Main display shortcut
Switch the main display on Mac from the keyboard
macOS lets you choose the main display in System Settings. With DeskCommit, press Control–Shift–D, choose the target display, press M, review the pending Main change, and press Return to apply it.
Last verified: Tested with: DeskCommit 0.4.3 (13) · macOS 26.5.1 · Apple silicon
macOS menu bar app
What is DeskCommit?
DeskCommit lets you choose a display and move it left, right, above, or below another with the arrow keys. Press Control–Shift–D from any app, use Shift–Arrow when you want to align edges or centers, review the pending change, and press Return to apply it. Resolution, refresh rate, and Main stay in the same palette.
This guide focuses on the Main control inside the DeskCommit palette. The shared video shows the palette and its review-before-apply workflow; the exact M-key steps are below.
See how DeskCommit worksDeskCommit
See how DeskCommit works
The short answer
Open DeskCommit with ⌃⇧D. Select the display that should become Main, press M, and check the pending change shown in the palette. Press Return to apply it. If the result is not what you wanted, keep the palette open and press Command–Z.
Use the macOS setting
- Open System Settings and choose Displays.
- Select the connected display you want to change.
- Open the Use as menu and choose Main display.
Apple notes that the Use as control appears when an external display is connected, and available controls vary by Mac and display. See Apple's guide to Displays settings on Mac.
Switch it with DeskCommit
- Connect at least two displays and use an extended desktop rather than mirroring.
- Press ⌃⇧D to open the DeskCommit palette.
- Click the display that should become Main, or press its displayed number from 1 to 9.
- Press M. The Main marker moves to the selected display, and the footer shows the pending assignment.
- Check the target, then press Return to apply the change.
Before applying, press M again to cancel the proposed Main assignment. You can also use the Main control on the selected display card with a pointer.
Selection and Main are different
Selecting a display only makes it the target for the next DeskCommit action. It does not make that display Main by itself. The M key changes the Main role, arrow keys change relative position, and Option–Arrow changes display modes.
Changing Main does not ask DeskCommit to move every open window or edit mirroring. Menu bar, Dock, window, and Spaces behavior can also depend on your macOS desktop settings.
Keep Main with a saved setup
If you return to the same display set, press Command–S to save its arrangement, resolution, refresh rate, and Main assignment. Later, press Command–P and choose the matching setup to restore it manually. Connecting a display does not trigger automatic restoration.
Limits and recovery
- DeskCommit can only control displays that macOS already detects.
- Switch mirrored displays to an extended desktop in System Settings first.
- DeskCommit does not switch Main automatically when a display connects.
- With the palette open, Command–Z undoes the last applied display change.
DeskCommit Personal
Stop opening Display Settings.
macOS 13 or later. Apple silicon and Intel. Up to two Macs for one person.
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