How To Setup 3 Monitors On A Laptop
For the gamers and people who multitask on the laptop all day long, 3 monitors setup is a blessing and it is getting more popular than ever. If you are one of them and you want to improve the gaming and multitasking experience, you should definitely try having 3 monitors at once.
There are a few methods of setting three monitors together and the most popular one out of them all is by using a docking station. Besides this, using the thunderbolt port and USB adapters you can also build the 3 monitor setup.
I’ll show you how to setup 3 monitors on a laptop and make the most out of it down below:
Methods of setting up multiple monitors
There are a number of methods by which you can connect a triple monitor setup on your laptop. The hardware connections are a bit different but after establishing the wired connection, the display setting on the windows is the same.
Let’s look at how to set up 3 monitors on a laptop. Hopefully, this will help you determine which method will work best for you.
Thunderbolt 3 ports
Thunderbolt 3 ports have been a trusty name for when it comes to a multi monitor setup. It can be used to connect multiple displays to your laptop. To connect the Thunderbolt 3 ports with multiple monitors, a Type C connection is needed. By hooking up all the monitors to a USB C port, you can connect them.
If the monitors you are going to use do not have a thunderbolt port, you will have to use a USB C to HDMI converter in order to build the triple monitor setup. You can use a USB C to DVI adapter as well. You will need a separate adapter for every monitor in such a case.
But, if your laptop has a Thunderbolt port, then you will have to use a docking station. Using a docking station, you will be able to connect all monitors to one port. And if the laptop you are going to use is one of the old ones, you might be needing a display splitter box. It might be a lengthy and complicated process, but it will surely do its job and let you enjoy the triple monitor setup on your laptop.
Docks with triple head
Three head docks can be an adequate option for a multi monitor setup. This is by far the best method of connecting multiple monitors to your laptop if you can bear the expense of this system. If you use this method to connect the monitors to your laptop, you won’t have to put up with the hassle of multiple adapters.
Gamers and streamers use this method mostly. The connecting procedure is pretty simple. All you have to do is connect the monitors to the docking station’s ports and your laptop to its USB port. Almost any tech shop or e-commerce website sells docking stations for around 150 dollars.
Though it’s the easiest and cleanest method for connecting multiple displays, there’s one single issue- several people have mentioned is that the docking station does not come with a cooling fan inside. As a result, when you have been using additional monitors for a long period of time, it may get hot and disrupt the performance.
USB adapter
If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on the docking station, there’s a cheaper option available for you and that is buying a USB adapter. There are different types of USB adapters available in the market, and you can choose accordingly.
The usual adapters use the common technology which is the DisplayLink technology and it is sufficient enough. But if you are a gamer or you do graphics design work, I would not suggest you use USB adapters.
How to setup 3 monitors on your laptop: step by step procedure
After you have decided upon which method you are going to use to connect the monitors to your laptop, you might be wondering how do you set it up? Well, I got your back and there’s nothing to worry about. The procedure is pretty much the same no matter which method you are following to set up the monitors.
I have described the full process step by step for you to understand. Read the steps thoroughly and implement them to build your own three monitor setup.
Connecting the ports and cables
Before everything, make sure all the monitors and the laptop are connected to power and the monitors and the laptop are linked properly. Then double-check if you have used the right cables to the right ports. HDMI, USB, VGA, DVI, etc. are different types of display ports that have their respective places.
Multi monitor configuration
After establishing the connection, the first thing you need to set is the sequence of the monitors and usually, they are not in the right sequence automatically. So, you will have to set them in the right sequence from the display project menu. If they are not in the right sequence, you might have various problems while using the setup.
Follow the steps to configure your three monitor setup.
- By pressing the Windows+P buttons, open the “Display project” menu.
- There you will find a variety of display modes. They are, PC screen only, Duplicate, Extend, Second screen only. From these options, you will have to select the “Extend” option. This option lets multiple monitors work together as a large desktop.
Rearranging Multiple Monitors from display setting
You can determine how the monitors are going to function and to do that, follow the steps.
- Press both the Windows and I buttons together to go to the windows setting. You can also enter the setting option manually.
- From the setting, select “System Setting” and move forward.
- You should find the “customize your display” option and click it. And if you don’t find it, click the detect button which you will find under the “Multiple Displays” option, which will detect all connected monitors.
- When you see that all monitors are detected, drag the rectangle boxes and drop them in the “customize your desktop” section.
- You can select which monitor you want to use as your main display by checking the box.
- Finally, click Apply and the changes will be saved.
After completing the changes, Windows 10 will automatically preserve the arrangement and you will be able to work using several displays. In essence, this is where the core setup of your triple monitor is done, now let’s look at some further adjustments.
How to setup 3 monitors on a laptop screen: Advanced Tips and Tricks
Alright, we’ve managed to setup 3 monitors, now let me mention a few tricks that will let you enjoy your brand new triple monitor setup to the fullest.
Customizing Taskbar and the wallpaper
Though windows automatically establish the best setting when you set up a multiple monitor setup, most customize it according to our own preference. That includes modifying the taskbar, wallpaper, desktop, etc.
Follow the steps to personalize the taskbar according to your preference for a three monitor setup –
- By hitting the Windows + D keys at the same time, you may get to the desktop.
- Then by right-clicking on an empty space of the desktop, select personalize.
- In the left pane, choose Taskbar.
- From the multiple display option, toggle on the “Show taskbar on all displays” option.
To personalize the wallpaper separately for the monitors, follow the steps –
- Go to the personalize option like earlier.
- Go to the background and select the slideshow.
- Browse a slideshow album from “choose albums for your slideshows”.
- Set the “Change picture every” option to the time interval. Which will allow the image to change after a specific time.
- Turn on the shuffle option.
- From the “choose a fit” option, select Fill.
Adjusting layout and scale of the display
Though Windows 10 will make the triple monitor setup run at the most suitable setting, you might need to change the scale, resolution, and layout individually for the monitors to suit your needs. Even I’ve done weird customizations to my laptop displays, but it feels comfy to me. So I’m sure you have your own personal setups that you’d want to have.
To set the scale setting, follow these steps –
- Go to the setting option.
- From the setting, click the system setting.
- Select the scale according to your preference from the “change the size of text, apps, and other items” option.
- If you want to change any scale settings on other displays, you should follow the earlier steps.
Steps for customizing the scale:
- Choose the button “ Display monitor” and click the “System” from the settings option.
- Then from the “Scale and layout” section, you should navigate the “ Advanced scaling settings”.
- You can adjust the scaling range to anything between 100 and 500 percent from the “custom scaling” section.
- Hit the “Apply” button to make the changes.
- After completing all the steps finally you should click “ sign out of your account and return to check the modified settings.
- Try again with other scaling numbers till you find the right and suitable scaling configuration for yourself.
When you connect a new monitor, windows 10 usually automatically sets the recommended pixel resolution.
However to make the proper and correct resolution, follow these procedures:
- Simply pick the “Display screen” you want to modify and go to “system” from the settings.
- You should select the appropriate pixel resolution, for that choose the menu “Display Resolution” from the “Scale and layout “ portion.
- Do the above procedures to change the resolution on the additional screens.
For setting the proper and correct orientation you should keep the following simple two steps in your mind:
- As before, hit the “ Display” button and go to “ system” from the settings option.
- Under the “Scale and layout” tab, select the orientation from the “Display Orientation” option.
After completing all processes, next comes the orientation portion. The display is going to shift to the orientation which might be Landscape, flipped landscaped, portrait, or flipped portrait.
Selecting the Multiple modes of display viewing
You may need to select the viewing mode for your displays. If you utilize a second monitor, you may choose to either stretch the main screen to accommodate the additional display or mirror both displays, which is a wonderful option for presentations.
Deactivating the main display and utilizing the second monitor as your primary if you are using a laptop with an external monitor can be a great idea as well. Follow the given steps on how to set up multiple monitors with a laptop and set the viewing mode.
- Go to the setting option and then open the system setting option.
- From the display section, choose the monitor that you want to select.
- Now from the multiple display option set the viewing mode which is appropriate to you.
- Duplicate desktop, extend, disconnect this display- these are the options that you will find and each has a different setting.
- Now following this procedure, choose the viewing mode for every monitor.
Managing the advanced setting
Using the advanced setting, you can do more fun stuff and take full advantage of the three monitor setup. People who need more color accuracy and have screen flickering issues can use the advanced setting.
Let’s look at the steps of making a custom color profile.
- Open the system setting menu from the setting option.
- Find the advanced display setting.
- Click on “Display adapter properties” under Display 1.
- Go to the color management option.
- There you will have the option to select the display from the devices tab.
- Use your setting by checking the box title.
- You can browse new colors from “associate Color profile”.
- Now repeat the process for all the other screens as well.
Changing the refresh rate of the screen
The refresh rate of monitors is usually around 60 Hz, with more expensive ones being 144 Hz. But if you are facing screen flickering issues after installing the 3 monitor setup, or if any of the monitors have a high refresh rate [for example, competitive gamers tend to have monitors with 240 Hz refresh rates], you can set the refresh rate of the screen.
Here’s how you can set the refresh rate of your screen.
- Open the system setting.
- From there go to the advanced display setting and open adapter properties for the first monitor.
- Then go to the “monitor tab”.
- From there select the screen refresh rate that you want to use.
- Now use the same process to adjust the screen refresh rate for everyone.
Showing taskbar in every monitor
If you don’t set the taskbar on every monitor, it will only show on the primary monitor. And what’s the point in using a three monitor setup if you have the taskbar only on the primary.
But you can show the taskbar on every monitor from the setting. Let’s see how.
- From the desktop, go to the personalize option.
- Select the taskbar option.
- You will see a “Show taskbar on all displays” toggle, turn it on for multiple displays.
- You can also select where the programs should show in the taskbar from the settings.
- Choose according to your preference and save the changes.
Frequently asked questions
How do I connect 3 monitors to my laptop with one HDMI port?
You can easily connect 3 monitors to your laptop with one HDMI port by using a docking device. The device will have several ports in it, where the monitors will be connected. And the other end of the device will be connected to the HDMI port of your laptop.
How can I connect 3 monitors to my laptop without a docking station?
By using adapters and converters, you can connect 3 monitors to your laptop without a docking station. You can use screen splitters as well.
How do I split screens between laptop and monitor?
From the display setting, you can choose how you want to split screens between laptop and monitor. You will find options like, Duplicate these displays and extending them.
How many monitors can my laptop support?
Pretty much any laptop can support up to three external monitors. Basically which operating system is being used on your laptop is the determiner of how many monitors you can use. With that, what devices you are using also matters as well.
How do I know if my computer can run 3 monitors?
There are quite a few things on which how many monitors your computer can support depends. You’d definitely need a dedicated graphics card as not all graphics card can handle the power demands. You can look up the specification from the internet to be sure about if your computer can run 3 monitors.
Conclusion
A 3 monitor setup can be highly beneficial for many people and you already know it by now. If you are a gamer or someone who frequently multitasks, you must know how to set up 3 monitors on a laptop in a flawless manner. I believe the docking station tactic should be pretty easy to work with.
Hopefully, you’ll be able to set up multiple monitors and take your gaming experience to a new level.