership list. This keeps the rule attached to those two saved displays.
3. Open Configure Activation Rules…. For this desk, choose All configured group member displays are connected. If a MacBook’s built-in display or another screen will remain connected without joining this group, turn off Only group members can be present. That restriction starts on for a new custom group.
4. Review Exclusive display group, which also starts on for a new custom group. Keep it on only if this desk group should prevent lower-priority groups from activating. If you already use other groups, review their activation and priority before choosing which should operate together.
5. Close the activation-rules sheet and check the Activation section. It should say Display group is currently active. If it says Display group is inactive, use the explanation below that status to resolve membership or priority conditions before proceeding.

Enable the group, select its real display members and check that it is currently active.

Enabling a group does not take a snapshot of the current arrangement. You will now define the relationship to protect.

Protect the right monitor’s position

1. In Settings > Groups > Desk layout > Layout Protection, turn on Enable layout protection. It starts off.
2. Choose Add New Protection… > Desk Right without holding Option. This creates a general rule. In its editor, leave Protect the position of Desk Right on.
3. Set Arrange Desk Right next to to Desk Left, then set Position of Desk Right to Right of Desk Left. This tells BetterDisplay which screen to move and where to place it.
4. For centered side-by-side alignment, keep the new rule’s default anchors. For this example’s top-aligned arrangement, turn on Adjust anchor point offsets and move both sliders fully toward Top. Each should show 0% at that edge. The two selected anchor points will line up even when the logical heights differ.
5. Choose Apply All Protections. This applies position and main-display rules from all active groups that meet their requirements. It also applies rules in any other active groups you have configured. Check the two desktop positions before adding more rules.

Choose the XDR reference, a right-hand direction and two matching top-edge anchors.

For two monitors, one rule is enough: Desk Right is right of Desk Left. Avoid adding a reverse rule that also tries to place Desk Left relative to Desk Right. For a monitor above the reference, choose Above Desk Left. The default anchors keep it horizontally centered. The offset sliders then adjust its Left/Right alignment.

Rules are saved as you edit them. There is no separate Save step. Hiding Adjust anchor point offsets keeps the stored offsets. To return to centered alignment, move both sliders to their centers, where each shows 50%, then hide the editor if desired.

If you rotate a monitor and want a different relationship in each orientation, hold Option while selecting the group in Settings. Then open Add New Protection… to reveal portrait and landscape entries. An orientation-specific rule takes precedence over the general rule, even if it is disabled. Read how orientation-specific rules work before adding one.

Keep the left monitor as main

1. Use the back arrow in the rule editor to return to this group’s Layout Protection overview.
2. Set Protect main display status to Desk Left. The initial Unspecified state leaves this choice to macOS or the display’s separate Configuration Protection.
3. Choose Apply All Protections again. Confirm that Desk Left is main and Desk Right still occupies its intended side. Main-display protection needs the group to be active, layout protection enabled and Desk Left connected.

Protect the XDR main-display choice separately, then apply the eligible layout rules.

If applying the group changes which screen is main, BetterDisplay can turn off an existing individual Main Status protection on another connected display. The group’s main-display choice takes precedence. If you later return to the original main display, re-enable its individual protection if needed.

You have now saved a position rule and a main-display choice. Switching the group off stops its future enforcement but leaves the current arrangement in place.

If the monitors are identical

First make sure Desk Left and Desk Right consistently refer to the intended physical monitors. Different displayed names make the setup easier to read but do not give the monitors distinct hardware identifiers. Numbered suffixes and list order also do not establish which screen is on which side.

1. If a custom name disappears or preferences switch monitors after wake or reconnect, check each monitor’s UUID under Settings > Displays > [display] > Display Information… > Identifiers. Note which physical monitor each UUID represents, then follow the identity troubleshooting procedure.
2. For an affected existing monitor, open Settings > Displays > [display] > Additional Settings… > Display Identification & Settings Transfer. Record the current Display identification method before changing it.
3. If the monitors expose distinguishable extended identifiers, Basic + extended identifiers can use those additional fields. On Apple silicon, Basic + extended + port also considers the port. Keep the same connections when using it. Changing a port can change the match. Neither method guarantees that every dock or pair of monitors can be distinguished.
4. If the changed method makes the monitor appear as a new record, review Transfer display settings in the identity and transfer reference before transferring the intended old record. Transfer replaces the current display’s settings and forgets the old disconnected record. The confirmation warns that this cannot be undone. Recheck this group’s members, reference monitor and protected-main selection afterward.

Missing or duplicate serial numbers can make monitors harder to distinguish. However, identical models may still have distinct identifiers. Change the identification method only if BetterDisplay is matching the wrong monitor. Use the per-display setting above. The global default in Displays Overview applies to newly encountered displays.

Check the result

Test one event at a time with BetterDisplay running. Wait for both monitors to connect and finish any mode changes. Check that Desk Right is on the right, the top edges line up and Desk Left is main. Move the pointer between the screens to check that it crosses at the expected position.

1. Sleep and wake: put the Mac to sleep and wake it. Confirm that the two monitors return to the intended sides and Desk Left remains main. Compare the identifiers if the names or preferences changed.
2. Reconnect: disconnect and reconnect the desk’s dock or one monitor using the same ports. With the selected all-members activation rule, the group is expected to become inactive while a member is absent. Check that it becomes active and restores the relationship after both return.
3. Change resolution: choose another supported resolution for Desk Right through App Menu > Desk Right > Display Mode. Confirm that its left edge still adjoins Desk Left’s right edge and both top edges line up. Restore the original resolution and repeat. The rule preserves that relationship rather than freezing every desktop coordinate.

If manual Apply All Protections works but a particular event does not, check whether the group was active and both monitors were connected at that time. Note which event failed. This helps you identify whether the problem is in the rule, group activation or reconnection.

Optional startup and menu switching

For enforcement shortly after app startup, enable Settings > Groups > Overview > Advanced… > Apply all layout protections on startup. It starts off. Rules remain saved with this off, but startup enforcement is a separate choice.

If you enable or disable groups through App Menu > Tools > Groups, turn on Apply Automatically there to reapply eligible protections after those menu changes. It also starts off and does not turn every Settings edit into an Apply action. You can choose Apply All Protections in that menu for an immediate application. See group layout switching if enabling a group alone does not move the desktop.

Troubleshooting

• Nothing moves: check group activation, Enable layout protection, the individual position switch, the reference and direction, and both monitors’ connections. The editor warns about absent participants and undefined positions. A main-display-only choice does not define a position rule.
• The group is inactive with both monitors connected: check Only group members can be present and competing exclusive groups. A connected built-in screen outside the group can trigger the first condition. Higher-priority groups can prevent this group from activating.
• The wrong monitor moves or becomes main: verify physical identity and saved membership before altering the geometry. Do not assume swapping names corrects the saved match.
• A third monitor moves: applying rules can move other connected displays to resolve overlaps. Check all active groups and simplify conflicting relationships. See application and conflict handling.
• The diagram looks unlike your scaled desktop: physical dimensions influence the preview and millimeter labels, while positioning uses logical desktop bounds. Judge the result by the arrangement and pointer crossing, not the diagram’s apparent size.
• Windows or Spaces still move: use the windows-after-wake troubleshooting page. Layout Protection restores the screen arrangement. Window and Spaces placement may need separate troubleshooting.

Undo or stop protection

1. To pause this new desk setup, turn off Enable layout protection for Desk layout. This stops both its position enforcement and its protected-main enforcement. Disabling the whole group also stops other features belonging to that group, so use the layout switch when you want those features to continue.
2. To remove only the tutorial’s additions, open the Desk Right rule, choose Remove Protection… > Remove, return to the overview and choose No selection under Protect main display status. If you edited preexisting rules or a preexisting main selection, restore their recorded values instead. Leave unrelated rules intact.
3. If you enabled the optional startup or menu automatic-apply settings, turn them off again if you no longer want them. Restore the previous identification method only if you changed it. Settings transfer cannot be undone by changing that method back.
4. To return to your earlier setup, restore the main display and arrangement manually through your usual display settings. Also restore the original resolution if you changed it during testing. Removing or disabling a rule leaves the current arrangement in place. After restoring the original main display, restore its individual Main Status protection if it was previously enabled. You can use Move Display to reposition a screen directly.
5. If the new group is no longer needed, select Settings > Groups > Desk layout > Discard… > Discard. This deletes the group and its settings. The current arrangement stays in place.

Related pages

• Layout Protection reference. Covers rule selection, anchors, main display and applying protections.
• Display-group settings. Covers membership, activation and priority.
• Display settings disappear or switch monitors after sleep. Check identity before changing protection rules.
• Windows or Spaces move after wake. Investigate window placement separately.

Additional information

This section explains which features require Pro and how availability differs between Mac platforms.

Features requiring Pro license

• Creating and enabling custom display groups.
• Group position and main-display protection, including manual application, automatic enforcement and the optional startup/menu apply settings.

Platform compatibility

The documented BetterDisplay build requires macOS 26.3 or later. Layout Protection is available on Apple silicon and Intel Macs. The group members must be connected and have their own desktop positions. Ordinary mirrored targets have no independent position. No particular monitor-control transport is required. Basic + extended + port identification is offered only on Apple silicon, and useful identity distinctions depend on the data exposed by the displays and their connections.