macOS 10.13.6, Fusion Pro 10.1.2, Windows guest, dual monitor broken?

[StuartV]

I have:

Macbook Pro Retina Late-2013

macOS 10.13.6

VMware Fusion Professional 10.1.2 (8502123)

Guest VMs:

Windows 8.1 x64

Windows 10 x64

Both with VMware Tools 10.2.5.8068393

I'm using the Macbook with 2 external monitors and external keyboard and mouse. Macbook lid closed. Monitors are both Dell U2518 monitors.

The problem is that the guest VMs can no longer detect a 2nd monitor, in windowed mode or in Full Screen mode.

I do have View/Use All Displays in Full Screen selected.

When in Full Screen, Fusion mirrors the VM onto both monitors. If I change Fusion to View/Use Single Display in Full Screen, then it displays the guest VM on one monitor and the other monitor is black.

The guest VMs used to be able to use both monitors in Full Screen mode and have the desktop extended onto the 2nd monitor.

Now, when I go into the display properties in the guest VM (which is Windows for both my VMs), it does not recognize that there is a second monitor connected. In Windows 10, I click on Detect and it still does not recognize the 2nd monitor. Similar for the Windows 8.1 guest. It cannot detect a 2nd monitor.

This used to work. But, I recently allowed my Macbook to update from the previous release of macOS (10.13.4, maybe?) to the latest, 10.13.6. I *think* that my dual monitor support has been broken ever since the update of macOS.

I have tried uninstalling VMware Tools and reinstalling and it does not make any difference.

I have tried every combo of starting the VM in a window versus full screen and toggling the "Use All" versus "Use Single".

I cannot find anything to get either Windows guest VM to be able to "see" the 2nd monitor, much less extend my desktop onto it.

Help?

[StuartV · Accepted solution]

Follow-up: Fixed.

I kind of feel stupid now, too. 😕

I submitted a Support Request last night. Support called today and had me fixed in 30 minutes.

I had my VM Display settings set for both Window and Full Screen to Stretch. What fixed things for me was changing just Full Screen to Resize.

The result is that in Full Screen mode, the VM sees both monitors and runs at the full display of both.

When I change back to Window mode, the VM continues to run in the same resolution (as if it has 2 monitors connected). Which is just what I want. As a window, everything is really small (unless I make the window big enough to almost fill both monitors. But, it doesn't cause all my open windows to resize and/or rearrange because the machine's resolution changed. Which, again, is just what I want. When I get a bunch of windows open and all positioned just so, I don't want them moving around every time I leave Full Screen mode - unless there was a way to make them automatically go back once I go back to Full Screen mode - which I don't think there is.

Anyway, happy to be fixed now. And I have no idea why I had to do this now, when I never did have to have my settings this way before and I was able to use Full Screen and Window mode like I want (i.e. with both set to Stretch).

[KellyF]

StuartV, can you please mark this as "not answered", since it is not working for me. 

I am having this same problem with my triple display setup which consists of two Samsung 2560x1440 monitors and my laptop display.  I can use my Windows 10 VM in single window mode and full screen mode on a single monitor, but when I select View > Use all Displays in Full Screen, Fusion shakes and shudders (best way to describe it) until one of my 1440P monitors and the laptop display finally settle into a dual display Windows 10 mode.  The second monitor (third display) stays on the MacOS.  The mouse pointer does not work correctly and the display flickers for several seconds anytime I move my mouse. When I exit out of "Use all Displays in Full Screen", the single monitor goes back to normal full screen mode, but the Laptop display goes black and stays on a non-usable VMWare Fusion display screen.

This is definitely a bug associated with the update to MacOS 10.13.6 and it is NOT fixed. I was already using the resize option for both a single window and full screen modes, so that was not something I could change.

My triple display setup was working fine with MacOS 10.13.4 and Fusion 10.1.1.  I could go into "Use all Displays in Full Screen" and all three of my monitors would change to the Windows 10 VM and work as expected. After upgrading my Mac to 10.13.6, it stopped working immediately.  I also tried upgrading Fusion to 10.1.2, but the problem persists.

Does anyone else have any ideas or do I need to open a case to have them test it with the latest version of MacOS?

Here is what it looks like if I start the Windows VM from my laptop display and select "Use all Displays".  The Windows VM beeps on and off, the screen flickers between different settings, and I finally see a bizarre three screen format on the laptop display of the Mac. (Kind of funny, except I am trying to get some work done...)