The monitor is one of the most important parts of any computer, and sometimes our work schedule requires that we have more than one. If we have a laptop, this is quite easy, so today we will see how to connect an external monitor to an HDMI or VGA Laptop easily.
HDMI? VGA?
If you are looking at this article, you most likely have a monitor that you want to install on your laptop. To do that, the first thing is to know what type of connection your monitor uses and what type of connection your laptop supports.
HDMI is an acronym for High-Definition Multimedia Interface, or High Definition Multimedia Interface. As its name implies, it is a high definition interface that allows you to connect multimedia equipment to each other. You can also troubleshoot HDMI sound output. The HDMI cable looks like this:
VGA is an acronym for Video Graphics Array, or Video Graphics Array. Like HDMI, it allows multimedia equipment to be connected together. There are a few differences: VGA was designed in 1987, while HDMI was designed in 2002. VGA is an analog interface, while HDMI is digital.
When connecting a monitor to a computer, you must ensure that both use the same type of connector; otherwise, you will need an adapter.
You can check the monitor cable and see if it looks like one of the images above. Then check the computer port (usually on the side, if it’s a laptop) to see if it fits properly.
VGA cables have 15 pins that will go into 15 port “holes” on the computer. The HDMI cable has 19 pins, but the port on the computer does not have “holes” like the VGA one, and it looks more like a USB port.
How to connect an external monitor to an HDMI or VGA Laptop
Simply insert the cable into the computer port. However, your system may not immediately recognize the second monitor, in which case you will need to take a few steps to get it working. In this article we focus on Windows. If you use Mac, you can follow the steps on the official Apple website. If you are interested in the reverse process, here you can learn how to use your laptop screen as a PC monitor.
Windows has a keyboard shortcut for configuring an external monitor. Press the Windows key and the “P” key simultaneously to open this menu ( The Windows key is on the keyboard at the bottom and to the left, usually between “Control” and “Alt”). This will open a menu with several options:
- Disconnect projector: If you have a monitor connected, Windows will stop recognizing it.
- Duplicate: Everything you do on the main screen will be reflected on the external monitor.
- Extend: Windows will use the external monitor as an additional display. The mouse pointer can be moved between one screen and another, and you can drag windows from the main screen to the external monitor.
- Projector only: Windows will stop recognizing the main screen and use only the external monitor.
If the combination of the Windows key and “P” did not work for you, you can access these options from the control panel like this:
- Open the control panel.
- Select “Hardware and Sound.”
- Below the “Display” section, there are several options. Select “Connect to a projector.”
By default, Windows recognizes the external monitor as a secondary display, and acts as if it were to the right of the primary one. From the control panel, you can change this. To do this, follow these steps:
- Open the control panel.
- Select “Hardware and Sound.”
- Select «Display»
- On the left, select “Change display settings”
- To use the monitor as the main screen:
- Click on the «Screen» tab and select screen 2
- At the bottom, check the box “Make this screen the main one”
- Click on “Accept”
- To use the monitor on the right:
Above is a diagram with the numbered screens. Take the number two with the mouse, and drag it to the left of 1. Using this diagram you can organize all the screens that are connected to the computer. In this window you will also find useful options.
Once Windows recognizes your monitor, calibrate its brightness and contrast. With that you can have a monitor in optimal conditions. If you have trouble connecting both devices, please