Do you know how to toggle between laptop screen and monitor? There are going to be quite a few times where you might have to toggle between the display on your laptop and the external monitor, for example, when you have to make a presentation.
If you are going to get up on stage and talk before an audience, you have to make sure that you are able to automatically switch between different displays.
However, unlike the older versions of the Windows operating system, which usually required you to adjust the settings every time you have to plug in another display, you should know that display toggling has become considerably easy now with Windows 10.
In fact, ever since Windows 7, you can now easily toggle between displays by just using the Windows + P key. Modern laptops can easily connect to an external monitor, and Windows has made it easy for users to seamlessly transition between different displays.
The greater space afforded by an external monitor will allow you to easily rearrange your icons and also make it easy for you to seamlessly manage your work.
How To Toggle Between Windows Laptop Screen And Monitor
Now, to connect your Windows laptop to another monitor, here are the steps that you need to follow.
The first step is to check the laptop for a video port. You need to make sure your laptop and your external monitor can be connected together. Now, in most cases, the older laptops usually come with a VGA port. The newer ones often have a DisplayPort, a DVI, or an HDMI port.
Once the monitor has been hooked up, the next step is to press the Windows + P button. In some cases, the Fn key (function key) and the F8 key, might also do the trick.
You can now select whether you want to duplicate the display on both the screens, or if you want to extend the display. Simultaneously, you can also toggle one display off and have all the information displayed on the other one.
If you decide to extend, you will be able to showcase separate information between the laptop as well as the external monitor. If you want to use only the external monitor, you need to select the Projector function.
In some cases, you might want to consult the manual that came with your laptop to get a better idea of the functionality.
To move the active window from your laptop to a second window, you have to drag the window from one screen to another, and you will allow it to move automatically.
Now, when the two monitors have been connected together, how do you toggle between the different displays? There’s a high chance that you have connected two displays on your laptop to display additional information on your laptop.
So, how do you get the maximum benefits out of it? You have to press the Alt+Tab combination and then hold it while you move between the multiple open windows on the two display monitors.
Not only that, but you can also press CTRL and TAB together to view different windows on your browser on the display monitors.
How to Toggle Between Macbook Screen and Monitor
Toggling between the screen on your Macbook and the external monitor is quite simple. The first step is to go to System Preferences and then select the Display option.
Now, just press down on the Option key, and you will notice an option appear on the bottom right. It will say “detect displays,” so you have to press on that.
When you click on it, your Macbook is automatically going to look for an external display that has been connected to the device.
How to Specify Your Monitor as the Display Screen
Using the BIOS in your laptop, you can easily set the external monitor as the primary display. The primary display adapter setting is actually a pretty useful option that allows your motherboard to automatically possess several video devices that are connected with it.
When there isn’t any display device connected to your laptop, the laptop monitor shall become the primary display. Here’s how you do that.
The first step is to restart your laptop, and then, as the boot screen loads up, you need to press either the F1, F2, F10, Del, or the Esc key repeatedly to enter the BIOS. In some cases, an option to open the BIOS will also be shown on the boot screen, thus making it easy for you to select.
Once you are in the BIOS settings, you need to look for the setting that says Primary Display Adapter. The BIOS setting is different for each computer, so you have to be mindful and look on your own.
You have to make sure that you take the naming convention into account as well, because that is likely to vary too. Now, once you find the setting, just toggle it and then save the settings.
Your laptop or your computer is going to restart. Remember, it’s important to save the settings, because if you don’t, the changes are not going to take effect.
How to Connect Multiple External Monitors to Your Laptop
If your laptop does not have multiple display ports and you want to connect to an external monitor, there are a few ways to do that. Here are a few tips to help you out.
1. Use the Thunderbolt or USB-C port
You can easily connect multiple monitors to your laptop using the Thunderbolt or the USB-C port on your device. Thankfully, there are several ways by which you can do that.
The Thunderbolt 3 is the latest technology that allows you to output video, transfer data, and charge your laptop, all at the same time.
Now, if your laptop has a Thunderbolt 3 port, or several Thunderbolt 3 ports, you can easily connect multiple displays.
All you are going to need is an adapter and the toggle functions can be activated right away. It’s a pretty straightforward procedure that doesn’t require any sort of hassle at all.
2. Use a Display Splitter Box
If you want to connect multiple displays to your laptop, you can also do that with the help of a splitter box. The laptop display splitter box is a simple device that can help you split the display on several monitors.
It usually connects with the HDMI or DisplayPort given on your laptop. This is a simple method that will allow you to easily split video from older laptops as well.
At the end of the day, there are quite a few options available to you when it comes to connecting an external display monitor. You need to make sure that you follow the steps given above to ensure that everything is done accordingly.
Once you have multiple displays connected to your laptop and everything is running smoothly, you can easily toggle between the displays.
This comes in especially handy for people who have to present something on a larger display and don’t want to worry about limiting their screen to a smaller display.
These are just some simple steps you should know about how to toggle between laptop screen and monitor if you want to get the best out of your laptop!
