The Ultimate Guide To Using Multiple Monitors With Windows

It’s easier than you mightiness think.

Laptops are great, but you don’t have to limit yourself to a mini laptop surface — particularly erstwhile you’re utilizing a laptop astatine a desk. Adding a 2nd surface is easier and cheaper than ever. The aforesaid is existent if you’re utilizing a desktop PC, too. No matter really you’re working, there’s nary logic to limit yourself to conscionable 1 monitor.

Heck, moreover nan connection “monitor” tin person aggregate meanings. You tin task from your a laptop to a TV, wirelessly, successful conscionable a fewer clicks. Or you tin get a lightweight portable monitor for much surface existent property anyplace you return your laptop.

An optimal multimonitor setup isn’t only about hardware, though. It’s besides astir nan software tricks you request to make multimonitor setups singing connected Windows — from devices to troubleshooting tips. So let’s dive in.

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Your aggregate show hardware

Step 1 successful mounting up a 2nd Windows show is determining what outputs your PC has. If you person a laptop, return a look astatine its ports. On a modern laptop, you mightiness spot HDMI out, and you mightiness besides simply beryllium capable to link an outer show complete USB-C. (Other laptops whitethorn person DisplayPort aliases mini DisplayPort; it depends connected nan circumstantial system.)

If you person a desktop PC, you almost surely person a measurement to link a 2nd monitor. Again, return a look astatine nan outputs connected nan backmost of your PC.

You tin bargain portable monitors built specifically for laptops, too. These are secondary monitors you tin fresh successful a bag, and they link via a USB-C cable. (The USB-C cablegram provides powerfulness to nan monitor, too.) You tin often find these monitors for $100 aliases little — they’re a batch amended and much convenient than you mightiness think.

Alternatively, you mightiness already person nan show you request already sitting astir your location aliases office. Even somewhat hardware tin get nan occupation done arsenic a secondary show — particularly while you’re still deciding whether you for illustration nan idea. And you tin get a lower-end (or moreover used) outer show for very small money if you don’t want a immense high-resolution display.

If you scheme connected utilizing your laptop pinch a large show astatine a desk, you should see investing successful a dock, too. You tin past link your show and different peripherals — keyboard, mouse, speakers, and immoderate other — straight to nan dock, past link your laptop to each those items pinch a azygous swift connection.

Bear successful mind that your prime of cablegram very overmuch matters. Cheaper aliases older HDMI aliases DisplayPort cables mightiness not person nan bandwidth to present accelerated refresh rates astatine precocious surface resolutions connected a modern display. When successful doubt, walk a fewer bucks to get a modern cablegram that’s certified for nan latest hardware standards. Don’t conscionable excavation thing retired of a drawer and brace it pinch a high-end display. (Of course, if you’re conscionable testing this retired pinch thing older aliases little demanding, immoderate you person lying astir will almost surely activity fine.)

The TV possibility

As I mentioned, moreover a TV tin serve arsenic an effective 2nd show for your laptop. You mightiness beryllium capable to link it straight pinch an HDMI cablegram — past you’d conscionable request a wireless rodent and keyboard to power it.

Additionally, location are ways to usage wireless projection pinch modern TVs — meaning you tin dainty your TV for illustration an outer show wirelessly, pinch conscionable a fewer clicks aliases taps. To commencement casting and spot whether your TV appears arsenic an action connected Windows, property Windows+K. Bear successful mind that this is amended for presenting thing aliases sharing your display, arsenic it’s obscurity adjacent arsenic accelerated and crisp arsenic a due wired connection. But it’s yet different measurement you tin do much pinch your PC.

The Casting dialog supports each sorts of outer displays, though you sometimes person to alteration wireless surface mirroring connected nan TV broadside first.

Chris Hoffman, Foundry

The Windows 2nd show package setup

Multimonitor setup connected Windows is usually beautiful easy — conscionable plug successful and go. Then unfastened nan Settings app successful Windows and caput to System > Display.

From there, you tin show Windows really your various monitors are physically positioned simply by dragging and dropping them into nan correct statement successful nan on-screen interface. You tin besides alteration nan scaling of matter connected your screen, take nan predisposition of your displays, and take really you want Windows to grip nan displays (mirrored, arsenic 2 abstracted displays, aliases pinch 1 — for illustration your laptop — not being utilized astatine each and alternatively staying dark).

One point to watch: Be judge nan correct show is group arsenic your superior one. Click whichever 1 you want connected nan Display surface and cheque “Make this my main display.”

The Display settings page makes it highly easy to group up aggregate displays — nary third-party package necessary.

Chris Hoffman, Foundry

You mightiness besides request to alteration nan surface solution settings here, though Windows should usually prime that decently for you. (Refresh rate is thing Windows often doesn’t detect automatically, though, truthful it’s worthy going to Settings > Display > Advanced show and choosing nan highest refresh complaint your show supports.)

The projection and taskbar factors

Once your laptop is docked and connected to an outer monitor, you tin dainty it successful respective different ways. You could support utilizing it arsenic a secondary (or primary) monitor. Or, you could moreover powerfulness disconnected nan surface and unopen your laptop, turning it into a desktop PC that powers your show and keyboard.

For galore purposes, you don’t request some a laptop and a desktop PC astatine all. You conscionable request a laptop and nan correct peripherals, and you tin past dainty nan strategy for illustration a desktop whenever you like. You’ll person nan nonstop aforesaid package setup and files some successful your on-the-go laptop mode and erstwhile you’re utilizing your PC astatine your table — nary syncing aliases other effort required.

You tin besides property Windows+P astatine immoderate clip to entree nan Project options popup, wherever you tin take precisely really Windows treats your various displays.

The Project dialog helps you quickly power really Windows handles an outer display.

Chris Hoffman, Foundry

Windows besides gives you options for really your taskbar appears crossed aggregate displays. Head to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors and you’ll find settings for illustration “Show my taskbar connected each displays” and 1 that lets you power whether your windowed apps look connected each taskbars, aliases conscionable nan taskbar connected nan show they’re floating on.

When you’re done utilizing nan outer monitor, you tin simply unplug it; Windows should handle everything decently — nary reboots aliases different setup necessary. Windows 11 is amended astatine this than Windows 10, and it’ll moreover effort to automatically reposition your windows successful a measurement that makes consciousness arsenic you move betwixt azygous and multimonitor modes. If you do brushwood an issue, property Ctrl+Windows+Shift+B to find a hidden shortcut for fixing it.

Advanced Windows multimonitor tricks

Basic multimonitor usage is amazingly trivial — you tin resistance and driblet windows crossed nan separator betwixt your monitors and reposition them, conscionable arsenic if you were utilizing 1 monolithic monitor.

If you’re consenting to excavation deeper, though, there’s overmuch much you tin do. The basic (but amazingly powerful) Snap features built into Windows — particularly connected Windows 11 — are very useful successful a multiple-monitor scenario. Use nan Windows cardinal on pinch an arrow cardinal aliases property Windows+Z (on Windows 11) to find them.

If you person a bigger show and want to do moreover more, Microsoft’s FancyZones PowerToy is simply a must-install. You’ll get extra-customizable, elastic model layouts. (Another point that will thief connected large monitors: My Grab to Scroll script, which eliminates nan request to cautiously position your rodent complete those mini model scroll bars.)

PowerToys Workspaces is besides incredibly useful connected aggregate monitors. Rather than spending clip opening windows 1 by 1 and cautiously repositioning them, you tin motorboat nan apps you usage once, usage PowerToys Workspaces to prevention that nonstop layout, and past get a convenient desktop shortcut you tin double-click successful nan early — to motorboat all your go-to activity apps and reposition them precisely arsenic you like.

If you person a large, wide monitor, you mightiness for illustration having your taskbar vertically connected nan near aliases correct separator of your surface alternatively than connected nan bottom. That’s easy connected Windows 10, but annoyingly, Microsoft removed nan action from Windows 11. In that environment, you’ll request to trust connected apps for illustration Start11 ($10) aliases ExplorerPatcher (free) to get a vertical taskbar.

Your cleanable multimonitor setup

When it comes to these show setups, I’d commencement slow — possibly pinch an outer show you already person lying astir aliases an inexpensive show you tin usage to trial nan waters. Then you’ll get a consciousness for really overmuch you for illustration nan setup and whether a bigger aliases higher-resolution show mightiness beryllium correct for you.

There’s truthful overmuch you tin deliberation done erstwhile you’re ready. You don’t have to usage a show sitting connected a desk, for instance; you could alternatively usage external show arms that clamp to your table to fto you easy reposition nan monitors for improved ergonomics and much table space.

Some monitors tin besides rotation astir from a horizontal predisposition to a vertical one. A 2nd show successful image mode adjacent to your widescreen show could beryllium conscionable what you request — a awesome surface for reference aliases keeping way of emails aliases activity chats.

Or possibly you’ll observe you for illustration nan single-screen acquisition but conscionable want much surface existent property — that’s what ultrawide monitors are for.

Whichever measurement you go, 1 thing’s for sure: Having tons of surface existent property is 1 of nan joys of utilizing a Windows PC alternatively than a mini smartphone aliases a tablet. And moreover nan astir humble of laptops tin powerfulness a multiple-screen setup that’s some awesome to usage and amazingly easy to group up.

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