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Installation Guide

This guide covers all methods for installing the Virtual Display Driver on Windows 10/11 systems.

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Prerequisites

Before installing VDD, ensure you have the required dependencies:
1

Check Windows Version

VDD requires Windows 10 (1903+) or Windows 11. Check your version:
winver
2

Install Visual C++ Redistributable

Download and install the latest Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable:
If you see the error vcruntime140.dll not found after installation, you’re missing this dependency.
3

Administrator Access

You’ll need administrator privileges to install drivers on Windows.

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Installation Methods

Choose the installation method that works best for you:

VDC App

Recommended for most users

Winget

Quick command-line install

Manual

Advanced users only

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Method 1: Using Virtual Driver Control (VDC)

Recommended Method - The easiest way to install and manage VDD with a user-friendly GUI.
1

Download VDC

Download the latest version from the GitHub Releases page.Look for the latest release and download the installer package (e.g., VirtualDriverControl-25.7.23.zip).
2

Extract the Archive

Extract the downloaded ZIP file to a folder of your choice.
# Example: Extract to Downloads
Expand-Archive -Path "VirtualDriverControl-25.7.23.zip" -DestinationPath "C:\VDD"
3

Launch VDC

Navigate to the extracted folder and run the VDC.exe application.
VDC is a portable application—no installation required. It includes Install/Uninstall support and signed drivers.
4

Install the Driver

In the VDC application:
  1. Click the Install button
  2. Wait for the installation to complete
  3. You may see a Windows security prompt—click Install to proceed
The driver certificates will be automatically installed to your system.
5

Verify Installation

Check if VDD is installed correctly:Device Manager:
  1. Press Win + X and select Device Manager
  2. Expand Display Adapters
  3. Look for Virtual Display Driver or IddSampleDriver Device HDR
Display Settings:
  1. Right-click the desktop → Display Settings
  2. You should see virtual displays listed
By default, VDD creates 1 virtual monitor at startup. You can configure this in vdd_settings.xml.

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Method 2: Using Winget

Quick Install - Perfect for users who prefer command-line package managers.
Install VDD with a single command using Windows Package Manager (winget): 
winget install --id=VirtualDrivers.Virtual-Display-Driver -e
1

Open PowerShell as Administrator

  1. Press Win + X
  2. Select Windows PowerShell (Admin) or Terminal (Admin)
2

Run Winget Command

winget install --id=VirtualDrivers.Virtual-Display-Driver -e
Winget will:
  • Download the latest version
  • Install the driver and certificates
  • Configure the system automatically
3

Verify Installation

Check Device Manager or Display Settings (see Method 1, Step 5) to confirm the driver is installed.
Special thanks to @ye4241 for submitting the VDD package to Microsoft (WinGet).

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Method 3: Manual Installation

Advanced Users Only - This method requires manual driver installation and certificate management. Use VDC or winget unless you have specific requirements.

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Prerequisites for Manual Installation

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Manual Installation Steps

1

Download Required Files

Download both NefCon and the VDD Driver-Only package:
# Create a temporary directory
$tempDir = "C:\Temp\VDDInstall"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $tempDir -Force

# Download NefCon
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://github.com/nefarius/nefcon/releases/download/v1.14.0/nefcon_v1.14.0.zip" -OutFile "$tempDir\nefcon.zip"

# Download VDD Driver
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://github.com/VirtualDrivers/Virtual-Display-Driver/releases/download/25.7.23/VirtualDisplayDriver-x86.Driver.Only.zip" -OutFile "$tempDir\driver.zip"
2

Extract Archives

# Extract NefCon
Expand-Archive -Path "$tempDir\nefcon.zip" -DestinationPath $tempDir -Force

# Extract VDD Driver
Expand-Archive -Path "$tempDir\driver.zip" -DestinationPath $tempDir -Force
3

Install Driver Certificates

Extract and install the SignPath certificates from the driver package:
# Extract certificates from .cat file
$catFile = "$tempDir\VirtualDisplayDriver\mttvdd.cat"
$catBytes = [System.IO.File]::ReadAllBytes($catFile)
$certificates = New-Object System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates.X509Certificate2Collection
$certificates.Import($catBytes)

# Create certs folder
$certsFolder = "$tempDir\ExportedCerts"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $certsFolder -Force | Out-Null

# Install each certificate
foreach ($cert in $certificates) {
    $certFilePath = Join-Path -Path $certsFolder -ChildPath "$($cert.Thumbprint).cer"
    $cert.Export([System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates.X509ContentType]::Cert) | Set-Content -Path $certFilePath -Encoding Byte
    Import-Certificate -FilePath $certFilePath -CertStoreLocation "Cert:\LocalMachine\TrustedPublisher"
}
These certificates are provided by SignPath Foundation and ensure the driver is trusted by Windows.
4

Install the Driver

Use NefCon to install the VDD driver:
# Navigate to temp directory
Set-Location $tempDir

# Install driver using NefCon
.\x64\nefconw.exe install .\VirtualDisplayDriver\MttVDD.inf "Root\MttVDD"

# Wait for installation to complete
Start-Sleep -Seconds 10
5

Verify and Clean Up

Verify the installation in Device Manager, then clean up:
# Clean up temporary files
Remove-Item -Path $tempDir -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

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Using the Silent Install Script

The VDD repository includes a PowerShell script for automated silent installation: 
# Download and run the silent install script
$scriptUrl = "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/VirtualDrivers/Virtual-Display-Driver/master/Community%20Scripts/silent-install.ps1"
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $scriptUrl -OutFile "silent-install.ps1"

# Run as Administrator
.\silent-install.ps1
This script automatically:
  • Downloads NefCon and the latest VDD driver
  • Extracts and installs certificates
  • Installs the driver silently
  • Cleans up temporary files

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Post-Installation Configuration

After installation, you can customize VDD behavior by editing the configuration file:

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Configuration File Location

C:\VirtualDisplayDriver\vdd_settings.xml

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Common Configuration Options

Edit the <count> value to change the number of virtual displays:
<monitors>
    <count>2</count>  <!-- Change to desired number -->
</monitors>
Add custom resolutions to the <resolutions> section:
<resolutions>
    <resolution>
        <width>1920</width>
        <height>1080</height>
        <refresh_rate>60</refresh_rate>
    </resolution>
    <resolution>
        <width>2560</width>
        <height>1440</height>
        <refresh_rate>144</refresh_rate>
    </resolution>
</resolutions>
Set refresh rates applied to all resolutions:
<global>
    <g_refresh_rate>60</g_refresh_rate>
    <g_refresh_rate>90</g_refresh_rate>
    <g_refresh_rate>120</g_refresh_rate>
    <g_refresh_rate>144</g_refresh_rate>
    <g_refresh_rate>240</g_refresh_rate>
</global>
Enable HDR10 support (Windows 11 23H2+):
<colour>
    <SDR10bit>false</SDR10bit>
    <HDRPlus>true</HDRPlus>  <!-- Enable HDR -->
    <ColourFormat>RGB</ColourFormat>
</colour>

<hdr_advanced>
    <hdr10_static_metadata>
        <enabled>true</enabled>
        <max_display_mastering_luminance>1000.0</max_display_mastering_luminance>
        <min_display_mastering_luminance>0.05</min_display_mastering_luminance>
    </hdr10_static_metadata>
</hdr_advanced>
After editing vdd_settings.xml, restart the driver or reboot your system for changes to take effect.

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Troubleshooting

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Driver Not Showing in Device Manager

  1. Ensure you ran the installer as Administrator
  2. Check Windows Event Viewer for driver errors:
    • Open Event Viewer → Windows Logs → System
    • Look for errors from “MttVDD” or “IddSampleDriver”
  3. Verify certificates are installed: 
    Get-ChildItem Cert:\LocalMachine\TrustedPublisher

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Black Screen After Installation

If you experience a black screen after installing VDD:
  1. Boot into Safe Mode:
    • Restart and press F8 during boot
    • Select “Safe Mode”
  2. Uninstall VDD:
    • Open Device Manager
    • Find “Virtual Display Driver” under Display Adapters
    • Right-click → Uninstall Device
    • Check “Delete the driver software for this device”
  3. Reboot normally

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vcruntime140.dll Not Found

Install the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable:

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Virtual Displays Not Appearing

  1. Check vdd_settings.xml for correct monitor count
  2. Verify the driver is enabled in Device Manager
  3. Try disabling and re-enabling the driver: 
    # Get the device
$device = Get-PnpDevice -Class Display | Where-Object { $_.FriendlyName -match 'Virtual Display Driver' }

# Disable and re-enable
$device | Disable-PnpDevice -Confirm:$false
Start-Sleep -Seconds 2
$device | Enable-PnpDevice -Confirm:$false

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Uninstalling VDD

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Using VDC

  1. Open the Virtual Driver Control application
  2. Click the Uninstall button
  3. Confirm the uninstallation
  4. Reboot your system

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Using Device Manager

  1. Open Device Manager (Win + X → Device Manager)
  2. Expand Display Adapters
  3. Right-click Virtual Display Driver
  4. Select Uninstall Device
  5. Check Delete the driver software for this device
  6. Click Uninstall
  7. Reboot your system

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Using PowerShell

# Get the VDD device
$device = Get-PnpDevice -Class Display | Where-Object { $_.FriendlyName -match 'Virtual Display Driver' }

# Uninstall the device
$device | Uninstall-PnpDevice -Confirm:$false

# Reboot
Restart-Computer

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Next Steps

Now that VDD is installed, learn how to create and configure your first virtual monitor:

Quick Start Guide

Get your first virtual monitor up and running in under 5 minutes.

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