Video:How to Setup Dual Monitors on PCs or Macs

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Transcript:How to Setup Dual Monitors on PCs or Macs

Hi, I’m Shane Murphy, your technology Guru for About.com. Today we’ll discuss how to correctly set up dual monitors on your Windows or Mac machines.

Regardless of which version of Windows or Mac OSX you’re running, connecting a second monitor is relatively painless way to reuse your old display and increase virtual work space.

Hardware You'll Need

First, you’ll need to make sure that you have compatible connections between your monitor and the output on your machine.

If you’re using a windows machine, you’re most common port will be the VGA, although newer machines may have HDMI. If you’re using a Mac desktop you’ll have a DVI out; if it’s a notebook it’s likely to be a mini DisplayPort. Ensuring that you are using compatible displays and cables is obviously essential to making two monitors work.

If you do have a monitor and computer with incompatible ports, you can solve your problem by purchasing the correct adapter. Virtually every combination exists and they are usually less than 15 dollars.

Dual Monitors on Windows

Upon connecting your additional monitor to your window’s machine, it should automatically start displaying.

Whether it does or not, right click your desktop and go down to “Personalize”. From here, go down to “Display Settings”. Click “Identify Monitors” in the top right; this should enable your monitor if it wasn’t displaying before.

In this window you can also customize a variety of settings for your displays, including resolution, color information, and what part of your display each monitor is showing.

Dual Monitors on Macs

For Macs, your monitor should also automatically display as soon as you connect it.

If not, click the Mac icon, then go to “System Preferences”. Click on “Displays” under the “Hardware” section. If your other monitor isn’t displaying anything, click “Detect Displays”.

You should see your preferences window on each monitor. Adjusting the preferences in each window will affect just that monitor. Use this to adjust screen resolution, brightness, and monitor arrangement.

Trouble Shooting Problems

If you’re still having problems connecting your display for either Windows or Mac, consult the manual that came with your monitor or your manufacturer’s service line.

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