# Projecting the contents of a window in XP **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 13, 2009, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projecting-the-contents-of-a-window-in-xp/481011 "2009-01-13T00:21:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rusalka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecd19e/32.png) [@Rusalka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rusalka)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projecting-the-contents-of-a-window-in-xp/481011/1 "2009-01-13T00:21:43Z")
Is there a way to project only one window in a Windows program onto a screen using a projector? I have a laptop with Windows and an Optoma projector. I don’t want my entire desktop to show up on the screen. I imagine this is something a lot of people need to do for presentations, but I can’t find any information online addressing this issue. Perhaps I’m not framing my search terms properly. I called Optoma but they said it’s not their realm of expertise because the projector just shows what Windows sends to it. I don’t want to widen my desktop onto two monitors because I have to see what I’m doing on my laptop. I want to be drawing on the laptop, but I only want the window with the drawing to show up on the projected image, instead of all the clutter that comes with my Photoshop program. ---
**Author:** ![Cider\_Depot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Cider\_Depot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cider_Depot)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projecting-the-contents-of-a-window-in-xp/481011/2 "2009-01-13T00:57:31Z")
If there is I’ve never heard of it. Whenever I do presentations I usually just show the audience everything. When I want some stuff hidden, I go with dual monitor and divide the desktop up between things I want to see and things I want to show. How about you try setting up your projector to a much lower resolution than your monitor, then move the windows you don’t want to display over to the right hand side of your desktop? (Assuming of course that such a thing is possible) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projecting-the-contents-of-a-window-in-xp/481011/3 "2009-01-13T01:15:17Z")
Maximize the window you want to show to full screen? ---
**Author:** ![Rusalka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecd19e/32.png) [@Rusalka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rusalka)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projecting-the-contents-of-a-window-in-xp/481011/4 "2009-01-13T02:35:26Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Maximize the window you want to show to full screen? Well, it’s Photoshop, so maximizing the window just sticks it inside the Photoshop frame maximized. The photoshop tools and menus are still visible around it. Same goes for most other types of programs. I still need to draw in that window, so I still need to see the tools. Some screen capture programs allow you to capture just the contents of a window so I thought the same might be possible for video output. ---
**Author:** ![Pseudocode](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/59ef9b/32.png) [@Pseudocode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pseudocode)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projecting-the-contents-of-a-window-in-xp/481011/5 "2009-01-13T04:44:22Z")
> [@Cider\_Depot](#): > > Whenever I do presentations I usually just show the audience everything. When I want some stuff hidden, I go with dual monitor and divide the desktop up between things I want to see and things I want to show. This is the right idea. Instead of using clone mode, where the projector shows what you see on your laptop, extend your desktop to use the projector as a second monitor. Then just drag the window you want to show into the view that the projector is displaying. ---
**Author:** ![Rusalka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecd19e/32.png) [@Rusalka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rusalka)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projecting-the-contents-of-a-window-in-xp/481011/6 "2009-01-13T08:00:21Z")
I tried that but then I realized that Photoshop won’t let you “undock” the window you’re drawing in, so that solution won’t work after all. 😕 In other words you can’t move the daughter window from out of the Photoshop frame. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projecting-the-contents-of-a-window-in-xp/481011/7 "2009-01-13T08:36:07Z")
Short of a program actually designed to display full screen borderless shots like a PowerPoint Presentation pretty much everything in Windows is going to have a border of some kind. ---
**Author:** ![Rusalka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecd19e/32.png) [@Rusalka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rusalka)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projecting-the-contents-of-a-window-in-xp/481011/8 "2009-01-14T16:20:38Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Short of a program actually designed to display full screen borderless shots like a PowerPoint Presentation pretty much everything in Windows is going to have a border of some kind. Right, that’s what I’m looking for. I’m surprised this doesn’t exist?? By borderless I don’t mean the window around it disappears, just that the window gets “maximized” into the projected image. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projecting-the-contents-of-a-window-in-xp/481011/9 "2009-01-14T16:43:16Z")
As the projector people told you, it all depends on Windows, unless there is some oddball utility out there. The basic problem is that you want to project something other than what’s actually on the screen, and I don’t think there’s much demand for that. > [@Cider\_Depot](#): > > How about you try setting up your projector to a much lower resolution than your monitor, then move the windows you don’t want to display over to the right hand side of your desktop? (Assuming of course that such a thing is possible) On my laptop, it automatically adjusts to the resolution of the projector so I see exactly the same thing on my laptop screen as on the wall. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projecting-the-contents-of-a-window-in-xp/481011/10 "2009-01-14T17:56:12Z")
> [@Rusalka](#): > > Is there a way to project only one window in a Windows program onto a screen using a projector? I have a laptop with Windows and an Optoma projector. I don’t want my entire desktop to show up on the screen. I do not think this is possible because it is not the program but the OS who has control of the video output and outputs the same thing to the laptop screen and video output. You would need a separate video card or a card with dual capability to output something different to two different displays. ---
**Author:** ![Rusalka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecd19e/32.png) [@Rusalka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rusalka)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projecting-the-contents-of-a-window-in-xp/481011/11 "2009-01-15T04:54:06Z")
> [@sailor](#): > > I do not think this is possible because it is not the program but the OS who has control of the video output and outputs the same thing to the laptop screen and video output. You would need a separate video card or a card with dual capability to output something different to two different displays. Well, I do. A laptop has this ability. So the laptop screen is one screen and the video screen is output number 2. That’s not the problem, I’ve been able to extend the desktop onto the second monitor (projector). I thought this (my original question) might be something that people would want because during demos or teaching, the demonstrators might not necessarily want you to see all the things that they’re doing on their desktop. I was hoping there was a utility out there that would do this, but I can’t find one. ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projecting-the-contents-of-a-window-in-xp/481011/12 "2009-01-15T06:58:15Z")
> [@Rusalka](#): > > Well, it’s Photoshop, so maximizing the window just sticks it inside the Photoshop frame maximized. The photoshop tools and menus are still visible around it. For what it’s worth, photoshop has a full screen mode. In the version I have, you toggle through the various modes by hitting ‘f’. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projecting-the-contents-of-a-window-in-xp/481011/13 "2009-01-15T07:33:33Z")
> [@Rusalka](#): > > I thought this (my original question) might be something that people would want because during demos or teaching, the demonstrators might not necessarily want you to see all the things that they’re doing on their desktop. I was hoping there was a utility out there that would do this, but I can’t find one. What you are looking for seems to be falling into the Whiteboard/application sharing category - look at [this](http://www.marratech.com/userman/client/whiteboard_sharing_windows.html) to see an example of sharing a rectangular portion of the screen with another client. In the OPs case, the shared portion of the screen would be on the primary laptop display (with only the material they want to display within the shared display area), and the projected second screen would be running the client. This particular tool is based on VNC - there may be other similar tools more focussed on presentations but this was the best hit from a quick google. Si ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projecting-the-contents-of-a-window-in-xp/481011/14 "2009-01-15T07:43:38Z")
And [this](http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/Business/Educational_Tools/Presentation_Aide.html) seems to do what you want, too. Si ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projecting-the-contents-of-a-window-in-xp/481011/15 "2009-01-15T09:51:09Z")
> [@Rusalka](#): > > Well, I do. A laptop has this ability. So the laptop screen is one screen and the video screen is output number 2. That’s not the problem, I’ve been able to extend the desktop onto the second monitor (projector). You say this like you are contradicting me when, in fact, I think you are confirming what I said (that the computer needs to have dual monitor capability). Or am I missing something? ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projecting-the-contents-of-a-window-in-xp/481011/16 "2009-01-15T13:34:08Z")
> [@Rusalka](#): > > I thought this (my original question) might be something that people would want because during demos or teaching, the demonstrators might not necessarily want you to see all the things that they’re doing on their desktop. I was hoping there was a utility out there that would do this, but I can’t find one. If you have extended your desktop you dont have to show the whole desktop to everyone just what is on the projectors part. You wont be able to see it on your laptop while you drag it to the projector side though. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projecting-the-contents-of-a-window-in-xp/481011/17 "2009-01-15T14:25:21Z")
> [@si\_blakely](#): > > And [this](http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/Business/Educational_Tools/Presentation_Aide.html) seems to do what you want, too. > > Si That appears to be a presentation application that allows you to put parts of it on two different screens (it requires a two-monitor capability), rather than a utility that will work with other applications. The OP challenge is to somehow place a boundary around a child window in an app and just project that window, without projecting any of the parent app. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projecting-the-contents-of-a-window-in-xp/481011/18 "2009-01-15T15:08:15Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > That appears to be a presentation application that allows you to put parts of it on two different screens (it requires a two-monitor capability), rather than a utility that will work with other applications. The OP challenge is to somehow place a boundary around a child window in an app and just project that window, without projecting any of the parent app. Hmm, I was reading too fast. :smack: I am surprised that there do not seem to be specific tools for the job - it really is just a combination of limited desktop sharing (as provided by Netmeeting, VNC, and a host of other tools) and secondary monitor control. Si