multi monitor switching ...

[coacharnold1]

I Used the AI to do this a little better fro my taste .... please use it if you like it .... working great for me ...

Unified Workspace Switching for Multi-Monitor Hyprland

Overview

This solution allows all monitors to switch workspaces together as a unified desktop, similar to GNOME/KDE behavior, while working within Hyprland's constraint that a workspace can only exist on one monitor at a time.

How It Works

Instead of trying to show the same workspace on multiple monitors (which Hyprland doesn't support), we use workspace ranges per monitor and switch them all simultaneously:

• Monitor 1: Workspaces 1-4
• Monitor 2: Workspaces 11-14
• Monitor 3: Workspaces 21-24

When you press Super + 2, the script switches:

• Monitor 1 → workspace 2
• Monitor 2 → workspace 12
• Monitor 3 → workspace 22

This creates 4 unified "virtual desktops" across all monitors.

Features

• ✅ All monitors switch together with one keypress
• ✅ Configurable number of workspaces (default: 4)
• ✅ Configurable number of monitors (default: 3)
• ✅ Preserves focus on current monitor
• ✅ Works with existing JaKooLit Hyprland setup

Requirements

• Hyprland
• jq (for JSON parsing)

Install jq if needed:

# Arch/Manjaro
sudo pacman -S jq

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install jq

# Fedora
sudo dnf install jq

Installation

1. Create the switching script

Create ~/.config/hypr/scripts/SwitchAllMonitors.sh:

#!/bin/bash
# Script to switch all monitors to the same logical workspace
# Usage: SwitchAllMonitors.sh <workspace_number> (1-4)

workspace=$1

if [ -z "$workspace" ] || [ "$workspace" -lt 1 ] || [ "$workspace" -gt 4 ]; then
    echo "Usage: $0 <workspace_number> (1-4)"
    exit 1
fi

# Calculate workspace numbers for each monitor
# Monitor 1: 1-4
# Monitor 2: 11-14 (add 10)
# Monitor 3: 21-24 (add 20)
ws1=$workspace
ws2=$((workspace + 10))
ws3=$((workspace + 20))

# Get current focused monitor to restore later
current_monitor=$(hyprctl monitors -j | jq -r '.[] | select(.focused==true) | .name')

# Switch all monitors sequentially with delays
hyprctl dispatch focusmonitor MONITOR1 >/dev/null 2>&1
sleep 0.05
hyprctl dispatch workspace $ws1 >/dev/null 2>&1
sleep 0.05

hyprctl dispatch focusmonitor MONITOR2 >/dev/null 2>&1
sleep 0.05
hyprctl dispatch workspace $ws2 >/dev/null 2>&1
sleep 0.05

hyprctl dispatch focusmonitor MONITOR3 >/dev/null 2>&1
sleep 0.05
hyprctl dispatch workspace $ws3 >/dev/null 2>&1
sleep 0.05

# Restore focus to the original monitor
if [ -n "$current_monitor" ]; then
    hyprctl dispatch focusmonitor "$current_monitor" >/dev/null 2>&1
fi

Important: Replace MONITOR1, MONITOR2, MONITOR3 with your actual monitor names.

Find your monitor names:

hyprctl monitors | grep "Monitor"

Make the script executable:

chmod +x ~/.config/hypr/scripts/SwitchAllMonitors.sh

2. Configure workspace assignments

Add to ~/.config/hypr/workspaces.conf:

# Assigning workspaces to monitors - 4 workspaces per monitor
# Monitor 1: 1-4
workspace = 1, monitor:MONITOR1
workspace = 2, monitor:MONITOR1
workspace = 3, monitor:MONITOR1
workspace = 4, monitor:MONITOR1

# Monitor 2: 11-14
workspace = 11, monitor:MONITOR2
workspace = 12, monitor:MONITOR2
workspace = 13, monitor:MONITOR2
workspace = 14, monitor:MONITOR2

# Monitor 3: 21-24
workspace = 21, monitor:MONITOR3
workspace = 22, monitor:MONITOR3
workspace = 23, monitor:MONITOR3
workspace = 24, monitor:MONITOR3

Replace monitor names with your actual monitors from the previous step.

3. Add keybindings

Add to ~/.config/hypr/UserConfigs/UserKeybinds.conf:

# Unified Workspace Switching - All monitors switch together
# ----------------------------------------------------- 
# You have 4 workspaces that span all monitors

# Switch all monitors to workspace 1-4 (Super + number)
bindd = $mainMod, 1, Switch ALL to WS 1, exec, $scriptsDir/SwitchAllMonitors.sh 1
bindd = $mainMod, 2, Switch ALL to WS 2, exec, $scriptsDir/SwitchAllMonitors.sh 2
bindd = $mainMod, 3, Switch ALL to WS 3, exec, $scriptsDir/SwitchAllMonitors.sh 3
bindd = $mainMod, 4, Switch ALL to WS 4, exec, $scriptsDir/SwitchAllMonitors.sh 4

# Move active window to workspace (Super + Shift + number)
bindd = $mainMod SHIFT, 1, Move window to WS 1, movetoworkspace, 1
bindd = $mainMod SHIFT, 2, Move window to WS 2, movetoworkspace, 2
bindd = $mainMod SHIFT, 3, Move window to WS 3, movetoworkspace, 3
bindd = $mainMod SHIFT, 4, Move window to WS 4, movetoworkspace, 4

4. Reload Hyprland

hyprctl reload

Usage

• Super + 1-4: Switch all monitors to that workspace
• Super + Shift + 1-4: Move active window to workspace

Customization

Change number of workspaces

To use 6 workspaces instead of 4:

1. In SwitchAllMonitors.sh, change the validation:

   if [ -z "$workspace" ] || [ "$workspace" -lt 1 ] || [ "$workspace" -gt 6 ]; then

2. Add workspaces 5-6 to workspaces.conf:

   workspace = 5, monitor:MONITOR1
   workspace = 6, monitor:MONITOR1
   workspace = 15, monitor:MONITOR2
   workspace = 16, monitor:MONITOR2
   workspace = 25, monitor:MONITOR3
   workspace = 26, monitor:MONITOR3

3. Add keybindings for Super+5 and Super+6

Add more monitors

For a 4th monitor, use workspace range 31-34 (add 30):

1. In the script, add:

   ws4=$((workspace + 30))

2. Add the switching commands:

   hyprctl dispatch focusmonitor MONITOR4 >/dev/null 2>&1
   sleep 0.05
   hyprctl dispatch workspace $ws4 >/dev/null 2>&1
   sleep 0.05

3. Add workspace assignments to workspaces.conf

For 2 monitors only

Simply remove all references to the 3rd monitor from the script and configs, and use only workspace ranges 1-4 and 11-14.

Troubleshooting

Monitors don't all switch

• Check monitor names match exactly (case-sensitive)
• Ensure jq is installed
• Try increasing sleep delays in the script (change 0.05 to 0.1)

Old workspaces causing conflicts

If you have pre-existing workspaces on wrong monitors:

# Move workspace X to correct monitor
hyprctl dispatch moveworkspacetomonitor "X MONITOR_NAME"

Script not found

Ensure the script path in keybindings matches where you created it:

ls -la ~/.config/hypr/scripts/SwitchAllMonitors.sh

Credits

Created for multi-monitor unified workspace switching in Hyprland.
Compatible with JaKooLit's Hyprland dotfiles.

License

Feel free to use, modify, and share!

[pratikrath126]

Wow, this is a fantastic solution for the 'unified workspace' feel in Hyprland! Using offsets (1, 11, 21) for different monitors is a really clever way to work around the one-monitor-per-workspace limitation. I love how you've even included the jq dependency and the focus restoration logic—that really makes the transition feel seamless. Have you noticed any significant latency with the 0.05s sleeps, or does it feel snappy enough for daily use? Thanks for sharing this with the community!

[coacharnold1]

SOrry for the slow reply .... TO answer your question, I do notice a tiny bit of latency switching work spaces ... but honestly not enough to really get it the way. I have to say I really love this. Ive been using Hyprland for about 2 years on my laptop and love it, the multi monitor switching was what kept me from switching it to muy Desktop. This now is the perfect desktop in my mind. My only issue is seeing so many dektops in the switcher if I'm looking to use it to switch. I wish I could figure out how to make it show only 3 or 4 dektops, to make it truly unified. BUt the ability to just hit meta-and a number and see all three dekstops switch in unison is really nice. ...