No desktop icons or files with two monitors

Support & Help Requests
#1

I just hooked up a second monitor and all seems to work ok
except the desktop icons and files have disappeared.

If I turn off the second monitor in ‘Displays’, then the icons
and files re-appear on the primary monitor.

With both monitors on, if I open the file manager (CAJA) to
the Desktop folder, the icons and files are there, but for some
reason, they don’t show on either monitor’s desktop.

The main monitor resolution is set to 1920 x 1080;
the second monitor resolution is set to 1600 x 900.
That is the max for both monitors.
Could that have something to do with it ?

Because when I mirror the screens, it sets both monitors
to the same resolution of 1280 x 1024 and the
icons and files are shown on both monitors.

#2

There is something definitely wrong with the desktop. I have a similar problem (in another thread) although I do not have two monitors. No desktop files are visible on the desktop, but if I go to ~/Desktop with one of the file managers, or in the terminal, there they all are. I think it is time to report a bug.

Now, let’s find out how to do that…

#3

Well, after further experimenting, I have found out that the highest resolution that I can set each monitor to that is equal is 1280 x 1024, which is the same resolution that both get set to automatically when I check ‘mirror the monitors’.

With both monitors set to this 1280 x 1024 resolution, but without the monitors being mirrored, all the icons and files show up on the desktop.

However, they all show up on the secondary monitor only !

Even if I create a desktop file or folder while on the primary monitor, it still only shows up on the secondary monitor.

Anyone have a clue about what’s going on here ?

Seems like if the resolution of both monitors is equal, then there is no problem except that none of the files or icons show on the primary monitor (even if they are created on the primary monitor).

Could this be the norm for other distros, or perhaps this IS a bug in Ubuntu Mate 17.10 ?

#4

See my recent post on this subject for more info.

#5

I’m running 16.04, so it’s not limited to 17.10

#6

Just an idea : in MATE tweak app, try to :
1 uncheck the option to use the Desktop (where you also see to display trash, home…)
2 logout
3 check again that option to enable the Desktop

#7

Ok, after more experimenting, I’ve found out what works for me.

Ubuntu Mate 17.10 seems to consider the monitor to the left,
not necessarily physically to the left, but to the left as shown
in the picture in ‘Displays/Monitor Preferences’, as the primary
monitor even though the monitor to the right [in the picture]
is selected as the primary monitor.

(If you think that’s a long sentence, watch out for the next one.)

So, because I had the secondary monitor to the left in the picture,
(the reason being because I had it to my left physically) whenever
I checked one of the system icons or created a file or folder, on my
primary monitor (the one to the right in the pic), then it would put
it on the secondary monitor( on the left in the pic), but I could not
see them because it would put them at the edge of the screen
based on the resolution of the primary monitor which was out
of range of the resolution of the secondary monitor.
(Primary monitor resolution 1920 x 1080, secondary 1600 x 900)

(Now that’s a long sentence, :), sorry)

Now every thing works ok, but moving the mouse to the right
on the primary monitor to get it on the secondary monitor
seems kind of awkward.

If I physically moved the secondary monitor to my right side,
that would solve even that, but because I’m right handed
and need some room to the right of the primary monitor
for the mouse pad and because I can sit only in the middle
of the desk, it would put the secondary monitor too far away.

I know, it’s weird; I’m calling the monitor that is selected as
the primary monitor the primary, whereas Ubuntu Mate
seems to think the primary monitor is the one to the left
in the picture regardless of the selection.

I could be wrong, but this sure seems like a bug to me.

#8

My suggestion is that you do not check mark "Same image in all monitors" as that seems to lead to the perceived absence of desktop icons. Instead have both monitors at their maximum resolutions. Your desktop icons will probably appear on the laptop monitor, whether it is labeled primary or not. My larger VGA monitor (on the right) is labeled "primary" but I ignore that. (Yeah, it could be a bug.) Then, if you feel that you must, swap the positions of the monitors in the Monitor Preferences dialog box to see if that gets you what you want - being a lefty.

I think this monitor app is a work in progress...

#9

@ mdooley,

I think that maybe you’re misunderstanding my setup.
I don’t have ‘Same image in all monitors’ checked and
I have a desktop, not a laptop.
The monitor set as primary has a resolution of 1920 x 1080,
and is connected from the pc’s HDMI port to the monitors DVI port
with an adapter cable.
The secondary monitor’s resolution is 1600 x 900 and is
connected via the PC’s and monitor’s VGA ports.

Actually, everything works almost normally now with the primary set
monitor (1920 x 1080) positioned on the left side in the
‘Monitor Preferences’ (even though it is physically on the
right side).

I say ‘almost’ normally because although the system icons (when checked in Mate Tweak)
appear on the primary monitor and although files/folders created on the primary
monitor appear there, if, however, I create a FOLDER on the secondary monitor,
it appears on the secondary monitor like you would think it should, but if I create a FILE on the
secondary monitor, it appears on the primary monitor in the far upper left
of the screen.
I suspect, however, that if the secondary monitor was the same resolution
as the primary, then a file created on the secondary would also appear on the secondary,
because when a folder is created on either one, it appears near the center of the screen
on whichever monitor it was created on, whereas when a file is created on either one, it always appears in the far upper left of the primary monitor.

So, there’s definitely a bug there somewhere, it would seem,
especially the part where it seems it considers the monitor
on the left in ‘Monitor Preferences’ to be the primary
monitor regardless of whether it’s set primary or not.