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Overview

The toggle-VDD.ps1 script provides a quick way to toggle the Virtual Display Driver between enabled and disabled states. It’s a lightweight alternative to the full virtual-driver-manager.ps1 when you only need to quickly enable or disable the driver.

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Features

  • Simple toggle: One command to switch between enabled/disabled
  • Automatic elevation: Self-elevates to Administrator privileges if needed
  • Status detection: Automatically detects current state and performs opposite action
  • Device search: Finds driver by friendly name with fallback options

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Requirements

This script requires Administrator privileges and will automatically request elevation through UAC if not already running as Administrator.
  • Virtual Display Driver must be installed
  • PowerShell 5.1 or later
  • Administrator privileges (auto-elevation enabled)

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Parameters

This script takes no parameters. Simply run it to toggle the driver state.

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Usage Examples

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Basic Toggle

.\toggle-VDD.ps1
This will:
  • If driver is enabled: Disable it
  • If driver is disabled: Enable it

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Run from Command Prompt

powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\toggle-VDD.ps1

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Create Desktop Shortcut

  1. Right-click on desktop and select “New > Shortcut”
  2. Enter this as the target: 
    powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "C:\Path\To\toggle-VDD.ps1"
  3. Name it “Toggle Virtual Display”
  4. Right-click the shortcut, select “Properties”
  5. Click “Advanced” and check “Run as administrator”

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How It Works

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1. Self-Elevation Check

The script first checks if it’s running with Administrator privileges: 
if (-Not ([Security.Principal.WindowsPrincipal] [Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent()).IsInRole([Security.Principal.WindowsBuiltInRole] 'Administrator')) {
    # Re-launch with elevation
    Start-Process -FilePath PowerShell.exe -Verb Runas -ArgumentList $CommandLine
    Exit
}
If not elevated:
  • Script relaunches itself with UAC prompt
  • Original process exits
  • Elevated process continues execution

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2. Device Discovery

Searches for the Virtual Display Driver device: 
$device = Get-PnpDevice -Class Display -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Where-Object { 
    $_.FriendlyName -eq 'IddSampleDriver Device HDR' -or 
    $_.FriendlyName -eq 'Virtual Display Driver' 
}
This searches for devices with either friendly name:
  • IddSampleDriver Device HDR (legacy name)
  • Virtual Display Driver (current name)

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3. State Detection and Toggle

Checks the current device status and performs the opposite action: 
if ($device.Status -eq 'OK') {
    Write-Host "Disabling device"
    $device | disable-pnpdevice -Confirm:$false
} else {
    Write-Host "Enabling device"
    $device | enable-pnpdevice -Confirm:$false
}
  • Status = ‘OK’: Device is enabled → Disable it
  • Any other status: Device is disabled or in error state → Enable it

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Script Source

Here’s the complete script: 
# submitted by zjoasan
# Self-elevate the script if required
if (-Not ([Security.Principal.WindowsPrincipal] [Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent()).IsInRole([Security.Principal.WindowsBuiltInRole] 'Administrator')) {
    if ([int](Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_OperatingSystem | Select-Object -ExpandProperty BuildNumber) -ge 6000) {
        $CommandLine = "-File `"" + $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path + "`" " + $MyInvocation.UnboundArguments
        Start-Process -FilePath PowerShell.exe -Verb Runas -ArgumentList $CommandLine
        Exit
    }
}

$device = Get-PnpDevice -Class Display -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Where-Object { 
    $_.FriendlyName -eq 'IddSampleDriver Device HDR' -or 
    $_.FriendlyName -eq 'Virtual Display Driver' 
}

if ($device) {
    if ($device.Status -eq 'OK') {
        Write-Host "Disabling device"
        $device | disable-pnpdevice -Confirm:$false
    } else {
        Write-Host "Enabling device"
        $device | enable-pnpdevice -Confirm:$false
    }
} else {
    Write-Warning "Device not found"
}

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Output Messages

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Success Messages

Disabling device
Displayed when the driver was enabled and is now being disabled. 
Enabling device
Displayed when the driver was disabled and is now being enabled.

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Warning Messages

WARNING: Device not found
Displayed when the Virtual Display Driver is not installed on the system.

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Troubleshooting

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Device Not Found Warning

Cause: Virtual Display Driver is not installed. Solution: 
# Install the driver first
.\virtual-driver-manager.ps1 -Action install

# Then toggle it
.\toggle-VDD.ps1

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UAC Prompt Appears Every Time

This is expected behavior. The script requires Administrator privileges to enable/disable hardware devices. Options:
  1. Accept the UAC prompt (recommended for security)
  2. Create a scheduled task that runs with elevated privileges
  3. Use the virtual-driver-manager.ps1 with -Silent flag for automation

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Script Doesn’t Execute

Cause: PowerShell execution policy blocks the script. Solution: 
# Run with bypass flag
powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\toggle-VDD.ps1

# Or change execution policy (be aware of security implications)
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

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Multiple Displays Found

If you have multiple display devices with matching names, the script will use the first match. This is typically not an issue as the Virtual Display Driver has unique friendly names.

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Automation Examples

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Batch File Toggle

Create toggle-vdd.bat: 
@echo off
echo Toggling Virtual Display Driver...
powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "%~dp0toggle-VDD.ps1"
pause

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Keyboard Shortcut

  1. Create a batch file as shown above
  2. Create a shortcut to the batch file
  3. Right-click shortcut → Properties
  4. Set “Shortcut key” (e.g., Ctrl+Alt+V)
  5. Set “Run” to “Minimized”
  6. Click “Advanced” and check “Run as administrator”

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Toggle from Another Script

# Call the toggle script
& "$PSScriptRoot\toggle-VDD.ps1"

# Wait for device state to settle
Start-Sleep -Seconds 2

# Verify new state
$device = Get-PnpDevice | Where-Object { $_.FriendlyName -eq 'Virtual Display Driver' }
Write-Host "Driver is now: $($device.Status)"

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Task Scheduler Integration

Create a scheduled task to toggle the driver: 
$action = New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute "powershell.exe" `
    -Argument "-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -WindowStyle Hidden -File C:\Scripts\toggle-VDD.ps1"

$trigger = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -AtLogOn

$principal = New-ScheduledTaskPrincipal -UserId $env:USERNAME -RunLevel Highest

$settings = New-ScheduledTaskSettingsSet -AllowStartIfOnBatteries -DontStopIfGoingOnBatteries

Register-ScheduledTask -TaskName "Toggle VDD at Logon" `
    -Action $action `
    -Trigger $trigger `
    -Principal $principal `
    -Settings $settings

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Comparison with virtual-driver-manager.ps1

Featuretoggle-VDD.ps1virtual-driver-manager.ps1
Toggle driverYesYes (with -Action toggle)
Install/UninstallNoYes
Check statusNoYes
JSON outputNoYes
Silent modeNoYes
File size~1 KB~20 KB
DependenciesNoneInternet for install/uninstall
Best forQuick togglesFull management
Use toggle-VDD.ps1 when:
  • You only need to enable/disable the driver
  • You want a simple, fast script
  • You don’t need automation features
Use virtual-driver-manager.ps1 when:
  • You need to install or uninstall the driver
  • You want JSON output for automation
  • You need status checking
  • You want silent/verbose modes

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Credits

Script submitted by zjoasan.

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