How to Run Dual Monitors with One HDMI Port

So you’ve finally decided to take the plunge and want to know how to run dual monitors with one HDMI port. This will help you enhance your work performance, as you would have a bigger workspace.

You might have already seen IT people in rapid action mode, moving from one monitor to another. For most people, this would be a sight of intimidation because they would consider it to be something unachievable. 

But, interestingly, having multiple monitors at your disposal can increase your productivity up to 50%. Hence, you are not doing it wrong if your workstation looks like it belongs to an international most-wanted hacker. 

Now that you know how productive you can become owning multiple monitors, you shouldn’t waste your time maximizing and minimizing windows on the same screen. We will help you set up dual displays in a hassle-free manner.

Why Use Dual Monitors?

Whether you are a workaholic or a competitive gamer, there are many benefits that you can avail of from dual monitors. Some of those advantages are:

• Office Work: Dual monitors will help you operate your computer more smartly. With the additional screen space, you can schedule your virtual meetings on one screen and manage your workflow on another.
• Students: Now, you can shorten your study time because you would not be doing all the tasks on only one screen. You can open eBooks on one screen and take important notes from them on the other.
• Gaming: Multiple monitors also come as a boon for gamers. Now, you can open the game map or voice chat window on one screen while continuing with your gameplay on the other screen. You can also enjoy a panoramic view by stretching your game’s display across multiple monitors. This will help you add a real-life motion visual experience in various games. 

It’s fairly easy to set up a second monitor. Once you get accustomed to using dual monitors, it will be hard for you to go back.

Initial Prep To Connect Two Monitors To A Laptop

Some initial preps before you start the dual monitor setup are mentioned below:

Confirm Your Graphics Card Supports Dual Displays

Before inspecting plug-in ports, you need to check out whether your graphics card supports dual displays. For that, you will need to know about the brand name and model number of your graphics card. 

1. First, turn on your laptop/PC and right-click on the Windows start button. 
2. Then go to the ‘Device Manager’ tab
3. After that, right-click on the ‘Display Adapters’ bar
4. In the drop-down result, you will be able to view the name of your graphics card
5. Now that you have figured out the type of graphic card your system is operating, you need to know whether it supports dual display. Look it up on Google to see whether your graphics card supports multi-monitor display. 

Check The Ports Available on Your Laptop

Instead of directly inserting the HDMI cables into the empty holes located on the sides of your laptop, you should pause and see whether it has an HDMI port. If your laptop is not more than a decade old, then you are likely going to find an HDMI port. Many newbies confuse a DisplayPort with an HDMI port because they look a lot like each other. So, make sure it is an actual HDMI port. 

Some common ports that you are going to find include:

• HDMI 
• VGA
• Display Port
• USB-C
• DVI

It would be convenient if your laptop has an HDMI port; otherwise, you’ll have to get an adapter to convert your ports to HDMI ports. Since you want to connect your dual monitors with your laptop, it would be better if all of your devices support an HDMI interface. This way, you will not have to waste your time and money to fetch adapters that can be synchronized with your cables.

Multiple HDMI Port Hacks

Now you know that you are supposed to have HDMI ports in all of the three devices for proper dual connection. What will you do if you find an HDMI port in only one of the devices? Or if the HDMI ports in your devices are faulty at the moment? Luckily, there are three hacks that you can try out to solve this HDMI ports crisis.

1. Adapters

You are well aware of the fact that your laptop only has a single HDMI interface at the moment. To have another HDMI interface, you just need to convert an existing port into an HDMI input with the help of an adapter. 
Let’s support your current laptop has one HDMI input port and one VGA input port. All you need to do is somehow convert your existing VGA input port into an HDMI port. You can do this with the help of a VGA to HDMI adapter to end up with two HDMI ports.

2. Switch Splitter

You can end your HDMI ports crisis with the help of a switch splitter. This device helps you attain two HDMI interfaces from a single outlet. 

Hence, you no more have to worry about having only one operational HDMI input port in your laptop. You can easily get two new HDMI interfaces by connecting a switch splitter to your laptop’s port. 

3. Docking Station

Docking stations provide you with the convenience of having multiple types of ports in a single place. With the help of this port replicator, not only would you be able to have a dual monitor setup but also many other types of cable connection options.

Steps to Run Dual Monitors with One HDMI Port

Now you have the liberty to choose from a wide variety of port options to set up your dual monitor connection. You can use one HDMI port of your laptop and the other provided by the docking station. Or, if your docking station has multiple outlets, then you can use both the HDMI ports located in it. Now, let’s go through the steps you need to take to run your dual monitors with one HDMI port.

• First switch on your laptop or desktop to get things started. Make sure that you now have two operational HDMI cables.
  
• After that, use any of the above-mentioned tricks for converting one HDMI interface into two. Now, you are able to establish a physical connection between your laptop with both the monitors.
  
• Go to the home screen of your laptop and right-click the mouse button. If your laptop is powered by Windows 10, then go to “Display Settings”. On the other hand, if you are using Windows 7 or 8, then you need to click on the “Screen Resolution” option.
  
• When you enter into the display settings, you will notice that there are three separate display options: 1, 2, and 3. Over there, your laptop’s display is denoted by “1”, while “2” and “3” are for external monitor displays.
  
• Now, go to display number 2, locate the “Multiple displays” setting, select “Extend desktop to this display” and right-click on “Apply”
  
• Follow the same procedure for display labeled 3.
  
• To make final changes in the display mode, right-click the “OK” option. Now, you will be able to run dual monitors connected with your PC or laptop. 
  
• You can perform a similar technique if you want to add more monitors to your workspace.

How to Run Dual Monitors with One HDMI Port: Final Words

We hope that now you know how to run dual monitors with one HDMI port. By connecting dual monitors to your computer, you will be able to unlock the hidden potential of your productivity and overall performance. 

Not every one of us is lucky enough to have two HDMI ports in our laptops. Even if you have a newer laptop, you might only have one HDMI input port. Nevertheless, by going through our step-by-step guide you will realize that setting up your dream workstation is not that far-fetched and that too, with just one HDMI interface!