The second monitor not detected: Solutions & Fixes
Users often prefer using two or more monitors for better experience and productivity. And how is this possible? Well, if your graphic card supports multiple output ports, you can easily connect more monitors. The number of monitors you can connect to your computer depends on the number of output ports present on your graphic card.
Output ports
Output ports are meant to provide a connection between the computer and the external monitors. You can notice the presence of different ports on your graphic card such as the VGA, DVI, HDMI, and the Display port.
Currently, the HDMI and Display ports are quite popular than VGA and DVI because VGA and DVI are old standard ports. HDMI is highly preferred because it supports bigger resolutions and enables the transfer of the audio signal.
Second monitors easily and conveniently improve the productivity of your computer. It also provides you with a larger canvas that acts as an additional workspace for general multitasking.
For connecting the second monitor, you just need to plug the cables into a graphic card and the monitor. And if it is not working well, then that indicates the second monitor is not detected by your computer. If the computer is not detecting the second monitor, there might be different reasons including faulty cables, non-compatible drivers, configuration issues, etc.
If the second monitor not detected in windows, then you should refer to this article to troubleshoot and resolve the problems.
Method 1: Restarting your Computer
You can turn off your computer, monitors, and cables to solve the issue with the second monitor not detected.
Step 1: You will need to turn off your computer and monitor and wait for a few minutes.
Step 2: Next you need to unplug all power cables between your computer and the second monitor.
Step 3: Now you need to wait for a few minutes and plug all the cables back in.
Step 4: After that, you will need to turn on your devices again. This method turns out to be beneficial in many cases.
Method 2: Re-enabling the Display Adapter
This is a software configuration method, where we will discuss how to re-enable the display adapter.
Step 1: At first, you will need to disable and then enable your display adapter.
Step 2: Now you need to hold on to ‘Windows logo’ and press the ‘R’ key.
Step 3: Then you need to type ‘devmgmt.msc’ and press the ‘Enter’ key.
Step 4: Now you need to go to the ‘Display adapter’ and choose your graphic card there.
Step 5: Now you need to right-click on the graphic card and select the ‘Disable’ option.
Step 6: Again, right-click on the Graphics Card and select the ‘Enable’ option.
Step 7: Now you need to test your monitor, before which you need to restart your device.
After restarting your device, you will be able to project your screen on the second monitor.
Method 3: Reinstalling the monitors
Step 1: First, you need to hold the ‘Windows logo’ and press the ‘R’ key on your keyboard.
Step 2: Then you need to type ‘devmgmt.msc’ and press the ‘Enter’ key.
Step 3: Now you need to navigate to the ‘Monitors’ menu and choose your monitor from there.
Step 4: Next, you need to right-click on your monitor and choose the ‘Uninstall’ option.
Step 5: After this, you need to restart your computer.
Step 6: At last, you need to project your screen on the second monitor. That’s it.
Method 4: Rolling back the drivers to their previous version
In case you updated the driver for your graphic card and after that, the second monitor not detected in Windows 10, then you can roll back the driver of your graphic card.
Step 1: At first, on your keyboard, you need to press the ‘Windows logo’ key and the ‘R’ key together to start the ‘Run box’.
Step 2: Next, you need to type ‘devmgmt.msc’ and press the ‘Enter’ key.
Step 3: In the Display adapters section, you will need to right-click on your display device software, and then select the ‘Properties’ menu.
Step 4: Now you need to select the ‘Driver’ tab and click on the ‘Roll Back Driver’, then follow the on-screen instructions.
Step 5: Once completed, you will need to restart your computer and see if Windows can now detect your second monitor.
Please Note: If the ‘Roll Back Driver’ option is highlighted or grayed out, you will need to download a previous video driver for your video card and install it on your Windows 10.
Method 5: Updating the video driver
In case rolling back your video driver doesn’t enable Windows 10 to recognize your second monitor, then there are two ways you can use to get the right driver for your video card:
Manual driver update
The manual driver update system enables one to update your video driver manually by going to the manufacturer’s website and searching for the latest correct driver. Make sure that you choose a driver that is compatible with Windows 10.
Automatic driver update
In case you do not have the time, patience, or computer skills to update your video driver manually, you can do it automatically too with the help of ‘Driver Easy’. Driver Easy automatically recognizes your system and finds the required driver for your exact video card, downloads, and installs it correctly.
Method 6: Changing the project mode
Sometimes your second monitor might not detected due to the wrong-set project mode on your device.
You can change your project mode by the given two steps:
Step 1: First, on your keyboard, you need to hold down the ‘Windows logo’ key, then press the ‘P’ key.
Step 2: Now, you need to select the ‘Duplicate’ option if you want to display the same screen on your two monitors.
Please Note: You can select the ‘Extend’ option if you want to have access to extra space.
This was all about the issue of ‘The second monitor not detected’. We hope that one of these methods resolves your problem.
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