2022 Apr

How to Connect a Monitor to a Laptop?

Connecting a Monitor to a Laptop or your computer to an external monitor is a simple process that only takes a few minutes. Furthermore, buying an extra monitor is relatively reasonable nowadays, and it might make your work easier by allowing you to operate numerous screens. Here in this article, we understand how to connect a monitor to a laptop and its advantages.

However, before you go out and buy another monitor, make sure you know what your computer can connect to. If you have a laptop, glance at the back and sides to see what ports you have. Most PCs include VGA, DVI, and HDMI connections, while some laptops just have a thunderbolt, USB, and an HDMI adapter. If your monitor and computer both have a VGA connection, for example, connect the two with a VGA cable. Connect the monitor to the computer’s HDMI port using an HDMI cable if it has one. The same may be said for whatever port or cable you have.

In this post, we’ll go through the different types of connectors and adapters you may use to connect your computer to numerous screens, how to connect them, and how to customize the display settings to make them work for you.

Types of Adapters, Cables, and Connectors

The screen connections can be made with a variety of cables or adapters. These are some of them:

1. Adapters and connections for VGA

One of the earliest connections. An HD15 connector is used to connect a PC or laptop to a monitor. They transmit an analog signal, despite the fact that they can achieve a few high frame rates and resolutions.

2. Connectors and adapters for DVI (Digital Visual Interface)

When compared to VGA adapters, DVI adapters and connectors are modern and provide a crisper and better display. They are capable of carrying both analog and digital signals. They are easy to distinguish from VGA connectors since they are white, whereas VGA connectors are blue.

3. Cables for HDMI

These are far superior in terms of clarity and quality. High-definition video and multiple channel digital audio are all available via a single. There is one significant drawback to HDMI cables. If your computer has HDMI 1.4 ports, the maximum resolution and frame rate are 3820 by 2160 pixels at 30 frames per second.

You may require new hardware or even a new computer to get around this restriction. It’s worth mentioning, however, that all technologies have previous versions with limitations, including HDMI 1.4 connections.

Standard, Micro, and Mini HDMI Connectors Types

Standard HDMI Cables:- The standard HDMI cable is designed to work with the vast majority of applications and connections.

Mini HDMI cables:- Mini HDMI cables have a smaller connector and are ideal for DSLR cameras, high-definition camcorders, and standard-sized tablets.

Micro HDMI cables:- Micro HDMI cables integrate video and audio into a compact interface that can be used with tablets, smartphones, and other mobile devices. They are half the size of conventional HDMI cables.

4. Thunderbolt

Thunderbolt is a hardware interface standard created by Intel and Apple. Thunderbolt 1 and 2 use the same Mini DisplayPort connector as Thunderbolt 3, however, Thunderbolt 3 uses USB-C. Thunderbolt 3 is a superset solution that adds Displayport 1.2 and a 40Gbps thunderbolt to a single USB-C port, resulting in a 10Gbps solution. The display is crystal clear.

5. Interface DisplayPort

The DisplayPort and Mini DisplayPort connectors both have 20 pins and come in two sizes. Version 1.3 supports all standard 3D video formats and has enough bandwidth to transport video resolutions up to 38402160 pixels at a refresh rate of 60Hz.

When Connect a Monitor to a Laptop Three Things You’ll Need to Do

You have to run the right cable between two devices when you connect an external monitor to a laptop computer. Always ensure that on your laptop and monitor, you get a monitor cable that matches the sockets.
After that you need to check your operating system, you are using two monitor screens. If you are using Windows 10 then it is a very easy task. To do this you just need to follow some intrusion mentioned below:

Right-click on the home desktop screen at the blank area.
Then choose the “Display Setting” option by doing a left-click on this option.

In case you are using the Macs, then your connection to an external monitor is automatically recognized.
The final step is to set up the orientation of the monitors. In both PCs and Macs, you’ll get two options, first, you can use the second screen to mirror your laptop screen or to act as an extension of the first.

Methods to Connect a Monitor to a Laptop

Connect the Monitor

Check the video output options on your laptop. The majority of laptops have a single display port on the rear, however, others have it on the side. Your laptop could have a few different types of connections:

Windows

HDMI – Most Windows laptops have a 3/4-inch, six-sided, tapered HDMI port.
DisplayPort – Similar to HDMI, however one of the port’s corners is crimped, whereas the other is not.

Mac

Thunderbolt 3 (also known as USB-C) is an oval port on the sides of recent MacBooks.
HDMI: Some MacBooks have a six-sided, tapered HDMI port.
Mini DisplayPort is a six-sided port found on Macs from 2008 to 2016.

Find out what video input your monitor has

Computer monitors typically have only one input, whereas TV monitors have several inputs. Most displays have HDMI or DisplayPort inputs on the back. VGA or DVI cables may be used to connect older computer monitors.

Attach the cord to your laptop’s video output

Insert the video cable into the video output port on your laptop, matching the connector on the video cable end to the shape of the port.

Connect the monitor to the other end of the cord

Insert the other end of the video connection cable into the TV port that matches the shape of the other end. You’ll need an adapter cable to connect to your display if it requires a different type of connection than your laptop. Some adapters are only used to connect two different cable types.

Connect the monitor and turn it on

Connect your monitor to a power source (such as an electrical outlet) and then hit the Power button on the display. You may need to plug the adapter’s power cable into a power source if you had to buy an adapter (not an adapter cable).

On the monitor, select the video source

If you’re using a monitor or TV with numerous inputs, you’ll need to choose the port on the monitor that which your laptop is connected. To change the video source, hit the button on the monitor or remote that says Input, Source, Video Select, or something similar.

Extend the Windows Desktop Across Two Monitors

On your laptop keypad, in the top row of the functions key, you’ll see a function key that shows two monitors. This function key should toggle through the various configurations: laptop display only, laptop + external screen, the external screen only. You just need to press that function key.
If you want to treat the second monitor as a separate desktop screen, you just need to pick the ‘Extend these displays’ option. On the second display or screen you can do anything that you want to do and different things from the one showing on your laptop screen.
After that to ‘Customise your display,’ you have to drag monitor 2 to where it is physically on your desk.
Maybe the resolution of the monitor is larger than your laptop’s, the rectangle will be larger.
And the resolution for each screen is set to each monitor’s native resolution. If you don’t know these figures already you might have to check the specifications.
And then to make sure everything is easily readable, you’ll probably want to use the ‘Change the size of text, apps, and other items’ slider.
Once you have done all the settings discussed above you need to click on the apply button. Then the changes you just made should be reflected on the monitor connected to your laptop.
Now you are ready to use the second screen just like your laptop screen. And in this extended screen, you can place shortcut icons on it or you can open apps and even run multiple apps.

Advantages of Connecting Your Laptop to a Monitor

Laptops are more than just wireless, portable PCs. You can convert your laptop computer into a multi-tasking workhorse with the appropriate setup that will make you remark, “Gee, I never imagined I could do all that!” To connect a monitor to a laptop, simply follow the simple procedures below. Then you’re good to go.

Connecting a monitor to a laptop isn’t just about getting more screen real estate. Here are a few examples of other advantages.

Multitasking: When you connect your laptop to a monitor, you can use split-screen mode to watch a movie on your PC monitor while tweeting about it on your laptop. This provides you with a stylish configuration that keeps you safe from harm. This creates a neat configuration that eliminates the need to go back and forth between programs.
More space on the screen: You may literally double the size of your available screen space by connecting your laptop to a monitor. You don’t have to shrink windows or toggle to see two programs at the same time because functions can be shifted from one screen to the other. This type of arrangement is suitable for a variety of circumstances, ranging from casual activities like video chatting while on Facebook to updating a working spreadsheet while referring to data on another platform.
Extra features in Windows* 10 include: You can choose between the classic desktop view and the new metro menu in Windows* 10. When your laptop is connected to a second desktop screen, however, you may have your cake and eat it too by running both programs at the same time.

More details on attaching a monitor to a laptop

If you have a combination of ports for the cables listed above, such as HDMI and DVI or VGA and DVI, don’t rule out the use of several displays. A dual-personality cable, such as DVI to HDMI, or a converter can still be used to connect.

A USB Type-C port is found on most recent laptops, and it may be used to transfer data, watch media, and charge the device. Older Apple MacBook laptops, for example, have a single USB Type-C port that is used for everything. You’ll need an adapter to connect to another monitor in this case.

Conclusion

In this article in detail, we talked about how to connect a monitor to a laptop. Such as what important things you need to connect a monitor, what methods are required, and the advantage of connecting your laptop to a monitor. Even we also discussed the types of adapters, cables, and connectors. By connecting your laptop to a monitor you can push your multitasking skills to new heights.
We hope you enjoyed our blog post about how to connect a monitor to a laptop. As always, if you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us! Thank you for reading, and have a great day!