Dual monitors have become a typical setup nowadays. Professionals, online gamers, and even students have adopted and benefited from the dual monitor setup. Using two displays to divide your workspace increases your productivity and flexibility. Plus, having a second screen frees up your time to focus on other aspects of your job.
You might have a couple of questions in your mind right now, so here’s a step-by-step guide on how to setup dual monitors with HDMI. I’ll also bring some limelight on how one can run two monitors with one HDMI port.
But before you perform these steps, make sure that you have correctly set up your monitors on your desk and have those important cords handy. Don’t forget to choose which port you will be using, too. Though you can select the motherboard HDMI port, it is advisable to use your Graphics HDMI port if you have one.
If your system has a dedicated GPU, use those ports instead of the motherboard. It will be much better than the inbuilt graphics on your CPU unless the GPU is significantly older. Plus, as soon as the motherboard identifies your dedicated GPU, it disables the motherboard’s ports. Though, some motherboards allow you to utilize the video ports while the specialized GPU does the processing. There are some cases in the motherboard that will allow you to use both.
Depending on the type of monitor and box you have, you may need a converter or a splitter to connect the two monitors to your box. Always remember, though, as a rule of thumb, connecting cords are connecting LIKE cords. If you are using HDMI cords, you must connect them to the HDMI port.
How To Set Up & Run Dual Monitors With HDMI Ports?
- Plug your box’s power cord and your monitors’ power cord into a working power outlet.
- Once they are entirely on, connect one end of the HDMI cord to the HDMI port of your computer. After doing so, connect the other end of the HDMI cord to the HDMI port of your box. Make sure that everything is finger-tight.
- Repeat step number 2 on the second monitor.
- When everything is connected correctly, check the dual monitor settings on your computer.
How To Set the Dual Monitor Display?
Here are the simple steps to check and change the display settings on your computer.
- Go to the Display Settings. Hover your mouse to an empty desktop area, right-click on it, and select Display Settings.
- Choose your primary monitor. After clicking the Display Settings, you will be prompted with an option to pick your main monitor settings. You can either choose monitor one or monitor two as your primary monitor.
- Decide how your monitor should function. You have two options to choose from:
- Duplicate – allows you to use two monitors with the same function. This display only adds workspace. It is like you are just upgrading your monitor to have a bigger space for your tasks.
- Extend Display – allows you to work between two monitors separately. This type of setting is popular with video editors, IT Professionals, online gamers, and even students. This allows the user to drag and interchange windows from the first screen to the second screen.
- Save your settings. After selecting your display preference, hit on “Apply” to save your display settings.
How to Connect/Run two HDTVs to a single HDMI port?
Don’t worry if your computer has only one HDMI port. If your other monitor doesn’t have an HDMI port, you can use a splitter or adaptor to connect your monitor to your box.
Connect the converter’s HDMI cord to your box’s HDMI port. After that, connect the other end to the cable compatible with your second monitor.
What if my Second Display screen is Not Showing up?
There are several reasons why your second monitor will not show up. It could be that there is a loose connection. Or the display settings were not properly set up.
To fix the issue, you need to go to the Display Settings again. Double-check the Duplicate or Extend settings were applied. If it was not set up yet, choose your desired settings and hit on apply. The system will automatically detect and update the settings. Your second monitor will show up after applying the new settings.
However, if the system can not completely detect your second monitor, there might be issues with your graphics driver, or it could also be a hardware problem.
How to Update Your Computer’s Graphics Driver:
- Go to your Device Manager – You can search your Device Manager Settings through the search area of your taskbar. Or, you can press the “Window’s icon” and the letter “x” simultaneously to pull up the settings.
- Check for “Display adapters.” – Expand and search Display Adapters in the category list. Select the drivers for the monitor that you want to update.
- Update Driver Software – Once you have selected the monitor’s driver that you want to update, hit Update Driver Software.
- Look for the driver software – Next, hit “Browse my computer for driver software” to continue.
- Browse the driver files – For the last step, “Browse” and go to the directory where you store the driver files. To complete the process, follow the screen guide.
If both troubleshooting steps are not working, you need to double-check the ports and the cords. There’s a big possibility that the reason why your computer can not detect the second monitor is either the cord, the port, or both are broken. You may need to have it checked by a technician, or you may use another cord.
Featured Image:Will Keightley via Flickrcc2.0
Cris Podador is a Technical and Technology writer who lives in Tubigon, Philippines. She completed her Bachelor's degree and went on to work as an outsourced Subject Matter Expert in the technical department for one of the leading telecommunication companies in the US. She changed careers when she found her passion in writing. Cris is now connected with various companies as a content writer specializing in web content. Cris constantly loves technology and keeps up with all the latest technology around the world.