Dell Display Manager on Mac User’s Guide
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer. Copyright © 2021 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Dell, EMC, and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. Other trademarks may be trademarks of their respective owners. 2021 - 09 Rev.
Contents Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Downloading and setting up the Dell Display Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Downloading Dell Display Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Connect your monitor to your Mac. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Before launching Dell Display Manager . . . . . . . . . . 7 Using the Quick Settings dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Unable to detect supported Dell monitor. . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Updating Dell Display Manager software . . . . . . . .
Overview Dell Display Manager (DDM) is an Apple macOS application used to manage a monitor or a group of monitors. Dell Display Manager allows manual adjustment of the displayed image, assignment of automatic settings, energy management, window organization, image rotation, and other features on selected Dell monitors. After installing Dell Display Manager, it runs each time your system starts.
Downloading and setting up the Dell Display Manager Downloading Dell Display Manager Browse for your monitor or type it in at https://www.dell.com/support. Download Dell Display Manager for Mac from the list of downloads, and install it on your Mac. Connect your monitor to your Mac 1. Connect your Mac to monitor as described in your monitor's user's guide. NOTE: Connectivity diagrams are for illustrative purposes only.
Before launching Dell Display Manager Before launching Dell Display Manager, go to Others in your monitor's On-Screen Display menu and ensure that the DDC/CI feature is enabled. When launching Dell Display Manager for the first time, the application will request access to Screen Recording and Accessibility privileges on your Mac. Click Open System Preferences and follow the on-screen instructions to enable Screen Recording and Accessibility.
Using the Quick Settings dialog Clicking Dell Display Manager's icon on the status bar opens the Quick Settings dialog box. When multiple Dell monitors are connected to the computer, you can select any monitor from the drop-down menu. The Quick Settings dialog box provides quick access to commonly-used features, such as configuring the monitor’s: • Resolution • Brightness and Contrast • Presets (auto or manual mode) A list of recently-used layouts are available for quick selection.
Feature Function Quick DDM Shortcut key Access to launch Quick Settings dialog box Select monitor when multiple monitors are connected Description • Ctrl+Shift+D • When more than one monitors are connected to the computer, select the monitor from the model drop-down list to configure the monitor. • When the monitor is selected from the UI, the selected monitor screen will be dimmed momentary, showing a monitor icon with the model name on the screen to indicate the physical screen selected.
Launching Dell Display Manager Launch the Dell Display Manager by one of the following methods: • Right-click on the DDM icon on the status bar and select Open Dell Display Manager.... • Click Open Dell Display Manager from the Quick Settings Dialog box.
Setting basic display functions In Dell Display Manager menu, access the Basic tab to change the basic functions. Feature Function Description Basic Resolution • Change screen resolution. Auto Mode • Click on the Configure button to access the Auto Mode tab to assign a preset mode to an application. • Enable this feature to activate the preset mode automatically when the associated application is selected as the active window. Manual Mode • Select the preset mode manually from the user interface.
Multi-monitor connection - Enable display matrix control 12 │ Setting basic display functions
Assigning preset modes to applications The Auto Mode tab allows you to associate any Preset Mode with an application. When Auto Mode is enabled on the Basic tab, Dell Display Manager automatically switches to the corresponding Preset Mode whenever the associated application is activated. The Preset Mode assigned to a particular application may be the same on each connected monitor, or it can vary from one monitor to another.
Organizing windows with Easy Arrange The Easy Arrange tab simplifies the applications window organization on the monitor. To use it: 1. Select any of the predefined layout to virtually divide the screen into multiple zones. 2. Drag the application to your selected zone to position the application in the zone. The application will snap to the selected zone. Click the > icon to explore more layouts.
Feature Function Easy Arrange Overlap transparent borders • Enable the feature to allow application snap side by side without gap. Hold down the SHIFT key to enable zone positioning • Enable the feature to require you to press the Shift key to activate the Easy Arrange positioning. Application Window Snap • Quick access to snap application window to recently-used layout.
Using Application Window Snap The Application Window Snap is designed to enable application placement on any screen quickly. When this function is enabled in Dell Display Manager, dragging the application triggers a floating menu that contains recently-used Easy Arrange layouts. Drop the application to any one of the listed layouts to perform window placement. You can enable this feature by one of the following methods: • Tick the option from the Quick Settings menu on the status bar.
Managing multiple video inputs The Input Manager tab provides convenient ways for you to manage multiple video inputs connected to your Dell monitor. This makes it easy to switch between inputs while you work with multiple computers. All video input ports available to your monitor are listed. You can assign each input with a name. Save your changes after editing. NOTE: Refer to your monitor’s user guide for available inputs.
Selecting PIP/PBP mode 1. Click on the PIP/PBP mode... (Picture-in-Picture/Picture-by-Picture) icon to enable the split screen function on supported models. 2. Select a target window size to split the screen to suit your need.
Setting up the KVM For monitors that supports Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) feature, click on the KVM wizard icon and follow the on-screen wizard flow to set up the devices connecting to the monitor. The on-screen wizard flow is illustrated in the following screenshots. 1. Select the number of sources your monitor is connected to.
2. Pair the input sources with USB connections and assign preferred names.
3. Select a preferred partition.
4. Click Finish to save and exit KVM wizard. NOTE: Dell Display Manager communicates with your monitor even when the monitor is displaying video from another computer. You can install Dell Display Manager on the computer you frequently use and control input switching from it. You may also install Dell Display Manager on other computers connected to the monitor.
Applying energy conservation features On supported Dell models, PowerNap energy conservation options are available in Options tab. You can choose to set the brightness of the monitor to the minimum level, or to put the monitor to sleep when the screen saver is activated.
Other shortcut keys Assign shortcut keys for quick access to commonly-used features. Feature Function Description Shortcut Keys Program shortcut key • Quick access to open the Quick Settings dialog box. Easy Arrange MRU shortcut key • Cycle through the 6 recently-used window layouts. PIP position shortcut key • Quick access to apply the PIP sub position of the window position to Top-Left, Top-Right, BottomRight or Bottom-left.
Restoring application positions Dell Display Manager can help you restore application windows into their positions when you reconnect your PC to the monitor(s). Access this feature by rightclicking on Dell Display Manager icon in the notification tray. If you choose Auto-restore window layout, your application windows' positions are tracked and remembered by Dell Display Manager.
You may use monitors with different models or resolutions in your daily routine, and you may apply different window layouts on them. Dell Display Manager registers the monitor you have reconnected and restore application positions accordingly. In case you need to replace a monitor in a monitor matrix configuration, you can save the window layout before replacement and restore the layout after a new monitor is connected. NOTE: You should keep your applications running in order to benefit from this feature.
Troubleshooting If Dell Display Manager does not work with your monitor, it will display the following icon and message in the status menu. Click on the icon, Dell Display Manager shows a more detailed error message. Please note that Dell Display Manager only works with selected Dell-branded monitors. If you are using monitors from other manufacturers, Dell Display Manager does not support them.
4. Remove any docking stations or cable extenders or converters between the monitor and the graphics port. Some low-cost extenders, hubs or converters may not support DDC/CI properly and can fail Dell Display Manager. Update the driver of such device if the latest version is available. 5. Restart your system.
Updating Dell Display Manager software If your PC is connected to the Internet, you will be prompted to upgrade to a newer version of Dell Display Manager when it is available. It is recommended to download and install the latest Dell Display Manager application. You may also check for new version by right clicking on Dell Display Manager icon.
