In any case, the advantages offered by this working modality They will also depend to a large extent on our imagination and needs. But something that we must take into account, as we mentioned before, is that here the cost of components is going to be somewhat higher, but perhaps on many occasions it is worth it.
Connect two monitors to Windows
Initially, any user can connect a second monitor to the computer. It does not matter if it is a new screen than an old one. The only drawback that we can find when doing this is that a second screen takes up a lot of space on the table or desk, it is something to take into account. A very important aspect when working from home is to keep a desk tidy and as minimalist as possible, something that, having two screens, is difficult to achieve.
If we do not have much space, it may be worth buying an ultra-wide monitor rather than a second monitor, since that extra screen will give us more order and space on the work table.
if we have a computer laptop, this will surely have a video output in the form of HDMI or USB-C. In this case, we can connect the second monitor to this video output. We won’t need more.
In case of having a tower computer, what we must take into account is that we need our graphics card to have at least two video outputs. If we are using the integrated graphics in the processor, the motherboard will only allow us to connect a screen.
If we have a graph with more than one video output, we must make sure that our second monitor has a connection (VGA, DVI, HDMI or DisplayPort) according to the video output of the graphic. If this is not the case, we can resort to adapters. But the most likely thing is that our graphics card has at least two HDMI. Therefore, we can connect the two screens without problems.
Quickly change screen mode
When we connect the second monitor to the computer for the first time, it will surely appear with the duplicate image. That is, we will see in the second the same thing that we do in the first. In some situations this can be useful, although in our case it is not.
We can easily change the operating mode of Windows 10 monitors with the keyboard shortcut Windows +P. When pressed, a drop-down like the following will appear on the right where you can choose the type of dual monitor configuration that we want to use:
The options that we find to choose from are:
- PC screen only: only shows the main screen, leaving the secondary one off.
- Duplicate: shows the same on both screens.
- Enlarge: allows you to extend the desktop to the second monitor, having twice the space.
- Second screen only: Allows you to turn off the main screen and show only the second one.
In Windows 11 we will find the same options as in its predecessor. But, yes, the drop-down is much more careful and refined.
The most useful option is to expand, since it is the one that allows us to make the most of the two monitors.
Dual Monitor Keyboard Shortcuts
In addition to the shortcut that we have just seen in the previous point, Windows + P, when working with two or more monitors we can make use of other very useful keyboard shortcuts that will help us better place the windows where we want.
For example, we can move windows from one monitor to another using the simple shortcut Windows+Shift, along with the right or left arrows (depending on where we want to move it). In this way, the shortcut “Windows + Shift + Right” will move the selected window to the screen that is to the right of the main one, while “Windows + Shift + Left” will move it to the one to the left.
Other very useful keyboard shortcuts that we are going to find are the following:
- Windows+Home: Empty all the monitors except the one that we have active at that moment.
- windows + space: All windows on all screens are made transparent to see the background.
- Windows + Up: Maximize all windows.
- Windows + Down: Minimize all windows, or restore the window that is maximized.
In addition, we can also select any window, and anchor it to one side of the main monitor instead of passing it to the next one using the Windows key, next to the left or right arrows.
Set up two independent displays
Although at first we do not have to do anything to be able to use the two screens in windows 10, some settings may help us make the most of this new way of working.
The first thing is that Windows allows us to order the workspace as best suits us. This is useful if when we place one of the screens on the left it appears placed on the right, which can be chaotic. If we enter the menu Settings > System > Display We are going to see the monitors that we have connected to the PC. We can drag and drop them in the same way that we actually have them placed. So the screen on the left will be the one on the left, and the one on the right will be the one on the right.
It is also essential adjust scale and resolution of the two monitors. We can do this from the same section of “Settings> System> Screen, selecting the monitor we want in the section to order the monitors and looking below, we can choose the scale and distribution for each of the monitors.
Although they are not essential, there are other settings that could help us feel more comfortable. For example, we can adjust the frequency (Hz) of each screen, set a different wallpaper for each desktop, and even choose whether we want the taskbar to appear on both monitors or only on the main one.
Do you have a tablet? Use it as a second monitor
A second monitor takes up space, and it’s expensive. Therefore, there are many users who cannot afford to place it in their workspace to get the most out of it. However, it is very likely that we have a tablet at home. And it could not even serve with the mobile, although the size of the screen makes it not worth it.
SpaceDesk
Thanks to we are going to be able to turn any tablet into a second screen to use it, literally, as if it were connected to the PC. Best of all, with the Windows client, we can even use it wirelessly. A great option to have a second monitor that will get us out of trouble.
duet display
Another interesting option to use an iPad or Android tablet as a second screen and that also allows us to interact with it is DuetDisplay. DuetDisplay is an application that allows us to display a Windows desktop on the screen of a tablet since Windows considers it as if it were another monitor. If we want the latency to be as low as possible, we can use a cable instead of the Wi-Fi connection, especially if the device does not support 5 GHz networks.
This application is compatible with Windows (from version 10 and with macOS) as well as with iOS and Android devices and we can access it from its website. To be able to use all the functions that Duet Display puts at our disposal, it is necessary, yes or yes, to pay a subscription, but not without first testing the operation of this application for a week completely free of charge.
splash top
It is one more option that we can use to use our Android or iPad tablet as a second screen on our PC. To do so, as in the solutions that we have shown you above, it is only necessary to download and install the corresponding application for Windows and for Android or iPadOS, an application that we can download completely free of charge.
Once installed, we must create an account that we must enter in all the devices that we want them to work together. Both devices must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network, so we must make sure that the tablet is not using mobile data if it had it. Next, we establish an access password to use the tablet as a second screen and we can start using our tablet as a second screen, both to duplicate the content and to expand it.
Virtual desktops: a free alternative
Microsoft introduced in Windows 10 a feature called “virtual desktops«, and in Windows 11 it is still present. This function allows us to have several virtual desktops, dedicating each one to a specific type of task. Thanks to them we can easily organize our applications and our work. Although it is true that they cannot replace a second monitor, using the different keyboard shortcuts available, we can switch between the different desktops very quickly and easily without really needing a second monitor.
If we really need a second monitor, it will be because we need to see the content that is displayed on both screens together, so, unless we have photographic memory, switching between the different virtual Windows desktops will not be of much use to us. aid. If the work space that we have is very small and a second monitor does not fit, not even doing an engineering work, we can choose to use a TV at home sporadically, or use a tablet that we do not use as we have told you. explained above.
Facebook Comments
Disqus