Here are some benefits of having dual displays

Q: What’s involved in using multiple monitors with my Windows 11 laptop?

A: If you have never experienced the delight of dual displays, you’ll find it to be a game changer from a productivity standpoint.

Whether you have a laptop or desktop computer, it provides the ability to display different applications on different screens eliminating the need to minimize one application to see another.

If you’re on your computer all day long, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it once you start using the additional working space.

Benefits of Dual Displays

If you’re constantly copying and pasting information between two applications, such as a web page and a spreadsheet, it’s a huge time saver. Instead of copy/paste, it becomes drag and drop between applications because they are both displayed.

If your life revolves around email, having your Inbox on its own screen allows you to quickly glance at incoming messages without having to switch from your primary application.

If you use a number of different programs throughout the day, the additional screen real estate allows for multiple programs to be in resized on the additional monitor while your primary application is full screen on the primary monitor.

If you spend a lot of time on video conferencing calls, having the additional screen allows you to display the conference in a full screen while your meeting notes, etc. are available on the second screen.

Data comparison tasks from multiple sources become another huge advantage and if you live in spreadsheets, having the extra space to stretch a single sheet across multiple displays or having two large spreadsheets open is very helpful.

What’s Needed

If you have a laptop running Windows 11, it will have some form of video output port (HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C, Mini DisplayPort). If you’re not sure which port you have, check with the support page for your laptop and search for ‘video output’ to know which type of port you have.

This is important because you’ll need to know what type of cable or adapters will be necessary to make the connection with your external monitor. If you’re buying a new monitor, it will likely have the cable you need included, but if you’re trying to make use of an older display, you may need a different cable or an adapter.

Getting Started

Once you’ve connected the external display to your laptop, it should automatically be detected by Windows.

Press the Windows logo key + P to bring up your display options, which include PC screen only, Duplicate, Extend. and Second screen only.

The ‘Extend’ option is what allows you to maximize your desktop space, while ‘Duplicate’ would be used if you were doing a presentation via an additional screen or projector.

Use Your iPad as a Second Display

If you own an iPad, it can also be used as a second display for your laptop, which is very useful for road warriors.

A popular app for connecting an iPad to a Windows computer is called Duet Air but it will become an annual expense ($4 a month).

Duet does offer a 1-week trial to see if it works for your needs before you commit to it.