How do I connect two monitors to a laptop?

Last checked November 14, 2026

Short answer

If the laptop has an HDMI port and a USB-C port that carries video, use both: an HDMI cable for one screen and a USB-C to HDMI adapter for the other. With only one usable port, you need a dual-screen adapter or a dock. Macs with a base chip need a DisplayLink dock.

Find your port, get the right part

Look at the side or back of your device and pick the one that matches.

If you have: An HDMI port and a USB-C port with video

The simplest setup: one screen on each port

ComputerUSB-C
adapter
TVHDMI

USB-C to HDMI adapter

Plug the first monitor into HDMI with a normal cable, and the second into USB-C with this adapter.

See the Belkin USB-C to HDMI + Charge Adapter (4K) on Amazon

If you have: Windows laptop with one USB-C video port

USB-C with a screen or lightning-bolt symbol

ComputerUSB-C
adapter
2 monitorsHDMI

USB-C dual HDMI adapter

It splits one video-capable USB-C port into two HDMI screens with no driver.

See options on Amazon

If you have: MacBook with M1, M2 or another base chip

Base-chip Macs drive only one or two screens by themselves

ComputerUSB-C
adapter
2 monitorsHDMI

USB-C dual HDMI dock

It drives two HDMI screens over one USB-C connection, and shows a different picture on each, including on a Mac.

See the Belkin DisplayLink Dual Display Dock on Amazon

If you have: Only USB-A ports

No video port at all

ComputerUSB-A
adapter
2 monitorsHDMI

USB to dual HDMI adapter

USB-A has no video of its own, so this adapter adds two HDMI screens over one USB port.

See options on Amazon

How to connect it

  1. Find your setup in the list and get the matching part.
  2. Connect each monitor, and plug in the dock or adapter's power if it has its own.
  3. If you use a DisplayLink dock, install the free DisplayLink driver when asked.
  4. On Windows, open Settings, then System, then Display, choose Extend these displays, and drag the screens to match your desk.
  5. On a Mac, open System Settings, then Displays, and arrange the screens.

Check this first

  • On a Mac, one USB-C port cannot be split into two separate screens with a plain adapter. MacBooks with a base M1 or M2 chip support only one external screen even with a regular dock, so check Apple's specs for your model.
  • Two screens on one USB-C port share it, so a typical laptop manages about two 1080p screens at 60 Hz, or two 4K screens at 30 Hz.
  • Streaming apps such as Netflix often will not play on a screen driven by a DisplayLink dock.

Questions people ask

Why does my second monitor show the same picture?

The laptop is mirroring. On Windows press the Windows key and P and choose Extend. On a Mac, untick Mirror in Displays. On a Mac with a plain dual-HDMI adapter, the screens can only mirror; a DisplayLink dock fixes that.

Windows does not detect my second monitor. What can I try?

Check the monitor is on and set to the right input, then open Settings, System, Display and click Detect. Try another cable or port, and update the graphics driver. On USB-C, make sure the port carries video.

Not sure which port you have?

Take a photo of it, or tap through the finder, and we will tell you.

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