Dual monitors to a laptop · Connect guide
How to connect dual monitors to a laptop
Sources checked · how we check
Plug each monitor into a video port on the laptop or a dock, then tell Windows how to use them. On a MacBook, the number of external displays depends on the model.
01 · Before you start
Check these first
- Check your laptop's ports: typically HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C or Thunderbolt. A dock adds more.
- Have a cable, or an adapter, that matches each monitor's input.
- Plug each monitor into power and turn it on.
02 · Connect
Step by step, by device
Windows: connect the monitors
Plug in → Settings → System → Display → Multiple displays → Detect
- Connect each monitor's cable to your laptop or dock.
- If a monitor doesn't appear, go to Settings → System → Display → Multiple displays and select Detect.
Windows: arrange the displays
Display settings → Identify → drag to match your desk → Apply
- In Display settings, select Identify to see which number belongs to each screen.
- Drag the displays to match how they sit on your desk, then select Apply.
Windows: choose Extend or Duplicate
Windows key + P → PC screen only / Duplicate / Extend / Second screen only
- Press Windows key + P.
- Choose Extend to spread the desktop across the screens, or Duplicate to show the same thing on each.
Windows: wireless display
Windows key + K → choose the display adapter
- With a wireless display adapter plugged into the monitor or TV, press Windows key + K to open Cast and choose the adapter.
On Windows 10, go to Settings → System → Display → Connect to a wireless display.
MacBook: connect external displays
Thunderbolt or HDMI → System Settings → Displays
- Check how many external displays your MacBook model supports.
- Connect each display to a Thunderbolt or HDMI port, using an adapter if the cable doesn't match. Connect the highest-resolution display first.
- Open System Settings → Displays to arrange them and choose the main display.
If it still won't connect
If a monitor stays blank, check both ends of the cable and the monitor's input source, then select Detect in Display settings. Microsoft's troubleshooter covers driver and cable problems.
Source: Microsoft: troubleshoot external monitor connections in Windows
Frequently asked questions
How do I connect two monitors to a laptop with one HDMI port?
Use another video port such as USB-C, Thunderbolt or DisplayPort for the second monitor, or connect both through a dock.
How do I make both monitors show different things?
Press Windows key + P and choose Extend.