Page 93 - PCWorld (September 2019)

goal by pressing your monitors’ off buttons location bar. Select Next, then give the
or using the Windows-P shortcut to disable
secondary screens, automating the routine is
much more satisfying.
We’ll use Valve’s Steam launcher as an
example. Start by creating a text file in any
directory—the same directory as your Steam
install is fine—with the following lines:
displayswitch /internal
C:\Program Files\Steam\Steam.exe
displayswitch /extend
Note that if you’ve installed Steam to a
different directory than the default, or want
to open a different application, you’ll need to
replace C:\Program Files\Steam\Steam.exe
with your install directory and filename.
Save the text file, then rename the file to
Steam.bat using File Explorer.
Next, we’ll make a shortcut to this file
that looks like the regular Steam icon.
Right-click on the desktop and select New >
Shortcut, then type cmd /c "C:\Program
Files\Steam\Steam.bat" into the
shortcut a name, such as Steam. (Kudos to
WinAero [go.pcworld.com/wnar] for this
shortcut tip.)
To change the shortcut’s icon, right-click
and select Properties, then select Change
Icon. Navigate to your Steam directory,
then double-click Steam.exe. You may also
want to select Minimized in the Run section
from the same Properties menu, so you
don’t see a command prompt window
when this batch file runs.
You’ll end up with an icon that looks
just like your regular Steam app on the
desktop, except it will disable your
secondary monitors upon launch, and
reenable them when you exit. You can
also right-click on this icon to add it to your
Start menu. Try pairing this trick with Steam
Big Picture mode (go.pcworld.com/bpic)
for dramatic effect.
SEPTEMBER 2019 PCWorld 91