The PC monitor, whether you’re using Linux, macOS, or Windows, is traditionally used horizontally with landscape mode. All modern operating systems support portrait resolutions, allowing you to adjust the monitor so it sits vertically without having everything displayed on-screen at an angle. The primary reason you’d want to do this is to have more vertical screen real estate, allowing more data to be displayed at any given time. Documents, websites, chats, and even coding software are often long and require scrolling. This is solved with a portrait monitor.
1 Enhanced productivity
Whether you’re typing up or reading documents, working with code, or doing almost anything else on a PC, there’s a good chance it’ll be easier with a vertical screen. Traditional screen resolutions are great for consuming media and playing games, but they’re not the best for reading through documents and longer content that requires scrolling. With a vertical screen dedicated to such a task, you will be able to view more before having to move your pointer or hit the page-down key.
2 Save desk space
If you don’t have the luxury of owning a desk that spans the entire room, you may find a vertical monitor takes up less space. This can prove valuable for placing accessories such as speakers. A cleaner desk space makes for a better environment to get more done and it can even provide a positive boost to your wellbeing due to the lack of clutter. It can be difficult to keep the desk this way, but a vertical monitor as the secondary screen can go a long way.
3 You (likely) won’t need a new monitor
Almost any monitor can be used vertically so long as the OEM stand supports tilt or the display can be mounted to an aftermarket arm. The monitor size is worth factoring in as you may find 27 inches too tall when switched to portrait mode. This could also inject some life into an old display you may no longer require, instead re-using it as an additional portrait screen. Regardless of whether you have a single or two horizontal panels, a third in portrait could be used for communications and other miscellaneous tasks.
4 Great for extending the desktop
The desktop can become bewildering when using multiple monitors, especially if they’re more than 21 inches in diameter. The larger the screen and the more you have, the worse your peripheral vision will become. You’ll no longer be able to take in everything displayed on all the connected monitors, which is where vertical screens come into play. Having side panels in portrait mode will prevent you from having to move your head as much, which can often make your computing experience less comfortable.
It’s not all good news
Nothing is flawless and vertical monitors are no exception. One major drawback of using screens in different orientations is the cursor becoming stuck between them. It also means you will lose some horizontal space since a 2560 x 1440 display set to portrait mode will have an effective resolution of 1440 x 2560. You’re trading horizontal and vertical pixels.