Connecting to an External Screen

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 26, 2017)

When working on a desktop or using any Windows system out "in the wild," you may want to connect to an external screen. This screen can either be a second monitor or, perhaps, a projector you need for that critical presentation.

Windows makes it easy to hook up to an external screen and to control how that screen behaves relative to the main screen. After you've physically connected the second screen using whatever cable is appropriate to your computing device and the screen, simply press Win+P. You end up with a series of four choices displayed at the right side of your screen. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. Choices for working with a second screen.

Note that the four choices control how the second screen is used by Windows. You can choose to ignore the second screen, use only it, mirror (duplicate) the screens, or use the second screen as an extension of the first. In most cases you'll want to choose duplicate or extend.

After you click on the option you want to use, Windows starts using the device as you direct and you can go on working as you normally would with Windows.

 This tip (13077) applies to Windows 8 and 10.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Understanding the If ... End If Structure

One of the powerful programming structures provided in VBA allows you to conditionally execute commands. The If ... End ...

Discover More

Ensuring Consistent References with AutoText

You'll often need to make sure that references within a document are consistent with each other. In this tip you discover ...

Discover More

Converting UTC Times to Local Times

Dates and times are often standardized on UTC time, which is analogous to GMT times. How to convert such times to your ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

Connecting a Bluetooth Speaker

Bluetooth speakers allow you to play your computer's audio wirelessly. Connecting a Bluetooth speaker to a ...

Discover More

Specifying How Clicking Works

Do you want to fundamentally change how Windows responds to mouse clicking? You can do so by following the steps outlined ...

Discover More

Connecting a Bluetooth Keyboard

Bluetooth allows electronic devices to connect wirelessly. Discover how easy it is to connect a Bluetooth keyboard to ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 7 + 1?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


Newest Tips