How to Fix Greyed Out Make This My Main Display Option in Windows 10

The Insider’s Guide to Mastering Display Settings in Windows

Have you ever encountered a stubborn "Make this my main display" setting in Windows 10 that just won’t budge? As avid Windows users ourselves, we feel your pain. Windows can seem finicky at times, especially when configuring multiple displays. But don’t fret – we’re here to help you take full control of your display settings.

Why “Make This the Main Display” Turns Grey

The "Make this my main display" checkbox greying out is a common symptom of deeper issues in Windows. After consulting with experts and tech gurus on forums like TenForums and WindowsCentral, we narrowed the culprits down to a few usual suspects:

Outdated, incompatible, or missing drivers preventing Windows from differentiating the displays properly.
Multiple displays connected leading to conflicts and confusion assigning the main display.
The pesky Microsoft Transient Multi-Monitor Manager (TMM) interfering with the settings.
Display settings themselves simply malfunctioning and needing a reboot or refresher.

Not to fear – while frustrating, these main display issues can typically be resolved with a few targeted troubleshooting steps. Let’s walk through the solutions.

Why are my sync settings grayed out?

The grayed-out Sync Settings might be caused by some hardware issues on your device. In such an instance, using one of Windows’ troubleshooting tools could help. In this case, let’s check out how the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter can help: Type Settings in the Windows search bar and select the Best match.

How do I update driver software on Windows 10?

Go to Start , enter Device Manager, and select it from the list of results. In Device Manager, locate your device, press and hold (or right-click) it, select Update driver, select Search automatically for updated driver software, and then follow the rest of the steps.

Solution #1: Update Your Display Driver

The very first thing you’ll want to try is updating your display driver. Outdated, corrupt, or incompatible drivers are common culprits behind wonky monitor settings like a greyed out main display selection.

Here’s a quick step-by-step:

Open your start menu and search for “Device Manager”.
Under the “Display adapters” section, right click on your display driver and select “Update driver”.
Choose to automatically search for updated driver software, then allow Windows to install it.
Once updated, restart your PC and check if the main display selection works once again.

With the latest driver powering your display adapters, Windows should have what it needs to handle your multiple monitors without a hitch.

Solution #2: Disable Conflicting Software

If updating your display driver doesn’t do the trick, the next recourse is disabling the Microsoft Transient Multi-Monitor Manager (TMM) utility. TMM was designed to automatically configure displays when switching between laptop and external screens. But some users report it ends up interfering with custom display settings – like setting your own main display.

How to fix a greyed out Bluetooth on a computer?

Users may view this approach as a cliche, but it remains one of the most effective ways of solving minor computer issues. So, if your Bluetooth on your PC is merely greyed out because of a little issue, restart the computer and see whether your Bluetooth works. You could also add the router to internet device.

What is Windows sync & how does it work?

It allows you to easily and quickly apply the settings on your PC to other Windows devices. For the tool to operate effectively, you should sign in with the same Microsoft account on all your devices. Although it’s an incredible feature, the Windows Sync setting often gets grayed out and won’t work.

Why is windows 11 unable to sync settings across devices?

There can be multiple reasons why Windows 11/10 is unable to sync settings across devices. It can be a problem with the Microsoft account or restrictions from the administrator, or an Azure Active Directory situation. You will need admin permission for some of the suggestions.

To disable TMM:

Open the Run command box by pressing Windows Key + R.
Type “regedit” and click OK to open the registry editor.
Navigate to Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\TaskManager
Right click the TransientMultiMonitors key and select Modify.
Change the DWORD value from 0 to 1.
Restart your PC for the change to fully take effect.

With TMM out of the way, Windows will be free to retain your customized main display settings.

Solution #3: Reset Display Settings

If you just can’t shake the greyed out main display selection, even after updating drivers and disabling TMM, a reset of the display settings themselves may do the trick. Simply disconnect your secondary displays and restart your PC with only your primary monitor connected.

Once in Windows, open display settings and confirm there is just one display showing. Set this remaining display as your main display, then reconnect your secondary monitors. In some cases, this soft reset fixes quirky monitor settings.

For an extra reset, you can also disconnect your monitors, restart your PC into safe mode, reconnect the monitors, and restart back into normal mode. This completely reinitializes the display adapters and outputs.

Why is my sync settings greyed out?

Wrong Feedback and Diagnostics Settings can also cause Sync Settings to be greyed out. Follow the steps below to change Feedback and Diagnostics Settings. 1) Tap on Start button and then select Settings. 2) Scroll down on Setting page and click Privacy. 3) Scroll down on left pane and click Feedback & Diagnostics.

Is Bluetooth greyed out on Windows 11/10?

Bluetooth has long been the standard for connecting wireless devices to computers, including mouse, keyboards, speakers, earphones, and other peripherals. Furthermore, the connectivity feature is used to transfer files between computers and other devices. However, some users have complained that Bluetooth is greyed out on their Windows 11/10.

Other Quick Fixes

Beyond core fixes like updating drivers, disabling TMM, and resetting display settings – there are a few other approaches that may resolve the greyed out main display selection:

Try toggling the “Make this my main display” checkbox off and back on.
Use Windows key + P to choose a display only or extended mode.
Open the Intel Graphics Control Panel and force detect displays.
Adjust which monitor is display 1 vs display 2 in settings.
Check for new Windows 10 updates and firmware upgrades.

Mix and match the potential solutions until you get your displays cooperating fully once again.

Preventing Future Main Display Mishaps

Once you shake this pesky main display issue, a few pro tips will help prevent its return:

Keep display drivers rigorously updated, especially Intel, Nvidia and AMD graphics.
Use Windows Key + P when switching between external displays to force detect.
Don’t overload your PC with more monitors than the graphics adapter supports.
Adjust display settings from the GPU control panel not Windows.

Follow these best practices, and you’ll enjoy a much smoother multi-monitor experience.

How to install Bluetooth on Windows 10?

Step 1: Download the latest Bluetooth driver from the manufacturer’s website. Step 2: Right-click on the driver setup file, and click on properties. Step 3: Click on the compatibility tab, check the box Run this program in compatibility mode for, and select Windows 10 operating system from the drop down menu. Proceed with the installation.

Why is Bluetooth not showing on Windows 10?

If Bluetooth is not finding or showing devices on Windows 10, you can try to update your drivers manually from the Device Manager. You can also check the official website of your driver’s manufacturer for the latest available driver if the built-in updater fails.

Does Windows 10 sync settings?

When Sync settings is turned on, Windows syncs the settings you choose across all your Windows 10 devices that you’ve signed in to with your Microsoft account. Sync settings also works if you sign in with a work or school account linked to your Microsoft account. If Sync settings isn’t available on your device, your organization might not allow it.

We Hope Your Displays Play Nice Now

As you can see, troubleshooting quirky multi-monitor issues just takes some targeted tweaking. With the right tricks, you can force Windows to cooperate and retain your customized main display setting.

What other monitor mysteries confound you? Let us know in the comments – we may just feature your question in a future post! We’re always hunting for juicy Windows problems to solve.

References

How to fix Bluetooth error on Windows 10?

Another thing you could try out to fix this Bluetooth issue is to run a Bluetooth troubleshooter on the computer. Here is how it is done: Select Bluetooth and run the troubleshooter. Run the Troubleshooter and follow the on-screen prompts if the troubleshooter finds any issue. To do so, Run services.msc. To open the Services Manager.