DMT Portable vs Installer: Which Should You Choose?
Dual Monitor Tools ships in two flavors. Both are the same program — the only difference is how it lives on your PC.
Side-by-side comparison
| MSI Installer (728 KB) | Portable ZIP (352 KB) | |
|---|---|---|
| Installation | Setup wizard, Start Menu shortcuts | Extract and run, nothing installed |
| Admin rights | Required to install | Not required |
| Auto-start with Windows | Built-in option | Manual shortcut needed |
| USB / work PC | No | Yes — runs from any folder |
| Best for | Your own PC, set-and-forget | Work laptops, USB sticks, trying it out |
Our recommendation
On your own computer, take the MSI installer — auto-start alone is worth it. On a work laptop without admin rights, or if you just want to try DMT for ten minutes, the portable ZIP is perfect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run the portable version from a USB drive?
Yes — that’s exactly what it’s for. Extract the ZIP to a USB stick and run DMT.exe on any Windows PC. Your settings travel with the folder.
Does the portable version auto-start with Windows?
Not by itself. Use the MSI installer if you want DMT to start automatically, or add a shortcut to the portable exe in your Startup folder manually.
Can I switch from portable to MSI later?
Yes. Back up DmtSettings.xml, DmtMagicWords.xml and DmtWallpaperProviders.xml from the portable folder, install the MSI, then copy them to the new config location shown on the DMT General page.
Ready to try Dual Monitor Tools?
Free, open-source, and portable. Get version 2.13 now.
Download DMT v2.13 (Free)