Use laptop as second monitor wired

Sometimes you may want to use your laptop screen as a second external display. Whether youre extending the display or temporarily using a laptop as a monitor for your desktop PC until you purchase a new monitor, heres how to use your laptop as a secondary monitor for a computer. You can do this with a wired connection or by using Wi-Fi you can turn your laptop into a wireless monitor that adds flexibility and gives you more screen real estate.

How to Use Your Laptop as a Monitor in MacOS

First, plug-in any necessary cables if youre using a wired connection, or ensure your MacBook is connected to the same wireless network as the Mac you want to display from. Using secure networks when using the screen sharing feature is recommended. You can also use a third-party tool such as a remote desktop.

Tip: Using secure networks when using the screen sharing feature is recommended

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How to Use Your Laptop as a Monitor with PC Systems

There are several tools you can use to help your laptop act as a monitor with PC systems.

Using Miracast

You may need to set up Miracast on the laptop before you can use it to connect the two machines. To do this, there are a few steps to follow, but once you have it set up on your PC and secondary machine, it provides a great tool to increase productivity or gaming performance as well as other benefits that come with having two monitors.

Warning: You may need to set up Miracast on the laptop before you can use it to connect the two machines

Set Up the Laptop for Use as an Extended Display

First, youll need to set up the laptop for use as an external screen.

Step 1

On the laptop youre planning to use as an external monitor or display, go to settings, then system and in the system menu, click on projecting to this PC. Make sure to set the first drop-down menu to available.

Warning: Make sure to set the first drop-down menu to available.

Step 2

Now, on the main PC that you want to use your laptops screen as a secondary display for, find the notifications/ action icon, and under the Notifications tab look for a connect button.

Step 3

Once you see your laptop appear under the connect heading, go back to your laptop and click accept.

Step 4

On the main PC, right-click [or go to settings>system] and select display settings and in the display menu, click extend the desktop to this display. Then you should see the desktop picture appear on the laptop screen.

When connecting over Wi-Fi, Miracast offers the option of requiring a PIN. This is helpful if youre using a shared network.

Warning: When connecting over Wi-Fi, Miracast offers the option of requiring a PIN. This is helpful if youre using a shared network

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Method 2: Remote Desktop

The remote desktop allows you to share the display from one computer to another. It may not be fast enough for applications like games or graphics-intensive design projects, but it works well for web browsing and document sharing.

Third-Party Software

Some third-party software is available that may make it easier to use your laptop as a monitor or to extend the display from your desktop computer. A third-party program like Space Desk or a similar product can streamline the process; youll need to install it on both the display device and the laptop you want to use as a monitor for desktop access. These applications can be especially helpful on a PC with an aftermarket graphics card installed since Windows Miracast only works with the OEM Intel graphics engine.

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STAT:

Over 50% of American households own a Smart TV or another display device capable of screen sharing.

More than 7000 device models use the Miracast standard for screen mirroring. This includes PCs equipped with Intel graphics cards, along with tablets, laptops, smart TVs, and phones.

The most common video encoding formats for screen sharing data are MPEG.4 and H.264

Sources:

Projecting from a Laptop | Digital Classroom Servicesdcs.rutgers.edu videos-tutorials-and-instructions pro

How to Use Your Laptop as a Second Monitor YouTubewww.youtube.com watch

Chromebook Tips & Tricks Guide Googleservices.google.com files misc chromebook

Apple Remote Desktop Administrators Guidewww.apple.com pdf ARD3_AdminGuide

//connected-intelligence.com

How To Use Laptop As Monitor FAQ

Why would you want to use your laptop as a monitor or secondary screen?

Setting up a laptop as an external display for a desktop computer has a variety of uses ranging from testing out a display driver or graphics card issue to adding some screen real estate for presentations and productivity. It can also be useful for games.

How do you use a second monitor or screen for your laptop?

In order to add a second screen, you can either use the built-in screen extender feature that comes with Windows and macOS devices, or you can use a third-party app such as Space Desk or Google Remote Desktop.

Can I use my laptop as a monitor for my PC

PCs running Windows 10 and above usually come with Miracast, a built-in program that lets you share the display with a Windows secondary machine. However, it only works with Intel graphics cards, so if you have an aftermarket graphics or video card installed, you might need to use a 3rd-party program to perform screen sharing.
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