Configure GIMP for Multi-Monitor Setups

Configuring GIMP for a multi-monitor workflow allows you to maximize your primary screen for the image canvas while keeping toolboxes, layer panels, and brush settings organized on a secondary display. By disabling the default single-window layout, detaching tool docks, and saving your workspace preferences, you can create an efficient multi-screen editing environment.

Disable Single-Window Mode

By default, modern versions of GIMP open in a unified single-window interface. To spread the interface across multiple screens, you must switch to multi-window mode:

  1. Open GIMP.
  2. Click Windows in the top menu bar.
  3. Click Single-Window Mode to uncheck it.

Once unchecked, the image canvas, the primary toolbox, and the dockable panels will separate into individual, floating windows.

Position Docks on Secondary Displays

With floating windows enabled, you can arrange your workspace across your monitors:

  1. Keep the main image window on your primary or color-calibrated monitor.
  2. Click and drag the title bars of the Toolbox and Dockable Dialogs (such as Layers, Channels, and Paths) over to your secondary monitor.
  3. Maximize or resize the panels on your secondary screen to fit your needs.

You can group multiple panels together on the second screen by clicking on a panel’s tab and dragging it into another panel's dock area until a highlighted border appears, then releasing the mouse.

Add and Organize Dockable Dialogs

If you need additional tools on your secondary display:

  1. Go to Windows > Dockable Dialogs.
  2. Select any utility you frequently use, such as Tool Options, Undo History, Brushes, or Histogram.
  3. Drag the newly opened window onto your secondary monitor and dock it alongside your other panels.

Save the Window Layout

To ensure GIMP remembers your multi-monitor layout every time you launch the application:

  1. Go to Edit > Preferences.
  2. In the left sidebar, expand Interface and select Window Management.
  3. Check the box labeled Save window positions on exit to automatically retain your setup, or click Save Window Positions Now to manually store the current layout immediately.
  4. Click OK to apply and close the preferences window.