How to Recover an Output When a Monitor Is Unplugged or Moved (Ghost Outputs)

Last updated 28 July 2026

How to Recover an Output When a Monitor Is Unplugged or Moved (Ghost Outputs)

When a monitor or projector is disconnected from the server, Backstage keeps its output configuration as an offline "ghost" so your routing, warp mesh, and blend mask are not lost. You can reassign the ghost to a different connected monitor, or simply reconnect the original display and let Backstage recover it automatically.

Before you start

  • A project with at least one configured output is loaded
  • At least one monitor or projector is physically disconnected or has moved to a different GPU port
  • You can see the Outputs panel (left sidebar, Outputs tab — or switch to the Outputs and Routings workview)

Steps

1. Identify the offline output

Open the Outputs panel and expand Devices → Video. Any output whose monitor is missing appears in amber text with an (offline) suffix appended to its name. Hover over it to see the tooltip: "Offline – the saved monitor for this output is not connected." along with the current Blend mask and Warp mesh state.

Split outputs appear as an offline root with offline leaves beneath it (for example, Output 3 (DGC175) (offline) with children Output 3 (…) → 1.1 (offline), → 2.1 (offline), etc.).

[USER-ACTION-REQUIRED: Attach a screenshot of the Outputs panel showing an amber offline output with its tooltip visible]

2. Check the Video Routing matrix

Switch to the Video Routing tab. Offline outputs remain as columns labelled (offline). Instead of the normal eye icon, the column header shows a disconnected glyph. Your existing projector-to-output routes are preserved — checkboxes remain checked — so nothing needs to be re-routed once the monitor comes back.

3. Option A — Reconnect the original monitor

Plug the original monitor or projector back into the server (same port or a different one). Backstage detects the display change automatically and re-matches the monitor to its saved output. The output returns to white (live) status with all routing, warping, and blending intact. No manual action is required.

4. Option B — Reassign to a different monitor

If the original monitor is permanently unavailable, you can reassign the ghost output to any currently connected monitor that does not already have an output assigned to it.

  1. Select the offline output in the Outputs panel. For a split output, select the split root (not an individual leaf).

  2. In the Inspector, the Offline Output section opens automatically. It reads: "The monitor saved for this output is not connected. Assign it to an available monitor to bring the output online."

  3. Open the Assign to monitor dropdown and select the target monitor from the list of available displays.

  4. The output moves to the selected monitor immediately, carrying all its routing, warp mesh, blend mask, and other settings with it.

You can also right-click an offline output in the Outputs panel to access the Assign to monitor option from the context menu.

This action is undoable. Press Ctrl+Z to undo a reassignment and return the output to its ghost (offline) state.

[USER-ACTION-REQUIRED: Attach a screenshot of the Inspector showing the Offline Output section with the Assign to monitor dropdown]

Options explained

Indicator

Description

Where it appears

Amber text + (offline)

The output's saved monitor is not connected. All settings are preserved.

Outputs panel (Devices → Video tree)

Disconnected glyph

Replaces the eye (enable/disable) icon on offline output columns.

Video Routing matrix column header

Grey text + (missing device)

An audio output whose device is no longer available. Not the same as a video ghost.

Outputs panel (audio outputs)

Offline Output (Inspector section)

Recovery controls for a selected ghost output. Auto-opens when you select an offline output.

Inspector — above the Properties section

Assign to monitor

Dropdown listing connected monitors not already assigned to an output. Selecting one reassigns the ghost.

Inside the Offline Output section, or via right-click context menu

Common Mistakes

  • Trying to reassign a split leaf instead of the split root. The Assign to monitor control only appears for whole-monitor outputs or split roots. A split leaf is a region of a single monitor — select the parent split root to reassign the entire monitor.

  • No monitors listed in the dropdown. The Assign to monitor list only shows monitors that are connected but not already assigned to another output. If every connected display is in use, no monitors will appear. Disconnect or remove an existing output first, or add the new display to the server.

  • Deleting the ghost and recreating the output from scratch. Ghost outputs preserve your routing, warp mesh, blend mask, and all other settings. Deleting the ghost and creating a new output means you have to redo all of that configuration. Use reassignment instead.

Tips

  • Ghost outputs are saved with the project. If you save, close, and reload a project that has offline outputs, the ghosts will still be there — ready to recover when monitors are reconnected or reassigned.

  • When loading a project file from a different server (with different monitors), all outputs will initially appear as ghosts. Use Assign to monitor to map each one to the new server's displays.

  • Backstage re-matches monitors automatically whenever the display layout changes (monitor plugged in, display settings changed in Windows, etc.). In many cases a ghost recovers on its own without any manual reassignment.

  • Use the tooltip hover on an offline output to quickly check whether its Blend mask and Warp mesh are still configured before reassigning it.

How to Enable or Disable an Output — control output visibility without removing configuration.

Route Projectors and Displays to Outputs (Video Routing) — set up and manage projector-to-output routing in the Video Routing matrix.