{"id":166,"date":"2025-03-15T08:07:14","date_gmt":"2025-03-15T08:07:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/a.flowindsurfing.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/11\/how-to-use-a-laptop-as-a-monitor\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T11:39:38","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T11:39:38","slug":"how-to-use-a-laptop-as-a-monitor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/piikla.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/15\/how-to-use-a-laptop-as-a-monitor\/","title":{"rendered":"How to use a laptop as a monitor"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Having a second monitor can go a long way in boosting your productivity, as it allows you to view multiple apps and windows simultaneously without having to click through numerous tabs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Luckily you don\u2019t need to invest in a dedicated extra monitor, instead you can just repurpose an extra Windows laptop. Although it is super quick and easy to do this, it\u2019s not just a case of plugging in a cable and does require some setup.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With this in mind, we\u2019ve created a step by step guide to show you how to use a laptop as a second monitor. While there are a few different ways to do this, including using an HDMI cable or Bluetooth to connect the two devices, we\u2019ll be demonstrating with a USB-C to USB-C cable.<\/p>\n

Read on to learn how easy it is to use a laptop as a second monitor.<\/p>\n

What you\u2019ll need<\/h2>\n
    \n
  • Windows 11 laptop with USB-C connection<\/li>\n
  • A USB-C to USB-C cable<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The Short Version<\/h2>\n
      \n
    1. Connect the USB-C to the first laptop\/PC<\/li>\n
    2. Connect the USB-C to the second laptop <\/li>\n
    3. Press the Windows key on the main laptop\/PC<\/li>\n
    4. Type in Display <\/li>\n
    5. Click on \u2018Duplicate or extend to a connected display\u2019<\/li>\n
    6. Click on the \u2018Duplicate these displays\u2019 button<\/li>\n
    7. Click Extend these displays <\/li>\n
    8. Press Keep changes <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n
      \n Advertisement <\/div>\n
      <\/div>\n<\/section>\n
      <\/section>\n
      \n
        \n
      1. \n
        \n

        Step 1.<\/h3>\n

        Connect the USB-C to the first laptop<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

        \"\"<\/p>\n

        Plug in your USB-C cable into the USB-C port of your PC\/laptop. It should look like an oval connection on the side of your computer. <\/p>\n

        If your device doesn\u2019t have a USB-C connector, it\u2019s also possible to use HDMI or Bluetooth instead. It really just depends on what device you have.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

      2. \n
        \n

        Step 2.<\/h3>\n

        Connect the USB-C to the second laptop<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

        \"\"<\/p>\n

        Once you have connected the USB-C cable to the first laptop, connect the other end to the second laptop. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n

      3. \n
        \n

        Step 3.<\/h3>\n

        Press the Windows key on the main laptop\/PC<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

        \"\"<\/p>\n

        Click on the Windows key on the keyboard of the primary laptop\/PC. It should look like a square block divided into quarters. It\u2019s usually found to the left side of the keyboard\u2019s spacebar. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n

      4. \n
        \n

        Step 4.<\/h3>\n

        Type in Display<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

        \"\"<\/p>\n

        Type the word Display into the Windows search bar. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n

      5. \n
        \n

        Step 5.<\/h3>\n

        Click on \u2018Duplicate or extend to a connected display\u2019<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

        \"\"<\/p>\n

        Out of all the options available, click on the button that says Duplicate or extend to a connected display. If this option does not appear for you, you can click on the general Display settings and find this option there. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n

      6. \n
        \n

        Step 6.<\/h3>\n

        Click on the \u2018Duplicate these displays\u2019 button<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

        \"\"<\/p>\n

        Once you are in the Display settings you should see a large blue box that shows that your displays are connected. If your screen does not show that your display is connected, you may need to go back to Steps One and Two and ensure that your connection is working for your laptops. <\/p>\n

        If they are, select the Duplicate these displays button, found on the right-hand side, under the blue rectangle.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

      7. \n
        \n

        Step 7.<\/h3>\n

        Click Extend these displays <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

        \"\"<\/p>\n

        Out of the options presented from the drop-down menu, click on the option that says Extend these displays. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n

      8. \n
        \n

        Step 8.<\/h3>\n

        Press Keep changes<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

        \"\"<\/p>\n

        Once clicked your screen may go black for a second. Once it returns there will be a pop-up message. Click on the option that says Keep changes to keep the screens extended. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

        \n
        I don\u2019t have a USB-C port in one or either of my devices. How can I use a laptop as a monitor?<\/strong> <\/p>\n

        Check which ports and options are available on both your laptops. In lieu of a USB-C port, you may have an HDMI or even an older USB-A port, which means you\u2019ll need the corresponding cable, such as a HDMI to USB-C or HDMI to USB-A instead.
        You should also check whether your devices have Bluetooth, as this means you\u2019ll be able to wirelessly connect your screens together. To check, visit your Device Manager and scroll through the devices until you see Bluetooth listed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

        How can I tell which ports I have on my laptops?<\/strong> <\/p>\n

        A USB-C port has an oval design with more rounded edges than the rectangular USB-A port. USB-C ports are also smaller too and more compact. There\u2019s also the HDMI port which is a trapezium shape.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

        \n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Having a second monitor can go a long way in boosting your productivity, as it allows you to view multiple apps and windows simultaneously without having to click through numerous tabs. Luckily you don\u2019t need to invest in a dedicated extra monitor, instead you can just repurpose an extra Windows laptop. Although it is super […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":168,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-computing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/piikla.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/piikla.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/piikla.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/piikla.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/piikla.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/piikla.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":358,"href":"https:\/\/piikla.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166\/revisions\/358"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/piikla.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/piikla.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/piikla.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/piikla.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}