When I am docked, I use two monitors: one horizontal for my IDE, the other is vertical and contains everything else mostly web browser, test outputs and terminals.

When the laptop is undocked, I only have one screen. I mostly use it when sitting outside and this happens 15% of the time.

Three: One for messaging and reference (Outlook, Slack, a Firefox window, etc). Once for main code (C# mainly). One for related code (MSSQL), other reference, and notes (Notepad++).

Everything else is minimized or not even running. Don't need it on the screen, it's gone.

I do everything on my laptop. I run most things maximized or near-to-maximized but use hot-keys to quickly switch between applications.

Overall, I find too much screen real-estate to be more of a pain than a value. I touch-type and I use a mouse-pad so I don't have to take my hands of the home-row: why would I want to have a screen-expanse so large that I'd need to do more than move my eyes?

I just use one monitor (wide screen) from my work I have the option of 2 monitors but for me is more productive to use just one I think is just personal preference.

Usually one, but I'm almost always on Linux and making aggressive use of multiple workspaces if in the GUI, or GNU Screen if on the command-line.

At work I technically use two, but the second one is actually a completely separate computer and doesn't really get used for much other than email most of the time.

• Monitor: Displays browser and terminal logs
• Computer: Displays code

I have 4 in my current configuration. Each is a drastically different shape, size, and resolution from the other. I like variety and its good for testing.

I say one or two ... no more.

I usually use two monitor setup while working - both in work or at home on my laptop. Got an external mobile monitor for that.

Okay, I'm slightly going to rant for your own good. Is that okay? I'm British/Canadian. Sorry eh...

At home for my own projects, I own a 32" 4K IPS main monitor, a secondary 28" 4K monitor and finally the laptop 4K 15" screen (though I rarely look there). They are mounted on a proper high end flexible monitor stand, and I sit on a decent ergonomic chair which was made to match my height (2.10m).

At work (contract) I have the same 32" 4K IPS main monitor (which I bought so I can take it with me and have the same model), a secondary 27" 1920x1200 monitor, my 4K laptop and another 4K 27" monitor for the game console I work on.

I've been programming for nearly 40 years and I wish somebody had told me this sooner:

If you're programming for a living and squinting at tiny fonts through a letter box on your laptop, how is that investing in your talents? The 32" 4K monitors are absolutely the best investment I've ever made (they're only $800 or so each now). So go online right now and buy yourself the biggest 4K monitor you can afford. No, buy two. And a monitor stand. And a decent chair. I give you full permission to splurge. If you think you can't afford it, you're thinking wrong. In fact now I'm thinking I should plan to upgrade the two side monitors at home and work because I'm short selling myself.

If your work won't buy you one, tell them you're buying it yourself. That will either shame them into it, or they'll let you. If they don't, seriously think about finding another job because they're not investing in you.

(NOTE: I read some people are on tight budgets/students - take the above advice and keep it close, save up, drink less beer or coffee (I know, I know, sacrifices) and aim to get decent hardware as soon as you can afford it.)

I use two monitors in company but I think three maybe more convenient.

Three. One of them ultrawide split vertically for editor/ide + terminal, the other for browser to see stuff in action that I am building + dev tools, and one for everything else - mail, IM, documentation and other stuff

In the last 6 months I’ve gone from 3 (24” | 24” | 13” laptop) to 1x24” after a prolonged period of neck pain causing astonishing headaches and much physiotherapy.

I’ve come full circle. It was great having multiple monitors but now I strongly believe the only place your head should be looking is straight ahead. Is it less productive? Maybe slightly when switching between code & browser or putting two documents side-by-side but I generally don’t miss it. Is it better for you? Unquestionably

Five. Two 4k 32” 60p, two 2.7k 27” 60p and build in mbp 15”
Left monitor is a standing 2.7k which I use for multiple terminals, then a 4k where I run browsers and devtools, the 4k for vscode, then 2.7 standing for ”communications” (jira, slack, mail etc)
Built in screen is for notes, finder etc

I use one ultrawide monitor. I’ve gone through phases of two, three, and four monitors and I ultimately found that I am not more productive, just more distracted.

Being a backend only dev means I don’t need to check my work in the browser 90% of the time so I can just go full-screen terminal with a few panes for different things.

I tend to use three macOS Spaces. Left one is Slack, Twitter, email, notes, personal browsing, etc. Middle is terminal. Right is all work-related browsing (Jira, Github, our site, Google/Stackoverflow, etc) and Postman. My idea here is I segregate all distractions into one Space that is only visible when I actively use it. If it’s a separate display, I’ll always get distracted by things in the corner of my eye.

Always one.

When I'm in the office, I work on a 24" or 27" (not sure) monitor and the MacBook lies closed next to it, so I can appreciate the stickers. At home I only use the MacBook since I don't have a desk anyways, so there's that.

I got used to quitting apps I don't use, like any Chat/Mail-Apps, since they are just a distraction most of the time. The terminal is mostly minimized to a few lines so I can see when Webpack has finished rebuilding. So it's mostly just Code and Safari / Code and Terminal, depending on the kind of work.

In general I like to keep as few apps open as possible. The title-bar and dock hide automatically so I have a bit more space. Get used to opening apps via Spotlight-Search, and quitting them after use. Most things shouldn't be in front of me. I am not here to service the apps. Apps should service me.

The only time I would wish for another screen is when I do video-courses or learn with e-books. I'm looking forward to using the iPad as second screen for this purpose.

One and the laptop's.

Two. One for programming on and the other for knowing I have two monitors 😂

Honestly though, two can be useful to juggling things around and always keeping some dashboards open. I'm currently working on an additional piece of hardware these days as well that has its own monitor and my laptop is often open so it adds up (Synergy FTW though)

I do mostly web and mobile development, and I use 3 monitors:

4K left for previewing different resolutions at once
5K center for coding and browser developer tools
1080p right in portrait mode for messaging, reference and other tools.

Best setup I've come up after a lot of test and improved over the years.

I used to have 4 monitors:

• one 30 inch for the code
• one 24 inch for the app I'm debugging (usually a browser, as lately I was working on web apps)
• one 24 inch for browser developer tools or for the chats and emails
• one 22 inch for the database console and anything else like a second browser window with stackoverflow or some documentation

However lately I got neck and back pain from staying a bit "twisted" after looking for a longer period at one of the side monitors, without moving my keyboard and mouse.

Now I keep only one monitor on the side and a big one in front of me and try to avoid looking at the side one for longer time. That + a sit-stand desk and more exercise sort of helps...

Minimum 2

Only one 27" monitor along with extremely fast and subconscious Alt-Tab is all that I need. No neck and back pain if you adjust your chair, keyboard and monitor properly.

Two. My main monitor is in a good location to stare at for a long time, while the other one is reference (docs, production code I am writing tests for, etc.).

One and laptop. I think I'll get hurt by using more than two.

Legitimately use 5 currently. Looking to get a 6th one.

Have 5 monitors, 27 inches each, 1440p.

Here's the breakdown:

Bottom left:
Terminal, split into 4 (or 5):
Top left is the server, including things like linting errors.
Top right is Cypress tests (I do TDD with E2E tests).
Bottom left is Jest tests (I do TDD).
Bottom right is a free terminal.
I use Storybook too, so sometimes that requires a tab.

Bottom middle:
VSCode, split into 2. Left is code, right is tests.

Bottom right:
Web browser showing what I'm working on.
Also used for Cypress tests, which I want to move to a separate screen in the future (the 6th monitor).

Top left:
Programming notes and plans about what I'm currently working on.
E.g. architecture and TODOs for the current story, as well as my personal programming notes.

Top middle:
Browser for research. E.g. documentation, stack overflow, etc.
Also used for music and the board (like Jira).
Also used for the file system (which has tabs), for if I need some random file from my computer.

Looking to get 1 more monitor for:
Cypress tests, visible at all times.

I can live without them, as I use 2 monitors at work + laptop, but it's so much more efficient for me to have everything visible at all times, particularly the tests.

Three.

One for a browser (including chat, calendar, and reference materials).
The other two are for code, or for SSH sessions with test boxes or VMs.

I also use virtual workspaces a lot. There are times when I need to spread actual work (code, test target servers, more code) across all three screens. In those cases I'll move all the terminals down one level in the virtual workspaces and leave the browser, chat, etc. behind. Finally, my bottom tier of virtual workspaces is where I keep things like keepassx and other software that I just need going in the background.

When I travel I use a USB-powered monitor alongside my laptop. It's not as nice as a full workstation setup, but works well enough for temporary use.

I really don't care for the two-monitors-plus-laptop approach. The vastly different screen size between the laptop and the external monitors is hard on my eyes. So my laptop is usually closed, plugged into a dock that drives the three externals.

Well, form me it works having 2 monitors, in one i had the console and come code, an in the other y have the browse.

1 and ctrl+tab. Your neck would appreciate it 😰