After our article on Use Kindle Fire as Second Monitor – Second PC Screen, we received lots of request for alternative methods for hooking up two monitors to a computer. Whether you want to improve productivity for work, enhance your gaming experience or take your multimedia viewing to new heights, here’s how to setup dual monitors in Windows 10 or any other edition of Windows. There’s a video at the end of the article.
Connect Two Displays To One PC With Multiple Ports
At the rear of your computer, you may find a VGA, SVGA, HDMI, DVI, or DisplayPort. Having multiple ports has the added benefit of being able to use two of them simultaneously for your double display setup. For example, you connect one display to the DVI port and the other display to your SVGA port.
Connect Two Monitors To One Computer With One VGA Port
Unfortunately, for those of us with computers that feature only one video port, you cannot use a splitter on a single SVGA, HDMI, or DVI port. Using a splitter with any of these ports results in the same image appearing on both screens. However, if your computer has a USB port, you may use a DisplayLink adapter. DisplayLink adapters allow you to connect and extend your display to another display by connecting it to the USB port.
Two Monitors, One Computer, Different Display
Should your PC have a DMS-59 port, you can use a splitter like the DMS-59 VGA Splitter Adapter Cable. A DMS-59 port looks like a DVI port but it is not. You can find them on popular brands like Dell, HP, and Lenovo. The aforementioned adapter cable allows you to connect two displays via a VGA cable. On the other hand, there’s the DMS-59 Dual DVI Splitter Adapter that lets you connect two monitors via a DVI cable.
Can I Connect Three Displays?
Yes. You can. However, it is only possible if you are using a computer with multiple video ports. In this scenario, you would need to purchase a DisplayLink adapter to connect a third display via USB.
How To Get Multiple Displays To Work
By connecting your displays using any of the above methods, your computer ought to automatically detect your new display setup. However, in the unlikely event that it does not, you can access the BIOS screen and change a setting from “Single” to “Dual” or something of the sort. Every computer is different. To find out how to access your BIOS do a quick Google Search.
Once both displays are up and running, you can follow this Microsoft tutorial on how to setup dual monitors in Windows 7. For Windows 10, read here. Now you know how to connect two monitors to a laptop. Check out the video.