How to Set Up Extended View on Two Monitors With a Single Output Video Card and a Monitor Splitting Cable

Extending your desktop gives you more room to view your work and allows for easier comparison of documents. Adding a second monitor to your computer, if it only supports a single video card, means using a monitor splitting cable. If your computer supports multiple monitors, adding the second monitor once it's connected is a simple change in your display settings.

Instructions

1. Turn off your computer and monitor.

2. Disconnect your current monitor and plug it into one of the dual ends of the monitor splitting cable.

3. Connect the other monitor to the second port of the monitor splitting cable. Connect the single end of the monitor splitting cable to the computer port for the monitor. Turn on the computer and monitors.

4. Right-click the desktop, away from your icons, and select "Personalize" and then "Display Settings."

5. Highlight "Extend these displays" from the selection under "Multiple Displays." Click "OK" to complete the process and extend the monitor across both screens.

Tips & Warnings

• If your computer supports multiple displays but doesn't recognize the second monitor, check the display settings to "Detect" the monitor and download any updates required.

• Your computer must support multiple displays for the desktop to extend across both monitors. Otherwise, both monitors display identical views of the desktop rather than extend it.

References

• Microsoft: Dual Monitor Setup: Two Monitors are Better than One
• Microsoft Windows: Move Windows Between Multiple Monitors