Windows 10 makes it easy to connect a secondary monitor to your setup to boost productivity. However, sometimes your system may fail to detect the second monitor due to hardware or software reasons.
Fortunately, troubleshooting this problem is easy. Let's explore the multiple ways to help you troubleshoot external monitor connection issues in Windows 10.
Basic Troubleshooting Tips to Fix When the Secondary Monitor Is Not Detected
More often than not, it's the basic things that prevent your PC from detecting a secondary monitor. So before we delve into the more technical troubleshooting aspects of this guide, follow these tips to see if you have done the basics right.
- Perform a quick system restart to fix issues occurring due to temporary glitches.
- Click on the Action Center at the bottom right, then click on Project and ensure you have selected, Duplicate, or Extend.
- Check if your monitor is connected to a power source and turned on. The power button is usually located on the bottom right-hand side.
- Make sure the cable is connected firmly on both ends. You may also want to disconnect the HDMI or DisplayPort cable, wait for a few seconds, and reconnect.
- Check your signal cable for wear and tear. You may also want to check the Display or HDMI port for any issues.
- Change and connect to a different input/output port if your system has multiple ports available.
- Connect your monitor to another computer to determine if the issue is with your computer or monitor.
If you have followed all the steps and still the secondary monitor is not working, follow the additional steps outlined below.
1. Configure the Multiple Display Settings in Windows 10
Windows 10 can automatically detect all the displays connected to your system. However, you have to activate the displays manually from settings.
As discussed in the basic troubleshooting part, click on Project in the action center and select the Extend or Duplicate option to activate your secondary display.
Alternatively, go to Settings > System > Display. Scroll down to the multiple displays section, click the drop-down menu and select the Duplicate or Extend option.
If it is already set to Extend or Duplicate, change the settings to something else and then revert the changes to see if that helps.
2. Force Detect Older Displays
Older displays are not always good with the auto-detection feature. Fortunately, Microsoft offers a force detect feature in Windows 10 to help you find and activate connected displays.
To force detect multiple displays:
- Press Win + I to open Settings.
- Open System and then click on the Display tab in the left pane.
- Scroll down to the multiple displays section and click the Detect button.
- Windows will scan for any connected but undetected display and show it under the Display section.
Once detected, make sure the Multiple display drop-down is set to Extend these displays or Duplicate these displays. If you set it to Show only on 2 or Show only on 1, only one of your displays will be active.
If you see a message that reads "Didn’t detect another display," move on to the next step.
3. Scan for Hardware Changes in Device Manager
Windows 10 often automatically detects and installs drivers for a newly installed device. However, if, for some reason, the detection fails, you can manually scan for installed devices in the Device Manager.
To scan for hardware changes:
- Press Win + R to open Run.
- Type devmgmt.msc in the Run box and click OK.
- In Device Manager, click on Action and select Scan for hardware changes.
Windows will scan your system for connected devices and install the necessary drivers. Once done, your secondary monitor will detect and work without any issues.
4. Update Display Adapter Driver
Your system may fail to detect the second monitor if you run an outdated version of the display adapter drivers.
New and OS upgraded computers come with a generic display adapter. This is a temporary setup to allow you to install the pending driver updates after setting up your PC.
To get necessary updates, go to Settings > Updates & Security > Windows Update. Download and install all the pending Windows and third-party updates. You can also update display drivers from the Device Manager.
To update display adapter driver:
- Type device manager in the Windows search bar and open the app.
- In the Device Manager, expand the Display adapters section.
- Depending on the processor and GPU you are using, you may see multiple options—Intel UHD Graphics, AMD Radeon Graphics, and Nvidia RTX/GTX graphics.
- Right-click on the available display adapter and choose Update driver.
- Click on Search automatically for driver. Windows will scan for pending driver updates and prompt you to install them.
- Repeat the steps for other device entries under the Display adapters section.
- Reboot the computer to apply the changes and check for any improvements.
If Windows didn’t find any updates via the Device Manager, there are other ways to update your graphic driver/display adapter in Windows 10. Make sure to follow the guide and install the latest graphics drivers available for your system.
How to Reinstall Display Adapter Drivers on Windows 10
If updating the graphics drivers did not help, you can reinstall the display adapter to fix the issue. Here’s how to do it.
- Open Device Manager and expand the Display adapters section.
- Right-click on your display adapter and select Uninstall device.
- Click on Uninstall. Click Yes to confirm the action if prompted by UAC.
- Restart your computer and check if Windows automatically detects the monitor.
- If not, open Device Manager, click on Action, and select Scan for hardware changes. Then, follow on-screen instructions to complete the installation, if applicable.
How to Rollback Graphics Driver on Windows 10
Newer updates bring bug fixes and performance improvements. However, installing glitchy graphics updates can mess up your system’s display functionality. If you determine the problem appeared after installing an update, try performing a driver rollback.
To rollback graphics driver update:
- In Device Manager, right-click on your display adapter.
- Select Properties.
- In the Properties window, open the Driver tab.
- Click on the Roll Back Driver button and follow on-screen instructions to complete the rollback. If the rollback driver option is grayed out, download and install the previous version of the graphics driver to perform a manual rollback.
5. Enable Activate All Display in the Nvidia Control Panel
Incorrect 3D settings of your Nvidia graphics card can prevent your Windows PC from detecting the secondary monitor. Fortunately, you can resolve this issue by changing the SLI configuration and enabling Activate all displays.
To activate all displays:
- Right-click on your desktop and click on NVIDIA Control Panel.
- In the Nvidia Control Panel, expand the 3D Settings section and select Configure SLI, Surround and PhysX.
- Under SLI configuration, select Activate all displays.
- Click Apply and OK to save the changes.
6. Set up Eyefinity on AMD Radeon Software
Like Nvidia, AMD’s proprietary software allows you to configure and control the video, display, and graphics settings. If your system is running an AMD discrete graphics card, perform a quick setup for the Eyefinity feature to activate all displays.
To set up AMD Eyefinity:
- Right-click on the Desktop and select AMD Radeon Software.
- Open Settings (Gear icon).
- Open the Display tab and locate the AMD Eyefinity option.
- Click on the Quick setup option and follow on-screen instructions to complete the process.
- Once done, you should have all the monitors up and running.
Troubleshooting the Secondary Monitor Not Detected Issue
Microsoft Windows offers plug-and-play support to set up and work with multiple monitors. However, if you find the secondary monitor is not working, make sure you have activated it in the Multiple displays section. Missing or outdated display adapter drivers are also a common cause of display-related issues and can be resolved easily.
Additionally, check the AMD Radeon Software and NVIDIA Control Panel display properties to enable all connected displays.