How to Fix When Second Monitor Is Not Detected

A second monitor provides a simple and convenient way to improve productivity or enhance your gaming experience. Not only that, but it also gives you a bigger canvas that acts as an additional workspace for general multitasking. Connecting your second PC monitor is usually a plug-and-play process, but in some cases, Windows 10 may not be able to detect the monitor. There are some root causes of this problem, such as a damaged or faulty cable, your PC does not support the second screen, you have an outdated driver, or the display driver cannot handle the second screen. If your second monitor is not detected, use this guide to troubleshoot and resolve problems with your monitor.

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Fix Second Monitor is not Detected in Windows 10

You can start with the following basic troubleshooting tips. Before you delve into other issues, this may solve your problem of the second monitor not being detected.

• Confirm that you are using the correct cable to connect your PC and the second monitor. If the cable is damaged or faulty, Windows will not detect the second monitor. If you change the cable and the new cable works with your display setup, it means the old one is bad.
• Disconnect any accessories such as connected adapters, dongles, or docking stations that could be causing a hardware conflict between your PC and the second monitor.
• Try using a second PC monitor with a different system to determine whether the problem is with the primary system or monitor.
• Check if the second monitor is connected to a power source. Some monitors have a switch on the back to turn on the screen.
• Make sure the correct input (HDMI, DVI, etc.) is selected using the built-in controls on your monitor.
• To check if the problem is with the graphics card, connect to another working monitor.
• You may need to update the firmware of the display being set up as a second monitor to resolve compatibility issues or bugs. You can do this by visiting the monitor manufacturer’s website and checking the support page for how to apply the latest firmware update.

Restart Your PC

Restarting your computer works effectively for many issues, including when your second monitor is not detected. A restart closes all other running processes that may be interfering with the connection between your PC and the second monitor.

• To restart your PC, click Start > Power > Restart.

Force Windows 10 to Detect Second PC Monitor

If there is no physical connection issue with your PC and the second monitor, you can use the Settings app to locate the second display.

• Open Settings > System.
• Click on Show.
• Go to the Rearrange Your Displays section and click Detect.

Connect Wireless Display

If your physical connection (via cable) doesn’t help Windows 10 detect the second monitor, try connecting a wireless display instead.

• Open Settings > Devices.
• Click on Bluetooth & other devices.
• Select Add Bluetooth and other devices.
• Click Display or Wireless Dock.

Check that Wireless Display is on and discoverable. Select Display from the list, then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup.

Check Your Display Adapter

If you can connect an external monitor, but the second monitor is not detected, your graphics card (also known as a graphics card) may not be able to support multiple monitors at the same time. In this case, a display splitter won’t help you extend your display to a second monitor, as it duplicates the same signal instead of creating two independent signals.

If your PC only has one video output port, it means you can only support one external monitor. To support multiple monitors, you’ll need an additional video output port or a USB adapter for the docking station.

Update, Reinstall or Reinstall Graphics Driver

A buggy, outdated or corrupt graphics driver can be one of the main reasons Windows 10 will not detect your second PC monitor.

To resolve this issue, you can update, reinstall, or roll back the driver to a previous version to fix and restore the connection between your computer and the second monitor.

How to Update Graphics Driver

• To update a graphics driver, right-click Start > Device Manager, then click on it to expand the graphics card category.
• Right-click on your graphics card (Graphics Card) and select Update Driver.
• Click Check automatically for updated driver software, and then restart your computer.

If a new driver is found, Windows Update will automatically download and install the update. Check if the second monitor is detected after updating the driver.

Reinstall Graphics Driver

• Right-click on Start > Device Manager > Graphics Card. Right-click your computer’s graphics card, and then click Uninstall device.
• Clear the Remove driver software for this device check box, and then click Uninstall.
• Restart your PC and come back to Device Manager. Find and right-click the name of your PC under Computer. Click Check for hardware changes.

At startup, Windows will attempt to reinstall the graphics driver automatically, after which you can try to connect to the second monitor again.

Reinstall Graphics Driver

A driver update may be preventing Windows 10 from detecting your second monitor. If this happens, you can roll back to the previous graphics driver to resolve the issue.

• Right-click Start > Device Manager and double-click the Graphics card category to expand it. Right-click your computer’s graphics card and click Properties.
• Click on the Driver tab.
• Click Reinstall Driver. If the Restore Driver button is not available (grayed out), you cannot restore the driver. However, you should be able to find an older version of the driver on your device manufacturer’s support website.

If the Driver Restore button is available, click Yes, and then restart your computer.

Conclusion

If you have used any of the above fixes and Windows is now able to detect your second monitor, do let us know in the comments section. Please share with other the post.