How to Connect a Laptop to a Monitor

Most people choose laptops for their portability. However, you can get much more use out of a laptop by connecting it to a larger display at home or in the office. Here are a few tips to get you started.

plug it in

The first thing you need to do is figure out what connectors you can use. You can do this by checking the output on your laptop and the input on your monitor of choice. If you don’t already have a monitor, you can choose a model based on what you have available on your laptop.

Whichever combination of monitor and connector you choose, the process is the same: connect one end of the cable to your laptop and the other end to an appropriate input on your monitor. Make sure the input selection is set on the display. Your laptop should then appear on the monitor.

From here you can configure the display using your operating system settings as you may encounter display resolution, alignment or mirroring issues.

TIED TOGETHER: How to use multiple monitors to be more productive

Understand different cables and connectors

There are different cables and plugs. Which cable or plug you choose depends on your setup.

HDMI and mini HDMI

HDMI outputs are commonly found on many laptops and monitors. Even the older HDMI 2.0b standard can support resolutions up to 4K@60Hz, including HDR display modes for high dynamic range video and gaming. Some laptops use a mini-HDMI connector (not to be confused with micro-HDMI) instead of the full-size connector.

If you have a smaller mini HDMI output, you can use a mini HDMI to HDMI adapter or an HDMI cable with a different connector on each end. HDMI is a digital connection that carries both video and audio signals, with the newer HDMI 2.1 standard supporting much higher resolutions and faster refresh rates.

DisplayPort

DisplayPort is another common connection type that you may come across. It’s used almost exclusively for computer monitors, with some monitors only capable of using a DisplayPort connector (although it’s more common to find both HDMI and DisplayPort).

DisplayPort is an obvious choice if your laptop and monitor support it, especially if you already have a spare cable. DisplayPort 1.4 is the current standard and has been for years (DisplayPort 2.0 is due later in 2022) with enough bandwidth for 4K resolutions at 120Hz or more plus HDR.

Like HDMI, DisplayPort is a digital standard that carries both video and audio signals. Your laptop may have a full-size DisplayPort or mini-DisplayPort output, both of which are compatible with an adapter.

You may find that you have a mix of these two common connectors, e.g. B. an HDMI output on your laptop and a monitor that only accepts DisplayPort. If this is the case, you can use a unidirectional DisplayPort to HDMI cable or DisplayPort to HDMI adapter to bridge the gap.

USB-C

Another connection option that is becoming more common is USB-C, which uses the DisplayPort standard in a familiar USB-C package. This is a popular choice as it can simultaneously charge your laptop and act as a display cable.

Both the monitor and the laptop must support DisplayPort over USB-C. And for charging, you need to make sure the monitor can supply enough power.

lightning

Thunderbolt is a similar data cable connection that works like USB-C and uses a much higher bandwidth active cable. Thunderbolt is commonly used to daisy chain devices together. For example, you can connect your laptop to a monitor and then connect a Thunderbolt RAID drive to your monitor. You can then use both on your laptop with a single connection.

Set up display settings

With your monitor connected to your laptop, you can now configure it to make things work the way you want them to. This works differently depending on the operating system.

On Windows 11 and 10, go to Start > Settings > System > Display. Your internal display and external monitor should be listed.

If not, click the Detect button. Once you’ve discovered your displays, you can choose things like resolution, orientation, and whether you want to extend or mirror your display.

On a Mac, connect your display, then go to System Preferences (System Preferences) > Displays. You should see your internal display and external monitor in the sidebar on the left.

You can click each one to make separate changes to resolution and display output type (including HDR output modes), disable mirroring, and use each as a separate display.

You can do this with Linux as well, but the level of support and exact instructions vary significantly with the sheer number of Linux distributions. It’s best to look for instructions for your particular distribution.

Many Chromebook laptops also support external monitors. Just plug in the available display output and go to Settings > Displays to configure things.

Positioning your monitor so that it appears where you want it to be is another hurdle to overcome. On a Mac, you can simply drag the monitor into position under the Display preference pane. On Windows, you can do the same under the display settings.

Dual monitor setup with laptop

Many laptops support dual-monitor setups, which means using two or more external monitors on a single computer. If you go this route, you’re technically using three monitors when including your laptop’s internal display.

The first thing you need to make sure is that your laptop’s GPU supports multiple monitors. You can do this by searching for your GPU or laptop model on the manufacturer’s website. If you have two HDMI or DisplayPort outputs on your laptop, you can assume that your laptop supports multiple external monitors.

If you only have a single port, you’ll need to look for other methods to connect more than one external monitor to your laptop. This may include connecting Thunderbolt displays, using a USB-C to HDMI or DisplayPort adapter, or using a display that supports Thunderbolt or DisplayPort over USB-C output alongside your existing HDMI or DisplayPort output supported.

You can also invest in a laptop-ready docking station to access more ports, including multiple HDMI or DisplayPort outputs (like this three-display USB-C docking station). These are ideal for home and work environments because you can use a single cable to connect your laptop and quickly connect to displays and peripherals.

Using an iPad as a second display

If you have a spare iPad that you want to make better use of, you can always use it as a second display via the SideCar feature. You need macOS Catalina and a compatible Mac and iPad for this to work.

If you have a Windows computer, an older Mac, or an iPad that isn’t compatible with SideCar, you can use Duet Display to connect your laptop to an iPad instead.

Multiple screens: Worth it for productivity

More screen real estate means less switching between windows, desktops or tabs. You can watch videos on one screen while surfing the web on another. You can play something and chat with friends in Discord without getting around with Alt+Tab. The possibilities are endless.