How to connect and set up a laptop instead of a PC monitor

The need to use a laptop as a monitor appears for owners of personal computers when an understudy is required to perform some specific tasks, or the main device is out of order. The work of the tandem can be organized in several ways.

Direct Connectivity

A good half of laptops are equipped with VGA, DVI or HDMI interfaces. The presence of ports indirectly indicates the ability to directly connect a laptop to a computer instead of a monitor. But actually it is not. There are strict restrictions here, which cannot be bypassed without serious technical intervention. The fact is that the interfaces available on the laptop function only on the way out. That is, you can connect a laptop, for example, to a TV or monitor, transferring an image to them. But the laptop cannot directly accept a picture from external devices.

On a note! There are rare exceptions on the market, mostly in the premium segment. For example, the Y710 and Y730 series models from Lenovo and some devices from Eurocom allow using the laptop screen as a direct-connected monitor. The former are equipped with an extended VGA interface with an in/out jumper, while the latter are equipped with a two-way HDMI port.

Of course, you can directly connect the laptop screen to the computer by pulling it out and connecting it to the LCD adapter. But this is a rather barbaric way, in which it is easy to burn not only the matrix of the device, but also other expensive elements.

Wired connection

You can use a laptop as a personal computer screen by projecting. To do this, you need to connect both devices with a cable. Models of laptops of past generations were equipped with VGA and DVI ports. Modern technology can be synchronized using the HDMI output, DisplayPort (DP), or even a USB interface. In the same way, the laptop is connected to the computer monitor.

If the video card does not have the required port, then you can use an adapter, for example, from VGA to HDMI. But the use of third-party adapters may affect the quality of the transmitted image, so it is better to use the original cord with the appropriate outputs.

Operating system setup

The procedure for connecting devices may vary depending on the platform. The best option for high-quality projection is the synchronization of technology via HDMI port. Signal loss will be minimized if there are no adapters or adapters in the circuit.

Windows 7

On the seventh generation of the platform, you can make a laptop as a monitor for a PC using remote desktop — RDPby making it available to other users. In the basic settings, this protocol is disabled by default. We connect the system unit to the laptop with a cable and go to the PC menu.

1. Open the «Control Panel».
2. We find the item «System and Security».
3. Click on «System» and select «Properties».
4. Go to the «Remote Access» tab.
5. In the «Remote Desktop» part of the window, check the «Allow» box.

It remains only to find on the laptop a device available for connection (in the «Remote connection management» section). Sometimes getting access to a laptop is not the first time. Here a lot depends on the current version of the OS update. It’s good if they match on both devices, but if not, then conflicts may arise. Moreover, Windows 7 does not always correctly perceive the connection via a DisplayPort cable, while there are no problems with VGA, DVI or HDMI.

Windows 10

This platform is much easier in terms of synchronization with third-party devices. You can set up the connection both manually and automatically. The latter possibility depends on the laptop model: the newer the device, the more tools for synchronization are implemented in it. We connect the wires to a computer with a laptop and set up projection.

1. Open Windows Settings on the laptop.
2. Go to the «System» section.
3. We find the line «Projection to this computer».
4. Click on permissions by selecting «Available everywhere» from the list.
5. On the PC, we display the curtain from the tray and click «Transfer screen».
6. Open the «Connect to display» item and select the desired device.

If the projection is not correct, then check the screen resolution on the laptop. The standard scan on modern PCs is 1920 by 1080 pixels, while on a laptop it can be, for example, 1600 by 900. Due to the difference in resolution, the picture will be stretched or, conversely, very narrowed. Therefore, it is necessary to adhere to the same screen scan.

Mas

For users of Apple technology provided proprietary application AirDisplay, which greatly simplifies the procedure for synchronizing devices of this brand. The software must be downloaded from the official Apple store and installed on a laptop.

After you need to connect the two devices through a router. Then run the utility and, having selected a laptop from the list, click on «Connect». Now the desktop of the personal computer will be displayed on the laptop screen.

Wireless connection

If a desktop PC equipped with a module Wi-fi, or a similar router turned out to be at hand, then you can do without wires. Almost all laptops can work using wireless protocols, as indicated by the corresponding icon in the form of an antenna or the Wi-Fi logo.

Connecting a PC to a laptop:

1. Activate Wi-Fi modules on both devices.
2. Open «Windows Settings» (on a PC or laptop).
3. Go to the «Network and Internet» section.
4. Click on the line «Create a network» -\u003e «New».
5. We assign a name to the connection and come up with a password (you can check the «Automatic start» box).

On the second device, we connect to the selected network and use one desktop.

On a note! In the same way, you can synchronize other mobile devices — smartphones and tablets. The main thing is that the latter should be equipped with a full-fledged Wi-Fi module.

Third Party Utilities

Among other programs, users especially warmly speak of TeamViewer. The product is distributed completely free of charge, while offering decent functionality, as well as a simple and intuitive interface.

Installing the utility:

1. Run the program installer on the laptop and select «Install».
2. In the «Usage» section, check the box for «Personal / non-commercial».
3. Install the utility on a stationary PC by selecting «Manage the computer remotely».
4. Use is “Personal/Non-Commercial”.

Projection:

1. We run the program on a laptop and a stationary PC.
2. On the control laptop, fill in the partner ID (the value is displayed on the slave device).
3. Click on the line «Remote control».
4. Click «Partner Sync».

After a few seconds, the desktop of a stationary PC will be displayed on the laptop screen. Separate synchronization moments are configured in additional options. For example, you can disable the display of desktop wallpapers on a PC, which significantly speeds up the connection process.

Advice! If the new network involves the use of several devices, then the connection should be secured by going to the «Security» section. Here you can allow or deny access to individual IDs.