In an age where we have big monitors and even bigger TVs that can connect to your laptop in all kinds of ways, it seems like a waste not to use them to extend your laptop display. Here we show you how to connect your laptop to an external TV or monitor.
HDMI (most obvious)
The most common way to connect a laptop, even remotely, to a modern TV, even a remote one, is through an HDMI cable. Don’t mess with some weird gold plated connectors or something like that. If you’re just looking to output HD resolution, any HDMI cable will do, but there are a few more things you can take into account when looking at HDMI cables.
Once your laptop is connected to your monitor, in Windows 10 you can use the keyboard shortcut To win + P to select your second screen.
In macOS, tap CMD + F2 to mirror your screens. You can also press Option + F2 to bring up the display options.
HDMI 2.0 and HDR
HDR, or high dynamic range, is a development in screen technology that offers brighter reflections, higher contrast, and a wider color gamut.
If your laptop has a GPU inside that supports HDR and your monitor or TV also supports HDR (most 4K displays do, but 1080p ones not), then with an HDMI cable, you You may be able to use HDR mode once your laptop is connected to your display. However, there are a few things to consider:
- Purchase an HDMI 2.0 or HDMI 2.1 cable, which will be capable of running 4K resolution at 60Hz with HDR enabled. Ordinary cables (HDMI 1.4) will only output 4K at 30Hz.
- Make sure you plug the HDMI 2.0 cable into an HDR compatible port on your TV. It should be labeled as such.
Once you have connected your laptop to your monitor or to your TV’s HDR compatible HDMI port, you may need to enable HDR signal using your TV remote control and also enable HDR mode in Windows 10 .
To do this, go to “Display settings -> Windows HD Color”. Select the HDR compatible display under “Choose display”, then click “Use HDR”.
Connect laptop to monitor or TV wirelessly
You probably already know the joys of streaming from your laptop to your TV, and if you don’t have a smart TV, there are several affordable devices that make your TV smart, allowing you to mirror your screen. laptop on your TV. (For more, read our Fire Stick vs. Roku Stick vs. Chromecast.) In almost all cases, your laptop and TV or streaming device will need to be on the same Wi-Fi network to connect to each other.
Once you’ve connected one of these devices (or if you have a TV with built-in streaming, like an Android TV with Chromecast built-in), you can use a browser like Chrome or Edge to cast your browser or all of it. your office.
In Chrome, click the three-dot menu icon at the top right -> Cast, then select what you want to cast.
In Edge, click on the three-dot menu icon -> More tools -> Stream media to device
Screen mirror
Some smart TVs will have a “screen mirroring” option that you can use (which Android TVs have in Google Cast options). You should be able to access this setting using your TV remote control. (On Samsung smart TVs, for example, you’ll find it under Sources.)
Miracast
If your TV or monitor is Miracast compatible, it should be fairly easy to connect it to a laptop running Windows 10, make sure your laptop and TV are on and connected to Wi-Fi, then click the button to notification The lower right corner.
After that, click on “Project -> Connect to Wireless Display” and then wait for your Miracast compatible display to appear as an option.
This pretty much covers everything for connecting your laptop to a monitor or TV. For more TV-related tips, check out our guide on how to resolve overscan when using your TV as a monitor. Or if you’re looking for more tech, check out how to install Android TV on Raspberry Pi.
Related:
Content Manager at Make Tech Easier. Enjoy Android, Windows, and tinker with retro console emulation to the breaking point.
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