How To Connect A Monitor To Your Desktop Or Laptop Computer

What should you do if you find yourself in a position where you are unsure of how to connect a monitor to your desktop or laptop computer? Don’t worry, connecting a laptop to a bigger display at home or work is fairly standard procedure. However, using a laptop as a second screen is less common, even though it’s simple to set up and can increase productivity just as much.

By connecting a monitor to your desktop or laptop, you can have a larger display while seated at a desk or extra desktop area for programs. We demonstrate to you how to use it. Despite how fantastic PCs and laptops are, their single-screen displays might be a little too constricting. Especially for those that multitask and require more apps and applications active than the average user.

The good news is that you can set up your laptop to work with another monitor in several straightforward ways. In other words, a single laptop may support numerous display screens. But it’s best to be aware of what your computer can connect to before investing in a second monitor.

If you have a laptop, it is recommended to check the sides and the rear to discover what ports you have. Most computers feature VGA, DVI, and HDMI connection ports, while some laptops simply have USB ports, thunderbolt, and an HDMI adaptor. Use a VGA cable to link the two, for instance, if both your computer and monitor have a VGA connection. Use an HDMI cable that connects the display to your laptop if it has one.

The same holds for any port and cable you might have.
Can a desktop monitor be connected to a laptop? This article will cover the connectors and adapters available for connecting your computer to numerous displays, how to do so, and how to set up the displays so they are useful to you.

Various kinds of connectors or adapters can be used to join the screens. They comprise:

HDMI Connector

High Definition Multimedia Interface is the complete name. It ranks among the most widely used audio and video standards in use today. High-quality AV signals can be transmitted over just one cable using this device. A computer display can be connected to the HDMI port found on the majority of modern laptops. You only need to buy an HDMI cable and attach one side to your computer to link your laptop to the monitor.

Check the display inputs on your monitor first, though, before you buy an HDMI cable. Verify if your device has an HDMI port because it resembles the DisplayPort input in both appearance and functionality. However, you may be confident that it has an HDMI port if you own one of the greatest high-definition displays.

Common HDMI Connector

For the majority of connections and applications, the Standard HDMI cable is made.

Tiny (Small) HDMI Connector

The Mini has a more compact connector, making it simple to use in smaller ports found on DSLR cameras, high-definition camcorders, and regular-sized tablets.

Micro HDMI Connector

The interface of this format, which mixes video and audio, is tiny enough to be connected to a laptop, tablets, smartphones, and other mobile devices. Comparing them to the typical HDMI cables, they are half as small.

Display Port Connectors

HDMI and DisplayPort (DP) both allow for the transmission of HD audio and video data from a laptop too, for example, an LG display. In actuality, DP is used on computer screens more frequently than HDMI.

Your laptop and monitor may feature Display Port if you can tell by the way the connector itself looks. DP has an inclined top right corner with five edges. The left and right corners of HDMI appear to be similar and it has eight sides. Version 1.3 supports all popular 3D video codecs and has enough capacity to transmit video with resolutions up to 3840 x 2160 pixels at 60 hertz.

It’s possible that your display only has a DP input even if your laptop has both HDMI and DP outputs. The DP input of the external screen is connected to one end, which is connected to the DP output of your laptop.

A USB-C Connector

There may also be a USB-C (Thunderbolt 3) video output capability with certain notebooks. You can set up your monitor to expand the display on your laptop if it supports this connector. Both the USB-C output and USB-C input of your display can be connected directly. HDMI and DisplayPort inputs can also be used with a USB-C adaptor.

DVI Connector

VGA adapters are older, whereas DVI adapters and connectors offer a sharper, better display. They can transport both digital and analog signals. As opposed to VGA connectors, which are blue, they are white, making it simple to tell them apart from one another. It has the lowest image quality as well. However, it can show graphics with a pixel density of 2560 x 1600.

The likelihood is that you only have a DVI input if your computer screen is older. If you have a laptop, it’s simple to connect a DVI connection to the monitor, but don’t anticipate seeing the crystal-clear video. Consider upgrading your monitor if you’re seeking a premium display.

Thunderbolt

It is the brand name for a hardware interface standard that was created by Apple and Intel. Thunderbolt 1 and 2 employ the Mini DisplayPort connector as opposed to Thunderbolt 3, which uses USB-C. Thunderbolt 3, a subset option with 10Gbps that accommodates Display port 1.2 and a 40Gbps thunderbolt, can be supported by a simple USB-C port. The display on it is quite clear.

This connector is one of the first ones. A display is connected to a laptop or PC via an HD15 connector. Despite having a limited number of high frame rates and resolutions, they nonetheless provide an analog signal.

Using A Windows Laptop Or Computer To Establish The Connection

Making the connection should be simple if you have just been using one display on your computer and now want to use numerous displays. Use these instructions to attach an additional monitor to a Windows laptop or PC.

• Verify The Connections

Finding out what kind of cable you need is the first fundamental step. Most contemporary computers feature many ports, including HDMI, USB Type-C, VGA, and DVI connectors. If an input on the display and an output on the computer match, you’re good to go. You can easily buy an adaptor to help you convert the output if it does not match the input on the display.

• Continuous Or Repeated

Get the appropriate cable for your connection, then connect it to the computer before connecting it to the monitor. This is easy if you’re utilizing the Windows operating system. Immediately press WIN+P on Windows 8 and later versions. As a result, a configuration menu appears directly also on side of the display.

• Proper Adjustment

By default, Windows places the new screen on the right and the first screen to the left. You must move the pointer from the upper edge of the frame to the new display. You will need to adapt if you find yourself running it the other way around. This is accomplished by:

You can choose between a USB-C connection and a Thunderbolt connection depending on your MacBook laptop. If your monitor has a USB-C port, wonderful, utilise it if you can connect it straight to the laptop. If not, you must use an adapter or hub to change the monitor’s port to one that is compatible with your MacBook.

These Display-Extending Techniques Will Boost Your Laptop’s Performance

This page has a comprehensive list of how to link your laptop to an external device. To expand your laptop screen, all you need is the appropriate cabling, regardless of whether you have an LG or a Lenovo display.

 
If your desktop offers connectors for a mix of the aforementioned connectivity, such as HDMI and DVI or VGA and DVI, don’t give up on using two screens. You can still use conversion or a dual identity cable to connect, such as DVI to HDMI.  

 
The majority of contemporary laptops have a USB Type-C port that may be used to charge the device as well as transfer data and videos. An illustration would be the older models of the Apple MacBook notebook, which only had one USB Type-C port that is utilized for everything. In this situation, an adaptor is required to connect. 

‘What Else Should I Consider?’

“Best Portable Monitors”	“Best 300Hz Monitors”
“Can You Run 144Hz Through USB-C?”	“Curved VS Flat Monitors”

Is Connecting A Laptop To A Monitor Good?

If you want a larger display to work on at a desk or extra desktop space for apps, you can connect a monitor to your laptop. This may resemble playing around when done on a laptop.

When a second monitor is attached, you can use this screen as a sample. Any alterations you make to image or video content in Photoshop or other video editing software will be immediately visible on the huge monitor.

How To Use A Desktop Monitor With A Laptop?

You can use your laptop to extend your desktop display if you own both a desktop computer and a laptop. The normal advantages of using two screens are present: greater room for your apps, the ability to have more windows and tabs open at once, and simpler multitasking.

All that is necessary is that both computers run the same operating system, either Windows or macOS. You can’t truly do this with a macOS system and a Windows machine, at least not right now or without depending on third software to do it for you.

Can A computer Monitor Be Connect To A Laptop?

The flat HDMI connector on the laptop’s right or left side will accept the HDMI cable from the display. A display must be plugged into the opposite end. Any end of the cable can be connected to a laptop or display because it is identical on both ends.