As the pandemic began to take hold in 2020, millions of people around the world shifted to working remotely almost overnight. Some have now returned to the office, but plenty more are still working from home – at least part-time.
With that in mind, an effective home office setup remains crucial. A key part of that is more than one display, which allows you to work using one full-screen app and use another for reference.
You may have already bought a dedicated monitor for this purpose, but it’s not always necessary. If you have a spare laptop, this can easily be converted into a second display.
A wired connection might seem like the obvious solution, but using a USB-C or HDMI cable won’t work – laptop display ports can only output to other devices, not receive inputs. However, if you’re running Windows 10 or Windows 11, it’s possible to achieve this wirelessly.
How to use a laptop as a second monitor in Windows 11
Fortunately, Microsoft makes it relatively easy to connect to link two laptops together. Here’s how it’s done:
- On the device you’re using as a second screen, open Settings and select ‘Apps’ from the left pane
- Click ‘Optional features’
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
- Click the blue ‘View features’ button
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
- In the search bar, type ‘display’ and tick the box next to ‘Wireless Display’ and click ‘Next’
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
- Click ‘Install’ from the next screen. Wait for it to finish installing, which should only take a few seconds
- Next, click ‘System’ from the left pane, then scroll down and choose ‘Projecting to this PC’
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
- Adjust the settings here to your liking, striking a balance between security and accessibility. We’d recommend the options below
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
- On your main device, hit the Windows Key + P to open projection options, then choose ‘Extend’
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
- Choose your second screen laptop, and the two should now be connected
The connection is wireless, so it’s not quite the same experience as having a second monitor connected via a cable, but it can be useful if you are stuck and need a solution. Since the process uses Miracast, you might be able make your TV act as a second screen if you have Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter.
How to use a laptop as a second monitor in Windows 10
On Windows 10, the process looks slightly different but works in much the same way
- On the the device you’re using as a second screen, open Settings
- Click ‘System, then ‘Projecting this PC’ from the left pane
- Again, you can adjust the settings here to your liking
- From your main computer, press the Windows Key + P, and click the ‘Connect to a Wireless Display’ link at the bottom. Make sure you have your Wi-Fi turned on for this to work
- From the options that appear, choose ‘Extend’
- Click ‘Connect to a wireless display’, then choose the name of your other laptop when it appears
That’s it! The two displays will now be linked, and you should be able to move your cursor and other files between them. You might find it’s not quite as stable as a wired connection, in which case you may still want to consider a new monitor.
But since the process uses Miracast, you might be able make your TV act as a second screen instead – provided you have Microsoft’s Wireless Display Adapter – it’s available at Amazon US and Amazon UK.
Related articles you may like
Author: Anyron Copeman, Senior Staff Writer
As the resident expert on Windows, Senior Staff Writer Anyron’s main focus is PCs and laptops. Much of the rest of his time is split between smartphones, tablets and audio, with a particular focus on Android devices.