Arch Linux

efog4

Member

Registered: 2025-10-09

Posts: 25

Specifying which monitor is used for boot screen / tty login

hello

I have two monitors plugged into the computer and on boot (i.e. the initilization output that scrolls when you first turn on your archlinux machine) the monitor I'd prefer to be secondary is the one that displays initilization and tty login. Is there a way to specify which monitor tty login appears on ? I am not using a display manager just exec compositor on login via .bash_profile

cryptearth

Member

Registered: 2024-02-03

Posts: 2,172

Re: Specifying which monitor is used for boot screen / tty login

no - because this is determined by whatever the bios provides as framebuffer - which, in turn, provides whatever the gpu provides as framebuffer
tl;dr: unless you modify your gpu vbios the simplest option is to just swap cables

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 25,214

Re: Specifying which monitor is used for boot screen / tty login

You might be able to with the video kernel param: https://docs.kernel.org/fb/modedb.html especially the e and d options for enabling or disabling a certain port.

Magrid

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From: Italy

Registered: 2025-06-10

Posts: 16

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Re: Specifying which monitor is used for boot screen / tty login

Doesn't the boot output usually show on all monitors?

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V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 25,214

Re: Specifying which monitor is used for boot screen / tty login

That's what makes me wonder whether this would work with the video options. Is the second screen attached to the same GPU or actually a built in MB one? (or vice versa?)

cryptearth

Member

Registered: 2024-02-03

Posts: 2,172

Re: Specifying which monitor is used for boot screen / tty login

Doesn't the boot output usually show on all monitors?

at least for me it doesn't
for my setup it depends on how i connect my screens to my gpu: via DisplayPort or via HDMI, which ports, if i use splitters or not
depending on various combinations i end up with my bios and then grub show up from just one screen to all screens
luckly i not encountered a no-output-at-all, yet

seth

Member

From: Won't reply 2 private help req

Registered: 2012-09-03

Posts: 75,855

Re: Specifying which monitor is used for boot screen / tty login

Is the second screen attached to the same GPU or actually a built in MB one? (or vice versa?)

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/torva … /fbcon.rst
See fbcon=map

Neitehr will not impact the pre-boot system (UEFI/BIOS) nor the bootloader (grub, systemd-boot, whatever)

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efog4

Member

Registered: 2025-10-09

Posts: 25

Re: Specifying which monitor is used for boot screen / tty login

tl;dr: unless you modify your gpu vbios the simplest option is to just swap cables

I'll look into modifying the vbios, im not necessarily opposed

Is the second screen attached to the same GPU or actually a built in MB one? (or vice versa?)

They're both plugged into the GPU as it has the ports for the only cables that I have atm. I believe my only mb port is displayport. and the monitor I want to be the main one only has hdmi, I can possibly buy different cables / converters

You might be able to with the video kernel param: https://docs.kernel.org/fb/modedb.html especially the e and d options for enabling or disabling a certain port.

I was thinking similar of like basically shutting off the nontouch monitor until after i login somehow. I think the monitor I'm using is just on the very edge of being support coupled with the fact I'm using wayland I think Im an edge case and can't really find solutions online

To expand on what I'm experiencing bc I was hoping I could just fix it this way. The monitor I'm trying to set as the 'main' monitor is a touch screen and it doesnt work (visually or otherwise) unless the other monitor is unplugged on boot so it is the monitor that does all the booting and what not then after logging in i can plug the other monitor in and it works and everything works. If I do the opposite and plug in the touch monitor after logging in my compositor crashes. so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Last edited by efog4 (2026-04-27 18:41:53)