How to Connect a Laptop Screen as External Monitor in Windows 10

Windows 10 has a built-in feature that allows you to connect a spare laptop screen as a second monitor. The projected display can be wirelessly controlled from a primary laptop as a duplicate or extended screen. This is helpful to enhance your viewing experience or when additional displays are needed, but you don’t have multiple monitors.

While there are advanced tools, such as Miracast-compatible laptop devices, you can achieve the same connectivity using a simple Bluetooth pairing between the two Windows 10 laptops.

Initial Setup of the Laptop Screens

The connectivity between the two laptop screens is launched through a feature on the Start menu: “project to a second screen.” It also gives you the options to adjust the additional settings.

For example, you can select “Bluetooth and Other Devices Settings” to ensure that the Bluetooth functionality is on for both laptops. Go to “More Bluetooth Options” on the right and check whether the other Bluetooth devices will be able to see the name of your PC.

Also from the Start menu, go to “Projection Settings.” You need to ensure that both the primary and secondary laptop device are available everywhere on secure networks. You can mandate PIN for pairing to ensure that no unsecure device latches on to your Bluetooth network. It is useful to have a notification alert every time a connection is requested on the PC.

Go to “Display Settings” to ensure the primary and secondary screens have similar resolutions for best compatibility.

You can rearrange your displays from the advanced settings, which identifies the laptop as a number 1 or number 2 device.

Start Connecting the Two Laptops

Go back to “Project to Second Screen” or press Win + P to launch a pop-up screen. Make your selection of either a duplicate display or an extension of your primary screen. Click “connect to a wireless display.”

At first, nothing is available in search, which means you need to establish the Bluetooth pairings between the two laptops.

On the primary display, go to the “Bluetooth & Other Devices” screen and select “Add a device.” This will open a new pop-up window where you can add the secondary Bluetooth-enabled laptop for pairing. Use the first option for Bluetooth if your laptop device is not Miracast-compatible.

The secondary Bluetooth-compatible laptop will be found. Select it to form a pairing with the primary laptop.

If you’ve set up the notification alerts, you should receive an “add a device” message in the system tray of the secondary laptop. Tap to set up the device.

You need to ensure the PIN numbers on both the primary and secondary laptops are the same. This would ensure a secure Bluetooth connectivity.

You will be able to see a message that says “your device is ready to go” in the primary laptop.

There will be a clear “connection succeeded” message on the secondary laptop device.

Project the Screen from One Laptop to Another

Once the Bluetooth pairing is available (see the fixes here if your Bluetooth is not working), you can see the primary and secondary devices in their respective screens.

Go back to “Project to a Second screen” on the primary laptop and search for the networks through “connect to a wireless display.” You should be able to locate the secondary laptop’s Bluetooth ID. You can also select this directly from the “Display Settings” menu.

You should now see a “connecting to your device” alert on top for the screen pairing to take place.

Next, you should see an “attempt to connect” alert on the secondary laptop’s system tray. Click “Allow once” or “always” to proceed.

The two laptops are now connected to each other. You are ready to begin projecting your screen wirelessly.

Some troubleshooting is needed, especially if the Bluetooth pairing is not very compatible. To do this, first disconnect the two Bluetooth devices on their respective laptops, then search for them again. If both laptop devices have similar Bluetooth configurations, you should not experience much trouble getting the projection screen above.

Have you connected your laptop screen to use as an external monitor? To solve any issues with multiple monitor setups in Windows, follow our tips.

Sayak Boral is a technology writer with over ten years of experience working in different industries including semiconductors, IoT, enterprise IT, telecommunications OSS/BSS, and network security. He has been writing for MakeTechEasier on a wide range of technical topics including Windows, Android, Internet, Hardware Guides, Browsers, Software Tools, and Product Reviews.

How to Use a Laptop as a Second Monitor to Your PC?

When you’re working on many tasks simultaneously, it gets difficult to manage work on one screen. Even with the multi-desktop facility, your current screen might simply not be big enough to fit everything you want. In other words, you will never know when you find yourself wishing for a bigger screen. A solution to this could be using additional monitors to your system. This method boosts productivity to a great extent because your viewing area is almost doubled in size, allowing you to shift your work around and prioritize according to your needs at the moment. A second monitor goes a long way in making your work more organized, thereby allowing you to become more efficient.

Can we use a laptop as a second monitor?

A brilliant option is utilizing an old laptop that is wasting away in a corner and turning it into a second monitor. Many of you will now be wondering how to use a laptop as a second monitor, but in reality, it is a solution that helps to keep you from spending on expensive screens as well as gives you the much-needed space to sort out your tasks.

Using the laptop as the second monitor is very easy, as we will show you today. There are different ways of doing so, and we will walk you through each of the different ways below.

Laptop as the second monitor in Windows Operating System

There are many ways we can use a laptop as second monitor. The easiest way to do it follows the steps below:

• Connect your laptop to your desktop through an ethernet cable.
• On your desktop computer’s main screen, use the right-click on your mouse and select the option ‘Properties.’
• When the next window opens, click on the ‘Settings’ tab.
• There will be two screen-shaped icons showing, one marked ‘2’ and the other marked ‘1’. Hold and pull down the ’2’ icon to the position of your laptop screen relative to your desktop screen. E.g., if you have placed your laptop to the left of your desktop, you hold and pull the ‘2’ icon to the left of ‘1’ icon on the ‘Settings’ screen.
• A prompt will appear asking if you want to enable this monitor. Click on ‘Yes.’
• A checkbox named ‘Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor’ will be present below. Make sure you check the box before you click on ‘Apply.’
• To identify which screen is which, you can press the ‘Identify’ button. Once you press it, you will see the monitors flashing with their respective screen numbers.
• To change your primary monitor from your laptop to your desktop computer, select the screen you want to make primary. On the window that opens, check the box that is named ‘Use this device as primary monitor’ and press Apply.

Laptop as second monitor in Mac Operating System

Using your MacBook as an additional screen for your desktop computer is easy with these short steps:

• Go to the ‘System Preferences’ option under the Apple logo in the menu bar of your Mac.
• Click on the ‘Displays’ option.
• Your laptop should automatically detect the new screen (desktop screen) connected to it. If not, click on the ‘Detect Displays’ button.
• Click on the ‘Arrangement’ tab to change the position of the screens with respect to one another so you can get a realistic view of both screens.
• Press ‘Apply’ and start working!

Laptop as second monitor with external software

There is a multitude of applications and software out there that help you set up your laptop as an additional monitor to your desktop. Some of them are-

1. Synergy

• This software is widely regarded as one of the best external softwares to combine your laptop and your desktop to form a single system in a seamless manner. When you use this software, your keyboard and mouse can be used by many screens, allowing you to shift from one screen to another with no lag.
• One of the main advantages of Synergy is that it also gives you an auto-configuration tool that helps you setup your devices. This software is compatible with all major operating systems, ie, Windows, Mac, and Linux.
• Using this software, your clipboard can be accessed by all the screens you are connected to, allowing you an easier way to copy and paste text. This software works even if you have a Mac and a Windows system joined together, so you can flit in and out of multiple screens effortlessly! It comes in two versions, Basic and Pro, with the Pro version having an additional advantage of encrypting your data so it remains safe across networks.

2. InputDirector

• This software is limited to joining only Windows systems together. You can switch between screens by using hotkeys or by simply moving the cursor from one screen to another. It also makes use of a shared clipboard that can copy on one system, switch the system, and paste on the other. With its installation guide that is easily available online, the setup takes almost no time!
• You can simply guide it to where your monitors are physically located on the monitor grid and it will start working. This software also allows you to access multiple systems without having to login multiple times. For those worried about ease of control, be assured because it displays Windows User Account Control pop-ups on both systems if required.
• Even though different systems are linked using this software, you can decide a different mode for each of them, like shutdown or hibernate or standby. If you want, you can also implement a system where you press a combination of transitionary keys that take you from one screen to another.

3. ShareMouse

• This software makes use of the local LAN network to transmit every movement and click that you make with a mouse. All the traffic that comes from the local LAN is heavily protected with passwords and AES encryption.
• With this software you can drag and drop files from one system to another, without installing any sharing softwares or configuring any external network protocols for the same. This is especially useful when you have connected a Mac system and a Windows system to each other (a feature that this software allows). No matter which operating system you use, this software gives you the freedom of bidirectional control.
• You can also synchronize several kinds of events across multiple systems, including- locking and unlocking your devices, shutting down your devices, and allowing you to perform remote login if required. For personal use, you can get this software for free, though it will connect only two systems to each other.

Once you’ve decided you will stay clutter-free with the visual space of two monitors instead of one, you can choose any of the above methods in helping you achieve your goal. Happy working!

How to Use a Laptop as a Monitor

The easy way to extend a PC’s display

What to Know

• Use Miracast on Windows 10: Settings >System >Projecting to this PC and personalize from there.
• Don’t have two computers with Win10? Go with third-party software like Spacedesk or try Google’s free Chrome Remote Desktop service.

This article explains how to use Miracast, third-party software, or a remote desktop solution to add a laptop as a second monitor to your system.

How to Add a Laptop as a Monitor With Miracast

Windows 10 systems come with a feature called Miracast that lets you project your present computer’s display to a different computer. The only requirement is that both computers are running a modern enough version of Windows 10 that includes Miracast.

If you can use this option to use your laptop as a monitor, it’s the easiest method.

Start on the laptop you want to use as a monitor. Select the Start menu, type Settings, and select the Settings app.

In Settings, select System.

On the Display screen, select Projecting to this PC from the left menu.

On the next screen, select the first dropdown as Available everywhere. Set the second dropdown to Every time a connection is requested. Set the third dropdown to Never (unless you want to require a PIN when projecting to this laptop screen, in which case select Always).

Make a note of the PC name listed in this window. You’ll need it when projecting your display to the laptop from your other Windows 10 machine.

Switch to the computer you want to cast your display from. Select the notifications icon in the lower right corner of the desktop. Select the Connect icon.

You’ll see the system search for available wireless displays. The laptop you set up as an available display will appear in this list. Select the display to connect to it.

An alternative way to access this connection is to open Windows Settings, select System, select Display, scroll down to the Multiple displays section and select Connect to a wireless display. This will open the same display search window where you can select the secondary laptop display to connect to.

On the secondary laptop, you’ll see a notification that a connection is in progress. Select the permissions option you prefer. If you don’t want to see the notification again, just select Always allow.

A new window will appear with the display of the primary computer that you’re projecting from.

Project to Your Laptop Screen With a Third-Party App

If both computers aren’t running Windows 10, you can cast your screen to your laptop display using a third-party app instead.

In this example, we’ll use Spacedesk to project to a secondary laptop screen. Spacedesk requires you to install the main program on the laptop you want to project your display from, and the Viewer program on the computer you want to project your display to.

First, download and install the Spacedesk software on the laptop you want to project your screen from. The software is available for Windows 10 or Windows 8.1 PCs, either 32-bit or 64-bit.

Once installed, select the notifications area of the taskbar and select the Spacedesk icon. This will open the Server window, where you can confirm that the status is ON (idle).

If the status isn’t ON, select the three dots on the left side of the window and select ON to enable the server.

On the second laptop where you want to project your display, install the viewer version of the Spacedesk software. On the last step of the install, select Launch spacedesk Viewer. The Viewer software is available for Windows, iOS, or Android devices. On all systems, the Viewer software interface looks the same.

In the Viewer application, select the server that the software detects on the network. This will turn the laptop running the Viewer software into an extended display for the desktop that’s running the Server software.

You can then use the Display settings on the desktop PC to adjust the external display’s resolution and position.

Other software that can help you accomplish this same thing include:

How to Use Chrome Remote Desktop

Another quick and simple solution to use a laptop as a monitor is to take advantage of Google’s free Chrome Remote Desktop service.

This solution is ideal in a scenario where you want to mirror your screen to another monitor so that other people can see it. Chrome Remote Desktop will let you display your desktop on the laptop’s screen.

From the computer where you want to project the screen from, visit remotedesktop.google.com, and select Remote Support from the two links at the top of the page.

On the next page, select the download icon in the Get Support section.

Once the Chrome extension is installed, return to the same page. You’ll now see a Generate Code button that you can select.

This will display a code that you’ll need on your laptop later. Make a note of this code.

Now, log into the laptop where you want to project your screen to. Visit the Google Remote Desktop page, select Remote Support, but this time scroll down to the Give Support section. Type the code you noted above into the field in this section.

Once you select Connect, the laptop screen will display the screen from the original computer where you started this process.

You will notice that Google Remote Desktop displays all screens from the remote system. If you only want to display one screen on the laptop, you’ll need to disconnect the other screens so that you’re only using a single display while displaying to the remote laptop.