This article will walk you through setting up dual monitors within Windows. It assumes that you've got the monitors connected to power and a dock or into the computer.


Monitor display modes


Windows has four types of display modes for dual screens. The first, "PC Screen Only", displays a picture on the first screen it finds (i.e. the laptop's inbuilt screen, or if the lid is closed, the first of the two monitors). The second, "Second Screen Only", displays a picture on the second screen (i.e. the external monitor or if the lid is closed, the second of the two monitors). The third mode is "Extend", which lets you use the two monitors as one big monitor, so you can put your spreadsheet on one monitor, and your emails on the second one, for example. The last mode is "Duplicate", which will show the exact same image on both screens.


To change between the modes, hold down the Windows Key, and press P. A menu will appear, so click on the mode you want (usually "Extend"): 



You need to make sure that both monitors are turned on and plugged in, otherwise Windows won't be able to detect them.


Setting the monitor order


Windows will do its best to work out the order of the monitors, but sometimes it gets it wrong. In this case, you'll need to rearrange the monitors within Windows. To do this:


  1. Right-click on the desktop and click "Display Properties":
  2. Click on "Identify", and a number will appear in the corner of each monitor (1)
  3. Drag the monitors around to your preferred position (2). In this example, monitor number two is physically located to the left of monitor number one, so drag the squares around until they're in order
  4. Click Apply (3)


By now your monitor should be displaying correctly, and  you'll be able to work.


If that's not the case, then you might need to switch the input source on the monitor. Press any button on the monitor (except the power button) and look for a menu item called "Input". Set it to "Automatic" if you can, otherwise, cycle through the various options (e.g. "DVI" / "DisplayPort" / "HDMI" / "VGA" until you see a picture.