gui/docs/ref/wails-v3/features/screens/info.mdx
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refactor: update import path from go-config to core/config
Co-Authored-By: Virgil <virgil@lethean.io>
2026-03-14 10:26:36 +00:00

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---
title: Screen Information
description: Get information about displays and monitors
sidebar:
order: 1
---
import { Card, CardGrid } from "@astrojs/starlight/components";
## Screen Information
Wails provides a **unified screen API** that works across all platforms. Get screen information, detect multiple monitors, query screen properties (size, position, DPI), identify the primary display, and handle DPI scaling with consistent code.
## Quick Start
```go
// Get all screens
screens := app.Screen.GetAll()
for _, screen := range screens {
fmt.Printf("Screen: %s (%dx%d)\n",
screen.Name, screen.Width, screen.Height)
}
// Get primary screen
primary := app.Screens.GetPrimary()
fmt.Printf("Primary: %s\n", primary.Name)
```
**That's it!** Cross-platform screen information.
## Getting Screen Information
### All Screens
```go
screens := app.Screen.GetAll()
for _, screen := range screens {
fmt.Printf("ID: %s\n", screen.ID)
fmt.Printf("Name: %s\n", screen.Name)
fmt.Printf("Size: %dx%d\n", screen.Width, screen.Height)
fmt.Printf("Position: %d,%d\n", screen.X, screen.Y)
fmt.Printf("Scale: %.2f\n", screen.ScaleFactor)
fmt.Printf("Primary: %v\n", screen.IsPrimary)
fmt.Println("---")
}
```
### Primary Screen
```go
primary := app.Screens.GetPrimary()
fmt.Printf("Primary screen: %s\n", primary.Name)
fmt.Printf("Resolution: %dx%d\n", primary.Width, primary.Height)
fmt.Printf("Scale factor: %.2f\n", primary.ScaleFactor)
```
### Current Screen
Get the screen containing a window:
```go
screen := app.Screens.GetCurrent(window)
fmt.Printf("Window is on: %s\n", screen.Name)
```
### Screen by ID
```go
screen := app.Screens.GetByID("screen-id")
if screen != nil {
fmt.Printf("Found screen: %s\n", screen.Name)
}
```
## Screen Properties
### Screen Structure
```go
type Screen struct {
ID string // Unique identifier
Name string // Display name
X int // X position
Y int // Y position
Width int // Width in pixels
Height int // Height in pixels
ScaleFactor float32 // DPI scale (1.0, 1.5, 2.0, etc.)
IsPrimary bool // Is this the primary screen?
}
```
### Physical vs Logical Pixels
```go
screen := app.Screens.GetPrimary()
// Logical pixels (what you use)
logicalWidth := screen.Width
logicalHeight := screen.Height
// Physical pixels (actual display)
physicalWidth := int(float32(screen.Width) * screen.ScaleFactor)
physicalHeight := int(float32(screen.Height) * screen.ScaleFactor)
fmt.Printf("Logical: %dx%d\n", logicalWidth, logicalHeight)
fmt.Printf("Physical: %dx%d\n", physicalWidth, physicalHeight)
fmt.Printf("Scale: %.2f\n", screen.ScaleFactor)
```
**Common scale factors:**
- `1.0` - Standard DPI (96 DPI)
- `1.25` - 125% scaling (120 DPI)
- `1.5` - 150% scaling (144 DPI)
- `2.0` - 200% scaling (192 DPI) - Retina
- `3.0` - 300% scaling (288 DPI) - 4K/5K
## Window Positioning
### Centre on Screen
```go
func centreOnScreen(window *application.WebviewWindow, screen *Screen) {
windowWidth, windowHeight := window.Size()
x := screen.X + (screen.Width-windowWidth)/2
y := screen.Y + (screen.Height-windowHeight)/2
window.SetPosition(x, y)
}
```
### Position on Specific Screen
```go
func moveToScreen(window *application.WebviewWindow, screenIndex int) {
screens := app.Screen.GetAll()
if screenIndex < 0 || screenIndex >= len(screens) {
return
}
screen := screens[screenIndex]
// Centre on target screen
centreOnScreen(window, screen)
}
```
### Position Relative to Screen
```go
// Top-left corner
func positionTopLeft(window *application.WebviewWindow, screen *Screen) {
window.SetPosition(screen.X+10, screen.Y+10)
}
// Top-right corner
func positionTopRight(window *application.WebviewWindow, screen *Screen) {
windowWidth, _ := window.Size()
window.SetPosition(screen.X+screen.Width-windowWidth-10, screen.Y+10)
}
// Bottom-right corner
func positionBottomRight(window *application.WebviewWindow, screen *Screen) {
windowWidth, windowHeight := window.Size()
window.SetPosition(
screen.X+screen.Width-windowWidth-10,
screen.Y+screen.Height-windowHeight-10,
)
}
```
## Multi-Monitor Support
### Detect Multiple Monitors
```go
func hasMultipleMonitors() bool {
return len(app.Screen.GetAll()) > 1
}
func getMonitorCount() int {
return len(app.Screen.GetAll())
}
```
### List All Monitors
```go
func listMonitors() {
screens := app.Screen.GetAll()
fmt.Printf("Found %d monitor(s):\n", len(screens))
for i, screen := range screens {
primary := ""
if screen.IsPrimary {
primary = " (Primary)"
}
fmt.Printf("%d. %s%s\n", i+1, screen.Name, primary)
fmt.Printf(" Resolution: %dx%d\n", screen.Width, screen.Height)
fmt.Printf(" Position: %d,%d\n", screen.X, screen.Y)
fmt.Printf(" Scale: %.2fx\n", screen.ScaleFactor)
}
}
```
### Choose Monitor
```go
func chooseMonitor() (*Screen, error) {
screens := app.Screen.GetAll()
if len(screens) == 1 {
return screens[0], nil
}
// Show dialog to choose
var options []string
for i, screen := range screens {
primary := ""
if screen.IsPrimary {
primary = " (Primary)"
}
options = append(options,
fmt.Sprintf("%d. %s%s - %dx%d",
i+1, screen.Name, primary, screen.Width, screen.Height))
}
// Use dialog to select
// (Implementation depends on your dialog system)
return screens[0], nil
}
```
## Complete Examples
### Multi-Monitor Window Manager
```go
type MultiMonitorManager struct {
app *application.Application
windows map[int]*application.WebviewWindow
}
func NewMultiMonitorManager(app *application.Application) *MultiMonitorManager {
return &MultiMonitorManager{
app: app,
windows: make(map[int]*application.WebviewWindow),
}
}
func (m *MultiMonitorManager) CreateWindowOnScreen(screenIndex int) error {
screens := m.app.Screen.GetAll()
if screenIndex < 0 || screenIndex >= len(screens) {
return errors.New("invalid screen index")
}
screen := screens[screenIndex]
// Create window
window := m.app.Window.NewWithOptions(application.WebviewWindowOptions{
Title: fmt.Sprintf("Window on %s", screen.Name),
Width: 800,
Height: 600,
})
// Centre on screen
x := screen.X + (screen.Width-800)/2
y := screen.Y + (screen.Height-600)/2
window.SetPosition(x, y)
window.Show()
m.windows[screenIndex] = window
return nil
}
func (m *MultiMonitorManager) CreateWindowOnEachScreen() {
screens := m.app.Screen.GetAll()
for i := range screens {
m.CreateWindowOnScreen(i)
}
}
```
### Screen Change Detection
```go
type ScreenMonitor struct {
app *application.Application
lastScreens []*Screen
changeHandler func([]*Screen)
}
func NewScreenMonitor(app *application.Application) *ScreenMonitor {
return &ScreenMonitor{
app: app,
lastScreens: app.Screen.GetAll(),
}
}
func (sm *ScreenMonitor) OnScreenChange(handler func([]*Screen)) {
sm.changeHandler = handler
}
func (sm *ScreenMonitor) Start() {
ticker := time.NewTicker(2 * time.Second)
go func() {
for range ticker.C {
sm.checkScreens()
}
}()
}
func (sm *ScreenMonitor) checkScreens() {
current := sm.app.Screen.GetAll()
if len(current) != len(sm.lastScreens) {
sm.lastScreens = current
if sm.changeHandler != nil {
sm.changeHandler(current)
}
}
}
```
### DPI-Aware Window Sizing
```go
func createDPIAwareWindow(screen *Screen) *application.WebviewWindow {
// Base size at 1.0 scale
baseWidth := 800
baseHeight := 600
// Adjust for DPI
width := int(float32(baseWidth) * screen.ScaleFactor)
height := int(float32(baseHeight) * screen.ScaleFactor)
window := app.Window.NewWithOptions(application.WebviewWindowOptions{
Title: "DPI-Aware Window",
Width: width,
Height: height,
})
// Centre on screen
x := screen.X + (screen.Width-width)/2
y := screen.Y + (screen.Height-height)/2
window.SetPosition(x, y)
return window
}
```
### Screen Layout Visualiser
```go
func visualiseScreenLayout() string {
screens := app.Screen.GetAll()
var layout strings.Builder
layout.WriteString("Screen Layout:\n\n")
for i, screen := range screens {
primary := ""
if screen.IsPrimary {
primary = " [PRIMARY]"
}
layout.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("Screen %d: %s%s\n", i+1, screen.Name, primary))
layout.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf(" Position: (%d, %d)\n", screen.X, screen.Y))
layout.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf(" Size: %dx%d\n", screen.Width, screen.Height))
layout.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf(" Scale: %.2fx\n", screen.ScaleFactor))
layout.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf(" Physical: %dx%d\n",
int(float32(screen.Width)*screen.ScaleFactor),
int(float32(screen.Height)*screen.ScaleFactor)))
layout.WriteString("\n")
}
return layout.String()
}
```
## Best Practices
### ✅ Do
- **Check screen count** - Handle single and multiple monitors
- **Use logical pixels** - Wails handles DPI automatically
- **Centre windows** - Better UX than fixed positions
- **Validate positions** - Ensure windows are visible
- **Handle screen changes** - Monitors can be added/removed
- **Test on different DPI** - 100%, 125%, 150%, 200%
### ❌ Don't
- **Don't hardcode positions** - Use screen dimensions
- **Don't assume primary screen** - User might have multiple
- **Don't ignore scale factor** - Important for DPI awareness
- **Don't position off-screen** - Validate coordinates
- **Don't forget screen changes** - Laptops dock/undock
- **Don't use physical pixels** - Use logical pixels
## Platform Differences
### macOS
- Retina displays (2x scale factor)
- Multiple displays common
- Coordinate system: (0,0) at bottom-left
- Spaces (virtual desktops) affect positioning
### Windows
- Various DPI scaling (100%, 125%, 150%, 200%)
- Multiple displays common
- Coordinate system: (0,0) at top-left
- Per-monitor DPI awareness
### Linux
- Varies by desktop environment
- X11 vs Wayland differences
- DPI scaling support varies
- Multiple displays supported
## Next Steps
<CardGrid>
<Card title="Windows" icon="laptop">
Learn about window management.
[Learn More →](/features/windows/basics)
</Card>
<Card title="Window Options" icon="seti:config">
Configure window appearance.
[Learn More →](/features/windows/options)
</Card>
<Card title="Multiple Windows" icon="puzzle">
Multi-window patterns.
[Learn More →](/features/windows/multiple)
</Card>
<Card title="Bindings" icon="rocket">
Call Go functions from JavaScript.
[Learn More →](/features/bindings/methods)
</Card>
</CardGrid>
---
**Questions?** Ask in [Discord](https://discord.gg/JDdSxwjhGf) or check the [screen examples](https://github.com/wailsapp/wails/tree/v3-alpha/v3/examples).