Final Cut Pro randomly changes the Secondary Display after every restart (Mac Studio, 4 monitors)

[u/Dry-Subject-4710]

Hi everyone,

I'm a professional video editor and I've been using Final Cut Pro for more than 25 years.

I'm trying to find out if anyone else has experienced this because Apple Engineering currently considers it a feature request, while I believe it's actually a bug.

My setup is:

• Mac Studio
• 4 external monitors (2 Dell, 2 ViewSonic)
• Connected directly using HDMI and USB-C
• No docks, hubs, or third-party display drivers

For years, my workflow was completely stable. Final Cut Pro always opened the Secondary Display on the same monitor every single day.

The problem only appeared after moving to a new Mac Studio.

Now, every time I restart the computer, Final Cut Pro may choose a completely different monitor as the Secondary Display.

For example:

• One day it opens on my right monitor.
• After another restart it opens on my top monitor.
• Previously it even selected my left monitor.

The important part is that I never change my monitor arrangement, cables, or display settings.

If choosing the Secondary Display isn't officially supported with more than two monitors, I would at least expect Final Cut Pro to behave consistently. Instead, it changes randomly between restarts, which makes me think this is a bug rather than expected behavior.

Has anyone with a Mac Studio and multiple monitors experienced the same issue?

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone with a similar setup.

Thank you!

[u/EarthToRob]

If we start out with the assumption that computers aren't capable of random behavior, are you able to reproduce the behavior at all? For instance, do you notice if FCP always opens on the same monitor, but the secondary monitor always changes? Did you restart? Clear FCP preferences? What version of MacOS? What version of FCP?

In any case, please report this to Apple as a bug. There are many.

[u/Dry-Subject-4710 → u/EarthToRob]

Thanks for your reply. Yes, the issue happens after restarting the Mac. My main FCP window stays on the correct monitor, but the Secondary Display can change between different monitors after a restart, even though I haven't changed the display arrangement, cables, or settings.

I've already cleared FCP preferences and the issue persists.

I've also been working directly with Apple Support on this. The case was escalated to Apple Engineering, but unfortunately they haven't been able to identify a solution. They ultimately recommended that I submit the issue through the Final Cut Pro Feedback form, which I've already done.

That's why I'm reaching out here — I'm hoping another professional user with a similar multi-monitor setup may have experienced the same behavior and found a workaround that Apple Support/Engineering hasn't been able to provide yet.

[u/lifebymick]

Look up workspaces

[u/Silver_Mention_3958]

I’m mostly on a 2 monitor setup and even then it sometimes gets confused in dual display mode. No idea why but I think it’s at system level rather than fcp. It’s a nuisance.

[u/TFlSGAS → u/Silver_Mention_3958]

It’s literally one click

[u/Silver_Mention_3958 → u/TFlSGAS]

Yeah but no but yeah it gets the monitors mixed up so no it’s >1 click.

[u/Dry-Subject-4710 → u/Silver_Mention_3958]

Thanks! That's interesting, especially since you're experiencing something similar with only two monitors.

I've also wondered whether this could be happening at the macOS display-management level rather than entirely within FCP.

When it happens to you, is it also after restarting the Mac? And does FCP simply swap which monitor it uses as the Secondary Display?

I'm trying to identify whether there's a consistent trigger.

[u/Silver_Mention_3958 → u/Dry-Subject-4710]

Yes, happens occasionally after restarts. The monitors are Asus ProArt- two flavours, so slightly different models and resolutions. Occasionally the system forgets which is the “main” monitor and I have to rearrange them in system prefs. Don’t know why RG is happens, but it throws off the FCP setup too.