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3 Steps to a Dual Monitor Setup For (Windows 10)

You can multitask like a pro and increase your efficiency with dual monitors. Learn how to set up multiple monitors and master Windows 10’s enhanced support for multiple screens.

Not all situations can be solved by simply connecting two displays. You’ll need a graphics card with as many outputs as you plan to use in terms of displays. If you wish to connect many external monitors to your laptop, which is becoming more and more frequent, this is extremely challenging.

We’ll work with you to assess your present multi-monitor configuration and identify any new parts you’ll require.

Can You Connect Two Monitors to Your Laptop or PC?

When planning to use multiple monitors with your computer, keep the following in mind:

1. In other words, can you use two monitors at once on this computer?
2. Can you use several displays with your video card?
3. Do you think you have the proper configuration for your twin monitors?

All of these topics will be discussed in this article in an effort to aid in the diagnosis and repair of any problems that may be plaguing your extended displays.

Step1.  Is To See What Ports Are Free

Stop and take a closer look at those ports at the back of your PC or the sides of your laptop so you know what you’re looking at before you start jamming wires into them. The HDMI port is used for video on today’s computers, but there are additional connections available on older machines.

• High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) ports allow for the transfer of high-quality audio and video without the need for any further compression on the receiving end.
• DisplayPort: Designed to be superior to VGA and DVI, DisplayPort is now used on only a small fraction of modern computers.
• The Digital Visual Interface, or DVI, is the successor to the dated VGA connector and was developed by the Digital Display Working Group. The DVI port on many older computers can be found in one of several different configurations.
• Thunderbolt: A Thunderbolt port incorporates multiple technologies, such as DisplayPort and PCI Express, as well as an external display power connector.
• The video graphics array (VGA) is the recognisable blue port seen on many older computers. Even while the 15-pin VGA has been around for a long time, newer video connections like Thunderbolt and HDMI have largely phased it out of the computer visual market.

Various combinations of these connectors can be found in many modern computers. One or more of them should be visible on the back or side of your desktop PC or laptop.

Connections for USB devices on laptops

Both of your computer’s ports should be able to receive an output signal from the video card. If there is only one port available, probably not. But if that’s the case, your PC might have extra slots for video cards. You can always remove the cover and install other video cards if your PC only has one slot available for them.

Users can select and use docking stations made for their particular devices to link numerous laptops together. You can always purchase a docking station with two or more ports if your laptop only has one video connector so you can attach several screens. Even if you just have access to one video connection, you should look into the graphics cards if you want to set up a laptop with two monitors.

Step 2: Check Your Video Card Settings

Next, double-check the settings on your video card.

If you have two ports but only one of them is working, the next thing to do is to see if your video card enables multi-monitor display.

Investigating this is easy: By pressing Windows + I, go to System > Display after connecting the two screens.

The several screens may actually be visible in the display settings, some of which may be disabled and others of which may be configured as either the primary or extended display. Selecting Advanced display options from the settings menu will allow you to close that window and continue to the following step.

On the following screen, you’ll be able to read Display information for each connected display if your graphics card “sees” the number of monitors you’ve plugged in.

If more than one is found, it indicates that the card can output to many displays.

The card can only use one monitor at a time, even though you have successfully linked a number of them, therefore you should stop if you are only seeing one. This should be your top priority to confirm because hardware capabilities are so important to your success.

If you’ve done everything to make an additional monitor work but your video card still doesn’t “see” all the displays you’ve connected, don’t give up. You can still give a few more things a shot to see if they work to fix the issue.

Stage3: Research your graphics card

Examining your graphics card is another option if you’re still not sure if your computer can accommodate two monitors. You may find the name of your graphics card on the manufacturer’s website.

• Right-click the Start button to launch Windows’ Device Manager.
• There should be more display adapters available.
• Note the name of the maker and the specific model of your graphics card.

Google “multi-display” or “multi-monitor” plus the name of the maker of your graphics adapter. Hopefully you can find evidence that your graphics card can properly work with many monitors.

Dual-Monitor Setups using a Single Video Card

Even if your graphics card doesn’t officially support such a setup, you can still connect a second monitor using one of these techniques.

Using a Daisy Chain Connection, connect two displays together.

If the multi-stream transfer feature is supported by your laptop or desktop computer, you might be able to daisy-chain two screens off of one DisplayPort (MST).

The requirements are as follows:

• You won’t be able to use it if your graphics card doesn’t have a DisplayPort 1.2 output.
• It is necessary to use a display that supports DisplayPort 1.2 MST.
• The most recent drivers for your graphics card must be used.

Daisy-chaining DisplayPort is simple.

• Connect your computer through DisplayPort to the first display panel to make use of the technology.
• You should be able to find a DisplayPort Out port if your screen is Multi-Stream Transport (MST) compatible.
• Connect this terminal to the DisplayPort input of the second display.
• You must enable DisplayPort 1.2 in your computer’s display settings in order to use it.
• The settings on the monitor allows you to disable DisplayPort 1.2 mode.

Within the Display Settings menu, both screens ought to now be visible. Numerous arrangements are possible, either as an extension of or a reflection of your current workspace. Another option is to distribute a single HDMI signal across many screens.

Your laptop can be connected to two monitors via docking stations.

Using a docking station will allow you to connect your laptop to more devices, including an external monitor. For instance, you may connect two 4K 60Hz displays using the Thunderbolt 3 and HDMI ports on the Anker PowerExpand Elite 13-In-1 Dock. Using a splitter, a Windows laptop can handle up to three 4K screens. Similar functionality can be found in other laptop docking systems.

Two USB displays can be connected using DisplayLink.

You can still add a second screen even if your desktop or laptop’s graphics card only has one display output by connecting it to your computer over USB and using the supplied DisplayLink software. Find an external monitor that is powered by USB, plug it in, then download and install the DisplayLink application for free to get this to work.

How to Use Two Displays: A Guide

You may configure everything for a dual monitor setup in Settings (key Windows + I) > System > Display. An external monitor is connected to a laptop using its HDMI connector and a USB-C dock in the previous picture.

Instructions for Setting Up Two Displays

Click on either of the identified monitors once an external display has been attached and detected by your computer to configure it:

• Drag the squares that represent your monitors around to arrange them to find the location where your mouse may move from one to the other. To save your modifications, click Apply.
• The Scale and layout area allows you to switch the display’s orientation from landscape to portrait.
• The scaling options and display resolution can both be changed from here.

How to Use Two Monitors with Your Laptop’s Screen

You must extend your screen to the other monitors if you have two or more and wish to display different items on each. In Settings > System > Display, scroll down to Multiple displays and select Extend these displays.

The Method for Operating an External Display With Your Laptop Shut

If you wish to close the lid while using an external monitor to watch a movie, for instance, you’ll need to alter the power options for your Windows 10 laptop, which are hidden in the system settings.

• Open Windows’ Start menu and type “control panel” into the search field to launch the control panel.
• Following the click on System and Security, select Power Options.
• Select Choose what closing the lid does from the Power Options menu on the left-hand side of the screen.
• If you want to keep your external display on when you close the lid, select “Do nothing” under that section.
• Remember that the settings on your laptop can change depending on whether it is powered by its battery or an external power source.

Better Productivity With Multiple Monitors

There are a lot of points in the process where one could decide that it doesn’t work and give up. Perhaps you should upgrade to a larger screen if that’s the case.

In reality, though, all you need is a video card that’s up to the task, some fiddling about with the display settings, and a few well set up monitors. The daisy-chain method is something to think about if you just have one DisplayPort. The last resort would be to purchase a USB monitor and use the included DisplayLink software.

Can you run 2 monitors off 1 HDMI port?

The first display can be hooked up straight to the HDMI input. Then, connect your second screen to your computer via a cable designed for that purpose. If your monitor and computer have VGA ports, you can connect them using the VGA cable. You can then plug the other end into your computer’s USB port.

Can you connect 2 monitors to a laptop?

It is possible to connect two monitors to a laptop with only a single HDMI or USB-C connector. Connecting two or more displays to your laptop is a breeze if you have an appropriate HDMI splitter, a USB-C dongle, or a USB-C dongle with an HDMI interface.

Can you run 2 monitors off 1 VGA port?

Can I use a single VGA port for two monitors? You can connect two monitors to a single VGA output. Display Port, Digital Visual Interface, Visual Electronics Interconnect, or High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) are only few examples of video interfaces that can be used to link a display to a computer. Connecting computers to screens uses the VGA (Video Graphics Array) standard.

Do I need 2 HDMI ports for 2 monitors?

To hook up both displays, you’ll need at least two video-out ports. VGA, DVI, HDMI, and Display Port are the four most common forms of connections. An extra connector or adapter may be needed to connect the monitors to the system if the necessary ports are not available.

What cables do I need to hook up 2 monitors?

All that is required is:

The regular desktop or laptop computer. Check your laptop and display ports to determine which type of cable is needed for your additional monitor(s).