is external monitors helpful in programming?

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chocolateAbuser@reddit

kinda depends on the project you're working but yes i would never go back to using one monitor only

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liquidanimosity@reddit

I know a bunch of people I worked with had 4 plus screens for work. Dock with keyboards and other extras bits.

I just worked on the ThinkPad no extras. Didn't need anything else, still don't.

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theusrl@reddit (OP)

does alt tabbing all the time not bother you?

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liquidanimosity@reddit

No it became second nature. I also found short term memory got better after a couple of months.

It was also handy when we went into the office, we were mostly remote at that stage. So all we had was one screen.

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NationsAnarchy@reddit

Yes, an extra monitor will be very helpful.

If you have the desk space, then yes an ultrawide monitor will fit more things in a screen as well.

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Individual-Brief1116@reddit

Totally agree. I've got two 27" Dells at my setup and honestly can't imagine going back to a single screen. Code on one, docs/browser on the other makes everything so much smoother.

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theusrl@reddit (OP)

what screen size should i be looking for? is 34” enough?

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Dookie_boy@reddit

I prefer two 24" or 27" monitors any day for serious work.

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Humble_Warthog9711@reddit

If you can't see what you'd use a second one for, don't bother

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Effective_Promise581@reddit

You need at least one decent size monitor, two would be even better. IMO an external monitor is required equipment for a programmer.

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Moikle@reddit

A 2nd screen is useful for almost everything

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jlanawalt@reddit

It depends on your laptop and dock capabilities, IDE, and personal preference.

Except for how ultra-wide feels to you and laptop +dock capabilities, you don’t have to commit to it all at once and lose anything switching. As a piece at a time.

I don’t like ultra-wide. Everything was too small when scaled out to get the desktop space I wanted. I use my IDE in single window mode, no pop-outs, and split mode never worked the way I wanted, getting in the way of my alt-tab flow. I don’t enjoy constantly zooming in and out when others with an ultra-wide screen share their screen.

I prefer the laptop screen for comms, my main screen for work like coding, configuring, and documenting, and a third screen for running the program when debugging out for reference and log viewing. When i only have two screens i push all the third screen stuff to the laptop “comms” screen.

Before you leap do some research on the monitor, dock, laptop, cabling and OS supported ports so you don’t buy a monitor your dock won’t support.

Good luck

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theusrl@reddit (OP)

thank you

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gazpitchy@reddit

I usually use three, it's great. If not, just use virtual desktops.

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Average_Pangolin@reddit

These days you can pick up a perfectly decent external monitor on Amazon for, I shit you not, <$40. Absolutely no reason not to give it a try. I love mine.

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JustinTheCheetah@reddit

I picked up one of those super cheap sub $50 monitors. Blurry despite claiming to be 1080p, not very bright, and tends to flicker of you play a video on it.

You can get a much better portable monitor for a laptop from acer, asus, or Viewsonic for ~$110. It's absolutely worth spending a few extra dollars and getting name brand.

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NickelLess83@reddit

I’d say my productivity went up well more than 2x when I added an additional monitor. Well worth it.

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symbiatch@reddit

It depends on you. Not everyone is the same. If I say “no, laptop screen is more than enough” just because it is for me will you then not buy one yourself even if you want to?

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theusrl@reddit (OP)

im asking people because i dont wanna buy and regret it bro

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YakumoYoukai@reddit

In addition to the obvious "yes, get a 2nd monitor" answers, if you are going to use your laptop screen as one of the monitors, try to position it so it is at the same proper ergonomic height as any other monitor, not sitting directly down on your desk where it is too low. This probably means that the laptop's own keyboard is way too high or oddly angled to use, so have an external mouse & keyboard on your desk too.

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theusrl@reddit (OP)

thanks

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elg97477@reddit

I have two external displays and a laptop display. My external displays are 34” Dells.

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PhoenixBlaze123@reddit

Literally cant program unless I've got 2 monitors

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Bitwizarding@reddit

Very helpful. Programming is so much better on my Ultrawide than on my laptop. Keep your laptop open, why not? I need a window open for code, for output, for research, for debugging, and for YouTube. You need that screen real estate.

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theusrl@reddit (OP)

thanks

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_N-iX_@reddit

Biggest benefit isn’t just space — it’s mental load reduction. Constantly switching windows breaks focus more than people realize. Having things visible at once helps you stay in the flow longer.

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theusrl@reddit (OP)

exactly

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ffrkAnonymous@reddit

i gotta alt tab all the time,

Is not alt-tabbing helpful?

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theusrl@reddit (OP)

yes. especially for me who gets kinda confused where there are too many things open at the same time, alt-tabbing kills productivity too

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troisieme_ombre@reddit

Two screens is a god send, 3-4 is comfort, more than 5 is hysterical.

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caboosetp@reddit

I've been all around with dev setups from a single monitor up to 6 monitors and 3 is about the most useful. An ultrawide basically gets you 2 plus your laptop screen for 3.

Alt-tabbing isn't necessarily the issue. If you're on a mission, you only need to see what you need at the time. However, needing to alt-tab back and forth is a great indicator. If what you need to see for your mission is on two windows, then two screens is great. Rarely am I working on things where I'm even able to focus on more than two windows at a time anyways. Most often is documentation like design docs on one screen and the IDE on the other.

The third monitor comes in great for having comms like teams or slack open. This is also a good thing for your laptop where the resolution is most often smaller, so it's less useful when you need to see big swathes of code or documentation but is fine for chat windows.

I absolutely bit into the apple of greed though and have a 6 monitor setup at home. There are times it's useful but almost never for programming. Monkey brain happy but there's only so many things you can focus on at once. 2 monitors is really the useful soft-limit I've personally found and that's what most people I've talked to agree with. That 3rd one for comms is just a nice to have.

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ShoulderPast2433@reddit

2 monitors or an uktrawide is standard setup for programmers in corporations

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thille96@reddit

I'd be so lost without 2 screens. 😅

I found there is so much benefit to have a secondary monitor of any price. You usually will have your chosen IDE on one screen at all times. On the other there is space for design, google, other tools, another window of your IDE, simulator, chat, api spec. You can alt tab between them on 1 screen, but the efficiency difference is huge.

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Dry_Builder_1251@reddit

I got three. Or four. Laptop itself, ultrawide, vertical and normal.

My own PC is plugged into those others too.

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vegan_antitheist@reddit

It's not really necessary but usually it's a lot better unless you have a really big laptop.

I have a PC and only use one large screen and a really small one. What you don't need is a high refresh rate. I.e. it doesn't have to be an expensive gaming monitor. Ultrahigh contrast and low lag is also not really that important to look at code. High resolution can be nice because you can fit more stuff on it if you have good eyes and actually see small fonts.

I also have a really small and cheap one by verbatim. It was the cheapest one I found. I originally had it for something else but now it's just the screen I use to control music and sometimes to just put something on another screen. When I work for a project I use the client's laptop anyway and then I have another screen, which I usually use for video calls and such.

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CodeMonkeyPW@reddit

100% yes, with external keyboard and mouse too. Get a desk, get a chair. Working hours with comfort you more focused and that is helpful

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desrtfx@reddit

My common work setup consists of the Laptop screen for Outlook and Teams, and three external monitors (24" Full HD is sufficient for me) for the actual work.

Yes, multiple screens are extremely useful for programming as you don't have to Alt-Tab all the time (still have to do it, but a lot less).

Personally, I prefer standard 16:9 or 16:10 screens to ultrawide, but that's mainly preference. Get as much screen estate as you can afford.

If you go for Ultrawide and are on Windows, install the Microsoft PowerToys (from the MS-Store) and use the FancyZones and/or Workplace Layout tools from there. They help immensely even on "normal" screens.

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theusrl@reddit (OP)

thanks

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Overall-Worth-2047@reddit

Definitely not just being consumerist; a single laptop screen is a productivity killer when you’re constantly swapping between your IDE, documentation, and the terminal. I switched to an ultrawide a year ago and the extra screen real estate is a game changer for seeing your entire codebase without the bezel in the middle. It makes your workflow way more scalable once you stop wasting mental energy on alt-tabbing. Just do your research on desk depth before going ultrawide so you aren't sitting two inches from the glass.

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theusrl@reddit (OP)

what size is your screen? i was looking for a 34 inch. and about desk depth, my desk is around 18 inches, i think thats like the very minimum right?

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joranstark018@reddit

I have used different 14" Mac Book over the years without an external screen, yes I stack my applications on top of each other and yes I tab between them (I prefer to focus on one window at the time, avoiding distractions like mail and zoom). I can work at most places, I only need my noise canceling headphones, a working wifi connection and a comfy chair, but I know that many others have other needs.

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the-forty-second@reddit

Yes. I currently run with three externals, one of them an ultrawide. If you can swing it, I would say get and ultrawide. The downside (besides, as you say, being consumerist) is that once you get used to the room it will be hard to take your laptop somewhere else where you don’t have it and be productive.

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theusrl@reddit (OP)

yeah i imagined this could happen to me, but i dont take the laptop off my desk too much so i might be fine

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HippoLongjumping2988@reddit

I can confirm the addiction is real - switched to dual monitors for my antique business invoicing and now working in laptop alone feels like trying to watch TV through keyhole

For programming I'd say ultrawide gives you more flexibility than two separate screens since you can split it however you want instead of dealing with bezels in middle