Most people, especially financial market traders and gamers, know how convenient it is to have a dual monitor setup.
If you want a bigger screen or better reflection of your primary computer screen, you might consider connecting secondary monitors.
Secondary monitors enable the extension of information present on the primary computer and allow users to work with various outputs on each monitor.
The process is relatively easy if the primary monitor has two VGA ports. You only need to connect one VGA adapter to each port to get started.
However, not all computers have two VGA ports, and there’s a huge chance that your present computer has one. Having one VGA port is prevalent among computers, so if you want a multiple monitor setup, you’ll need a loophole.
So how do you connect two monitors to a computer with one VGA port? This article explains it all.
Connect Two Monitors To One Computer With One VGA Port Using A VGA Splitter
The VGA splitter enables the connection of dual secondary monitors to a primary computer with one VGA port in the most convenient setting, even if your computer doesn’t have that function.
Think of the VGA splitter as a letter “Y” with one VGA male connector at an end and two other female connectors at the other end.
How To Use A VGA Splitter For The Connection
If you have a VGA splitter, you can follow the steps below to use your VGA splitter for connecting two monitors to one computer.
- Switch off your primary computer.
- Unplug the computer from its VGA port.
- Connect a VGA cable to the VGA port of the primary monitor. The VGA cables come with the splitter.
- If you have a desktop PC, you’ll find the port at the back of the CPU.
- Ensure you properly tighten the VGA cable to the port.
- Connect the second VGA cable to one of the female connectors in the splitter.
- Connect the other end to the port at the back of your monitor and tighten it well.
- Repeat the above process for the other female connector to connect the second VGA cable to the second monitor.
After connecting the two monitors to your PC, the next step is to configure the two extended monitors before you start using them. You can configure the two monitors by following the process below:
- Click the Start menu on the primary monitor and select the Control Panel
- Select the Personalization option.
- Choose the Adjust Screen Resolution option. This option enables you to configure the monitors as you desire
- Select the Detect option. The two monitors will display here and labelled as 1 and 2, respectively.
- Select the multiple displays option
- Choose the extend displays option.
The Extended Display option will extend the view of your original computer to the other secondary monitors. However, select the Duplicate Display option if you want the two secondary monitors to mirror the primary monitor.
The above steps work better with Windows 8 or 8.1 Operating Systems. If you have windows 10 installed on your computer, kindly follow the steps below:
- Jump to the Start menu on your computer and click on the Display settings.
- Select Multiple Display when your PC displays the monitors available for the desktop.
- Customize your display settings as you desire.
If you have two monitors, it’s essential to change their resolution and orientation by selecting each monitor and changing their resolutions and orientations consecutively.
Please note that even when you use a VGA splitter on some computers, you can’t extend your primary monitor screen to secondary monitors, and you can only mirror the first monitor screen.
Furthermore, their specifications only allow dual monitor setup for most computers, and you need a graphics card to connect the third monitor. We recommend checking your computer’s graphics card and specifications to clarify its support stance.
What Other Alternatives Can I Use To Connect Two Monitors To A Computer With One VGA Port?
If you want to connect two monitors to a computer with one VGA port without using a VGA Splitter, another option you might consider is to change the entire video card of your computer so that it can support more than one cable.
However, this method can be costly; that’s why most users prefer using the VGA splitter.
Other methods you can use include:
- Connecting using an HDMI cable
- Connecting using USB to HDMI
What To Do If You Can’t See The Plugged-In Monitors
If your computer doesn’t respond to secondary monitors after the connection, you should consider updating the software or removing corrupted drivers.
