How to add a virtual monitor

Question

I'm looking for a way to add a virtual monitor. I'm using EOS6

Virtual monitor as in a fake monitor that acts like a real one connected through HDMI/DP/USB. The aim is to run a full screen slideshow on it and present it to my class.

Answer 1

As you have integrated graphics on an Intel chip, you can do this:

0. Open Terminal (if it's not already open)

1. Create an Xorg configuration file:

   sudo vi /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-intel.conf
   

   ^{Note: Feel free to use any editor of your choosing. It does not need to be vi.}

2. Paste the following into the new file:

   Section "Device"
       Identifier "intelgpu0"
       Driver "intel"
       Option "VirtualHeads" "1"
   EndSection
   

3. Reboot

4. Re-open Terminal and check the output of xrandr. So long as everything is as expected, you will see a line that says VIRTUAL1 disconnected

5. Confirm the name of your current output. It will look something like:

   HDMI1 connected primary 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 310mm x 170mm
   

6. Use cvt to set a new Modeline:

   cvt 1920 1080
   

   ^{Note: Replace 1920 and 1080 with the resolution that you would like the virtual device to be.}

   You should see some output that looks like:

   1920x1080 59.92 Hz (CVT 0.79M3) hsync: 47.82 kHz; pclk: 63.50 MHz
   Modeline "1920x1080_60.00"   63.50  1920 1072 1176 1328  1080 771 775 798 -hsync +vsync
   

7. Set the new mode with the output from Step 6:

   $ xrandr --newmode "1920x1080_60.00"   63.50  1920 1072 1176 1328  1080 771 775 798 -hsync +vsync
   $ xrandr --addmode VIRTUAL1 1920x1080_60.00
   

8. Set the virtual display as active:

   xrandr --output VIRTUAL1 --mode 1920x1080_60.00 --right-of HDMI1
   

   ^{Note: Change HDMI1 to your actual display.}

You should now have a virtual monitor positioned to the right of your active display. You can check this by looking at your display settings.