MSFS with 3 monitors on AMD/Dell Aurora 13: how to keep screens 2–3 blank?

MSFS + 3 monitors: keeping 2–3 “blank” (what Windows will and won’t let you do)

Mark — the key thing to know is Windows doesn’t really have a “blank monitor” mode. If a monitor is enabled, Windows will either:

• extend the desktop onto it, or
• duplicate another display onto it.

So if monitors 2 and 3 are active, Windows will always draw something there (even if it’s just an empty desktop wallpaper). MSFS can run only on monitor 1, but Windows will still consider 2 and 3 part of your desktop unless you disable them.

That said, you can make this a lot more predictable depending on what you actually want those side screens to do.

Option A (most reliable): Disable monitors 2–3 until you actually need them

If your goal is truly “screen 1 = MSFS, screens 2–3 = black/off,” the only consistent way is to disable those displays in Windows (or turn them off).

Try this:

1. Right-click desktop -> Display settings
2. Click monitor 2 in the diagram
3. Scroll down to Multiple displays
4. Set it to Disconnect this display (or similar wording)
5. Repeat for monitor 3

When you want them back, re-enable them the same way.

Tip: If you’re using the Win+P panel (Project), that’s where it gets confusing because it tends to apply the same “Duplicate/Extend” concept across your active displays. The Display Settings page is more granular.

Option B: Leave them extended, but make them “empty” and stop the weird dragging behavior

If what you really mean is “I don’t want MSFS stretched across them and I don’t want constant rearranging,” then you can leave 2–3 extended and just make them “dead space” unless you drag a window there.

Step-by-step:

1. Windows Display settings -> make sure it’s set to Extend (not duplicate).
2. Arrange the monitors in the diagram to match the physical layout (so dragging makes sense).
3. Set monitor 1 as Make this my main display.
4. Set the same Scale (or at least consistent scaling) across all 3 if possible. Mixed scaling (100% on one, 150% on another) often causes odd window behavior.
5. In MSFS, run it in a mode that keeps it confined to monitor 1 (typically “fullscreen” behavior), and avoid anything that makes Windows treat it like a borderless desktop window.

You’ll still “have a desktop” on 2–3, but it can just be an empty wallpaper (no icons, no taskbar if you don’t want it there). That’s about as close as Windows gets to “blank but active.”

Why it felt smooth one night and a mess the next

When multi-monitor suddenly behaves differently between sessions, it’s usually one of these:

• Windows decided to reorder display IDs after a reboot/driver update or after a monitor powered on late.
• A monitor reported a different refresh rate/resolution (EDID handshake quirks), so Windows rearranged things.
• Mixed refresh rates and/or mixed scaling making drag boundaries “jittery.”
• MSFS switching between a true fullscreen-like mode vs a borderless-window-like mode (that changes how it interacts with the desktop).

A couple targeted questions so I don’t send you down the wrong path

1. When you say “stay blank,” do you literally mean black screen, or just “no MSFS / no duplicated desktop”?
2. Are monitors 2 and 3 meant to show popped-out MSFS panels (G1000/MFD/VFR map), or are they not intended for MSFS at all?
3. What are the three monitors’ resolutions and refresh rates, and are they all connected to the AMD GPU (not one on the motherboard output)?
4. Are you running MSFS in fullscreen or borderless/windowed mode right now?

Answer those and I’ll tell you the cleanest setup for your exact goal (and how to keep Windows from reshuffling the displays every other night).