Connect a second monitor to the PC: solution if it does not give an image

Today, it is rare for the user who does not have a dual monitor configuration on their PC, since it is an element that significantly increases productivity, whether for work or leisure. However, it is possible that when you connect a second monitor to your PC, it does not show you an image , and that is what we are going to try to solve today in this article, in addition to some derived problems that you may encounter.

Connect a second monitor to the PC

Having two monitors is an excellent way to increase your productivity, since for example you could have a game on the main monitor while you control the streaming with OBS or you have Discord on the other, or you could be working in Excel on one monitor with the original source of the data in another, avoiding that you have to constantly switch between windows. The problem comes when, when connecting a second monitor, it does not show any type of image, as if it were disconnected , so let’s see what is happening and what you can do to solve it.

What to do if the second monitor shows no image?

HDMI Monitor

The normal thing is that as you connect the monitor to the PC, it automatically detects it and you can start working with it without having to touch anything. However, unfortunately this is not always the case and there are times when you will have to perform a series of checks to determine the cause of it not working. Next we are going to propose the most frequent problems and their solutions, covering practically all the possibilities that you can find.

And, if none of this that we are going to tell you works, you cannot rule out the possibility that the monitor has arrived badly from the factory, of course, in which case you will have to ask for a replacement.

If the second monitor does not show a picture, please check the wiring

Salidas de vídeo

Let’s start with the obvious: is your second monitor connected correctly? There are times when you can feel anxious to connect and start configuring the second monitor you just bought, so much so that you forget to connect the video cable or its power supply . If when you turn on the monitor it does not show an image, the first thing you should check therefore is that both the power supply and the video cable are properly connected.

In addition to this, there are other things that you should check in this regard: to begin with, if your monitor has several video inputs , check in its OSD that the corresponding video input is selected. For example, it is possible that if your monitor has HDMI and DisplayPort and you are using the DisplayPort to connect the video signal to the PC, if the monitor has the HDMI input selected, it will not show you an image on the screen. Monitors with multiple video inputs typically have a dedicated button to select the source , so that’s the second thing to check (after all cables are properly connected).

On the other hand, you may not have connected the video cable to the correct output on your PC in your haste. If you have a dedicated graphics card with multiple video outputs, make sure you have connected the cable to the graphics card and not to the video outputs that many motherboards have.

Finally, we also recommend that you carry out a visual inspection of the video cable (we understand that if your second monitor does turn on but does not show an image, the problem lies in the video and not in the power supply) to check that it is in good condition, and Ultimately, swap it out for a new one (most monitors tend to include new cables in their accessories).

Bad configuration can cause this problem

Configuración pantallas Windows

Of course, the problem may not be in the hardware but in the configuration or the drivers (in the next section we will see this), so if everything seems to be correctly connected and working but your second monitor still does not show any image, it is what next you should check. Generally, as soon as you connect a new monitor to your PC the system should recognize it, but sometimes it is not (especially if you use D-Sub or DVI to connect it) and you will have to force its detection .

In Windows 10, right-click on any empty space on your desktop and click on the option called “Display Settings.” A window will open, and at the bottom, under the “Multiple screens” section, you will see a button called ” Detect “. Press it and give the system a few seconds to try to recognize your new monitor.

Detectar segundo monitor

If after this the system still does not recognize your second monitor and the screen still does not show an image, try directly restarting the computer since there are times that this detection gets stuck.

If it is the case that the Windows system does detect the second monitor but it still does not show an image, make sure that in the organization options (in this same window they will appear at the top when several monitors are detected) you have selected the option to “Extend the desktop” or “Duplicate” (it depends on what you want to do, the option to extend is usually the most optimal), since it is possible that the third option is selected: Deactivate or Disable.

Check your graphics card drivers

Actualizar drivers

Of course, another thing you should check is that you have the drivers for your graphics card updated to the latest version, and this is especially important if the problem has started not because of installing a new monitor on your PC, but has started to happen after an operating system update as these problems sometimes appear in isolation.

Therefore, if you do not have the latest version of the drivers, we recommend that you perform a clean installation of these (using DDU), or at least update them to the latest version. If the problem persists when doing it from the software of your card (GeForce Experience in the case of NVIDIA, Radeon Software in the case of AMD), you can also force a reinstallation of the driver from Windows.

To do this, right-click on the Start button and select “Device Manager.” Extend the section “Display adapters”, right click on your graph and click on “Properties”. The window you see will open, in which you will have to go to the “Driver” tab and then click on the “Update driver” button. In the event that the problem comes from a Windows update, you can also try clicking on the “Revert to previous driver” button, which will only be available in this case.

Actualizar controlador Windows

If after doing all this that we have been telling you in this article the second monitor still does not show an image, there is a high probability that either it has been damaged or that it has arrived badly from the factory in the event that you have just bought it , in which case the recommendation is logically to contact the seller to manage your warranty or replacement.