If you spend a lot of time on your computer, having two monitors will greatly increase your productivity. There are many reasons why people decide to do a dual monitor setup for PCs . The most obvious range from having an overview of all activities, to having a better view during live streams.
The arrangement of the dual monitor during live streams is almost necessary, since: a screen is reserved for the contents that viewers will see and an additional screen to manage the streaming behind the scenes. Either way, adding a second screen on Windows is very simple. Read on to see how to set up dual monitors on one PC .
The topics of the post [ hide ]
- 1How To Set Up Two Monitors On Your PC
- 1Make sure your PC has the correct connections
- 2Connect the monitors to your computer
- 3Find your display settings
- 4Rearrange your displays
- 5Adjust the “Multiple Displays” setting.
- 2Dual monitor setup – what else you need to know
- 1How do I make my computer recognize a second monitor?
- 2What is the HDMI splitter used for? will it work for two monitors?
- 3What Equipment Is Needed to Set Up Two Monitors?
- 4How many monitors can be connected to a PC?
- 5What to do if the PC does not detect the second monitor?
- 6How to connect 2 monitors with one HDMI cable?
How To Configure Two Monitors To PC
Make sure your PC has the correct connections
An important prerequisite for dual monitor setup is to make sure your PC has the correct outputs. This means that your computer should have at least two HDMI outputs or one HDMI output in addition to a DisplayPort output . (If you don’t know what the Display port is for, read this guide entirely dedicated to What the Display Port is for)
PCs with a dedicated graphics processing unit (GPU) can have up to four possible connections. For example, the GeForce RTX 3070 has one HDMI output and three DisplayPort outputs. PCs without a dedicated GPU process graphics through the motherboard where you’ll find the connections for your monitors.
Keep the following in mind: If you have a dedicated GPU in your PC, be sure to use its outputs only to connect displays, not motherboard ones.
Regardless of the type, you’ll want to make sure you have two connections available on your PC for external displays.
Connect the monitors to your computer
The next step is to physically connect both displays to the PC . This is a simple output-to-input connection, where the output is from the GPU or motherboard and the input is to the monitor. HDMI is universal, so you’ll typically find at least one of those inputs on the screen and one output from the GPU or motherboard.
Take a standard HDMI cable , run one end through the PC output and plug the other into the input of your first monitor. Windows will automatically detect the display. By default, the first connected display will be the main one.
Repeat this process for your second monitor . You will again need to determine the output connection from your PC to the input connection on the second display. If each of them has another HDMI connection, you can use it. You may also be able to run a DisplayPort cable between both devices. Sometimes, though, you’ll have a mix of connections available between the PC and the monitor.
Find your display settings
In a dual monitor setup , once your two monitors are connected, you’ll need to set them up. This configuration can be basic or advanced, as Windows does a great job of automatically managing the configuration. The first screen it detects becomes the primary monitor and any additional linked screens become secondary monitors.
To locate display settings on Windows, use the following path: Start> Settings> System> Display
settings-display
Rearrange your displays
At the top, you will find the ” Rearrange your displays ” window. Your two monitors are represented as a large ” 1 ” and ” 2 “. Use this window to click and drag monitors to the desired arrangement. They can be placed next to each other, on top of each other or as you like. This determines the direction in which you slide between them.
If you are unsure which display is, you can click the Identify button. A box will appear on each monitor indicating which is “1” and “2”.
You can also adjust individual settings by selecting a monitor in the Rearrange window. It will highlight blue to show you your current selection.
At the bottom, you’ll also be able to make any screen the main display.
Adjust the “Multiple Displays” setting.
Towards the end of the Display window you will be able to choose a setting in Multiple Displays . For most purposes, the default “extend these displays” is what you want. This allows you to use the second monitor as an extension of the first.
“Duplicate these displays” mirrors the image from the main monitor to the sub monitor. “Show only on 1” or “Show only on 2” will turn off the other monitor based on your selection.
Dual monitor setup – what else you need to know
How do I make my computer recognize a second monitor?
Depending on the computer you are using, it should be as simple as plug and play. As soon as you connect the HDMI / Display port to your computer, it should appear as a secondary monitor. If not, we recommend that you follow these troubleshooting steps.
Per windows:
First make sure the cable is plugged into the graphics card slot and not the CPU. If you are using Windows, right-click on the desktop and click “Display Settings”. You can also search for “Display Settings” in the search bar.
Make sure your secondary monitor is showing as a display. If you scroll down to “Multiple Displays”, you can choose whether you want to duplicate or extend your display. If it still doesn’t show, make sure Windows is up to date and your graphics card is up to date with the latest firmware.
What is the HDMI splitter used for? will it work for two monitors?
An HDMI splitter is meant to duplicate an output image. For example, if you have a desktop computer connected to two monitors with an HDMI splitter, you will see the same duplicated image on each display. You won’t be able to extend the display.
To create a dual monitor setup, you need an HDMI adapter , which will allow you to extend your desktop with two different monitors.
What equipment is needed to set up two monitors?
All you need are two monitors and a computer! Your monitors should already come with the appropriate cables to connect to your computer. Once you have everything connected to your computer, you are good to go! No additional equipment is needed.
How many monitors can be connected to a PC?
The amount of monitors that can be connected to a PC depends on the graphics card supplied. Most graphics cards can handle two monitors, which means that two independent displays can be connected to the back of the PC. For laptops, in general a maximum of 1 monitor can be connected, that is the one displayed on the notebook and another additional one.
What to do if the PC does not detect the second monitor?
In case your PC fails to detect the second screen, go to settings, display, and click on detect screen. If after carrying out this step your PC still does not detect the second screen, disconnect the monitor, turn off the PC, connect the second monitor and proceed to restart the PC. Once the restart is complete the computer should detect the second screen automatically.
How to connect 2 monitors with one HDMI cable?
If you only have an HDMI cable, the only solution for connecting two monitors is to purchase an HDMI splitter.
