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If you are running Windows Vista on a Laptop and wish to utilize dual displays, this is just the article for you. Instead of replicating the content on your laptop screen on to your external display, you’ll be able to extended your desktop across both. By doing so you’ll gain extra screen real estate meaning more space to work in. Once you have a successfully functioning dual display setup, windows can be dragged across from one screen to another and you can have two fully maximized applications visible at once!
Some Small Requirements:
- Decent Laptop with VGA or HDMI output
- A monitor with VGA or HDMI input
- A VGA or HDMI cable to connect both together
Getting To The Settings:
- Connect your laptop to your external monitor
- Right Click on your desktop and select Personalize
- Open the Display settings window (at the bottom)
Next arrange the two monitors to the setup you have. Monitor 1 would be your laptop’s display and Monitor 2 is your additional display. So, for example, if your laptop is on the left and the monitor is on the right, drag the two boxes around so that Monitor 1 is on the left and Monitor 2 is on the right.
Extending The Display:
- Select Monitor 2 in the visual or from the drop-down menu
- Check the box besides “Extend the desktop onto this monitor”
- Just hit Apply. The screen should flash and you are done!
You should now be able to drag a window, this web page for example, from one screen onto another. If you would like to move your Start Menu onto the other display, just drag it onto the other screen. (Right-click and unlock the Taskbar first!) Also note that sometimes Vista messes up the resolutions, so if one of the windows looks horribly wrong go back to the Display Settings and manually drag the bar to the correct resolutions for each monitor. If your machine is using either the NVIDIA or ATI control panel, I suggest using that to configure your setup instead of using the default Vista Display Settings.
If you have any problems, questions, or suggestions feel free to express them below!
Related Article: Setup Multiple Monitors In XP
We will vga to hdmi results
thanks for the clean and clear information…
my pet peeve is that i use two dual monitor scenarios (one for home, one for work) and i’m tired of constantly having to remind Vista of the preferred location and the preferred resolution for my dual,extended display. do you know of a free or cheap application that lets you configure your preferences one time and then it automatically adjusts your displays properly?
The only problem im having is that the external monitor is telling me that i need to turn hit a key or move mouse. which i dont understand can someone please tell me what i need to do next
I re-iterate what John SAID, …. please give a solution
I’ve been using dual monitors with vista and now how do I change it back so that both monitors display the same thing?
I’ve tried to uncheck the box with “extend the desktop on this monitor” but it doesn’t work! plz help:)
Just done this for the first time – everything works except the mouse right content menu. If I Right click in the left hand montor ( the 2nd one) I see the context menu in the far left hand side of my laptop ( the original monitor) Can anyone suggest a solution? Thnaks
im just wondering how do you get you monitors to work on a laptop so thatthey both display the same so when you press start for eg it will also press on the second? i had succes achieving this in xp but not vista, any help will be much appreciated.
Setting up Vista with dual monitor for my laptop went very easy…but do have a problem. when my computer is idle and screensaver kicks in, when I log back in only one monitor comes back on. The only way to restore both monitors is to select the button where it put system in low power so the session is easy to restore….I do that and log in a second time and then both monitors respond. But that requires logging in twice etc. sure would be nice to know what or why it does not see second monitor when it comes out of screen saver mode.
Using XP Pro, the setup works fine for a current session. However the monitors go back to mirroring each other after booting instead of #2 retaining the setting to be extended. Is there a fix?
My laptop is operating on Vista. I would like to connect it to 2 or 3 external monitors of the same size. I do not intend to view from my laptop screen at all (much smaller screen). Think you can help? Thanks!
Thank you for this very informational tutorial but I am sorry to say that it does not solve my problem. I own a pc that is currently connected to a monitor via dvi to hdmi and an hdmi to hdmi on a toshiba 61″ hdtv. NVIDIA recognizes both monitors but does not give me the option to have multiple display, instead I can only select “Only use one display (Single)” under Set up multiple displays category on the right. However I can use either monitor as the primary display. Keep in mind my pc has one of the best video cards out. If anyone has any information on solving this problem it would be greatly apreciated.
Sincerely,
Michael Benin
High Def Webdesign
Hi,
I purchased a HDMI cable today, because on my SL500 Lenovo have a HDMI port and my LCD LG 37″ have a HDMI port ! I have connected in both sided, but I my tv don´t catch any signal ?? I have tried in vista buisness to setup external monitor,but my computer do not find any external monitor/my lcd. What shall I do now ????
thank you this works good.
On Vista, you should be able to get both monitors to display the same thing again by holding down the fn key and pressing f4. You may need to do this a couple of times, because this toggles between putting the display on one moniter, than the other moniter, than both. Hope this helps.
THANKS SO MUCH. I couldn’t figure out the drag and drop part with the monitors for the life of me! I recently changed my monitor to the other side of my laptop and couldn’t figure out how to change it. THANKS!
I have connected monitor 1 and monitor 2 successfully. Thank you for your guidance and advice, it helped me alot ! I just want to know how to clone the two monitors so that they show the same picture. Thanx.
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Downloaded most recent NVIDIA drivers. Works fine now.
Excellent: it took me seconds to read the advice and even less time to put it into action. I am now typing on my second monitor and watching the rest of the world go by on my main monitor!
Big thanks
Duncan
ok so I have connect laptop to HD tv through HDMI cable, works fine, however, I want to play games on my tv not laptop screen, while having the other screen ‘free’ with apps/toolbar ect. When I go into display properities it will not let me click ‘Make this my main monitor’ for my tv. Any advice? I thought of another way around by downloading an ‘extra toolbar program’ but the problem is that the game is unable to exit fullscreen mode and be restored down (smaller not full screen which would enable me to drag it accross like other windows). I’ve tried most things just ran out of ideas . . .
hey matt, i have the same problem as urself. didnt see any reply on ur answer so was wondering if u maybe got it via email? if so, could u perhaps tell me what to do:D
One thing I can tell the both of you right now, is that leaving dual monitors enabled while gaming isn’t a good idea. If it’s a graphics intensive game, most average video cards aren’t designed to support playing dual screen games. I do realize the game will actually only be on a single window at a time while the other may have a webpage or something else running. But that itself puts a lot of stress on your video card and degrades performance. It’s best to drop down to just one display while playing games and going back later. And if you can’t find those settings, usually the ATI or NVIDIA control panel based for your video card offers those settings. Good Luck!
Hi There, great tutorial, but i was just wondering how to connect a third monitor (if indeed this is possible!) i’ve got a laptop running an external monitor but wish to add an additional external monitor to the two that i have set up. Ant help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
I had to disable extended desktop on two monitors and my second monitor is now dead. However, whenever I open PowerPoint is appears to open on the dead monitor, but now I can’t get it back again. It shows on the Windows taskbar, but move and resize don’t work. HELP!!!?
right click on the powerpoint window in the task bar. click move in the context menu, shake the mouse, then press one of the directional keys. now when you move your mouse the powerpoint windows should move back to where your mouse is!
hey there,
first of all i’m using vista
i got a question here..
the dual display works fine when both of my laptop and monitor resolution is the same (1366×768).
when i set my monitor to 1920×1080 my wallpaper on the monitor wont display to full screen even though my wallpaper’s resolution is 1920×1080.
Do anyone here knows any way around this problem.
thanks in advance..
It’s quite an easy solution, but a bit messy. Best thing do is choose a wallpaper that is of the best resolution you can pick. Next when you are in the Background settings, use the option to “Stretch Image”. If that doesn’t work, try the center option. Keep in mind these solutions will make it look different sizes on both. Yes, Vista isn’t too great at handling two monitors. Windows 7 has gotten a lot better.
And if you want more multi monitor features checkout Ultramon, it’s an amazing little app that will let you choose different images for each display and a lot more http://www.realtimesoft.com/ultramon/
Where can I get that wallpaper, seen on both the monitors in the picture above?
Just uploaded them for you, grab them at: http://www.box.net/shared/atx4npnhtx
That the original one had a car in it, a friend was bored and used Photoshop to get rid of it. And I didn’t make or create the original, I don’t know the source either, so I don’t want to take credit for it. I think I found it browsing DeviantArt if I remember correctly.
I’ll also be posting a article sometime soon with places to find great Dual Screen Wallpapers and setting up multiple monitors for the awesome new Windows 7!
If anyone is trying to get Dual Monitors working with Windows 7, there is our tutorial: http://skattertech.com/2009/09/setup-dual-monitors-in-windows-7/
i messed up the setup.
regarding the main monitor: my laptop (on the left side) is not set as the main monitor. when identifying monitors the 2nd monitor is numbered 1. dragging 1 to the left does not help.
how can i fix this? i have vista running on a 64-bit laptop.
I have a strange problem and I hope someone can help me. I am at LROSEN@CSUDH.EDU and would be so happy if you can help me fix this that i will mail you a copy of my last book and one of my new book when it comes out (Me, MySpace, and I: Parenting the Net Generation is the last one and Rewired: Understanding the iGeneration and the Way They Learn is the new one). I have a laptop (HP) and an external monitor (Samsung). I always boot up the laptop, then attach the external (using a VGA cable) and am able to extend my desktop to it. wonderful for a writer. Up until a few days ago it worked fine. Now, for some odd reason vista still shows both monitors but shows the #2 over the “inactive laptop monitor” and #1 over the “active external monitor” even though my laptop display IS ACTIVE and external is INACTIVE. When I click on identify monitors it shows a #1 but the large #1 shows on my laptop monitor and the external is not working. I hope I am making sense here. Can anyone help me out?
I’ll get back to you by the end of the day!