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Is this possible that a laptop can be used as a second screen for your computer?

Yes, it is possible to use a laptop as a second screen for your Windows computer. We explain how you can do it
Many times, using a second screen can be very practical, especially if you need your computer to work. And many times too, the question may arise as to whether it is really possible to use a laptop as a second screen.

You will like the answer: yes, it is possible to use a laptop as a second screen or as an extra monitor for your main Windows computer.

Therefore, if you need to work with two screens and you do not want to have to buy a new monitor, you can consider the option of using an older laptop that you have at home to use as a second screen.

Since the version of Windows 10, the operating system provides this functionality and it is easy to configure. We show you how to do it.

How to connect a laptop to the main computer?

The connection is wireless, so it is not the same experience as having a second monitor connected via cable, but as we have already anticipated before, it can be useful if you have no other alternative.

Since the process uses Miracast connectivity, you may be able to make your TV act as a second screen if you have Microsoft’s wireless display adapter. Follow the steps below to enable it:

Open‘Settings’on the laptop that will be your second screen
Click on‘System’
Click on the‘Project to this PC’ option
Choose your configuration
Go to your main laptop or PC computer
Press the ‘Win-P’commands and click‘Connect to a wireless display’
Wait until your other laptop is detected
Select it and choose if you want to mirror or extend the screen

Windows to Windows with an Ethernet Cable

1. Connect the two computers with an ethernet cable.Plug one end of the ethernet cable into the square port on the back of your desktop PC, then plug the other end of the cable into the matching port on the side of your laptop.

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2. Open the Control Panel on the first computer. You can do this by typing “control panel"into the search bar next to the Windows menu and clickingControl Panelin the search results.

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ClickNetwork and Internet.It should be on the left side of the Control Panel page.

If your Control Panel page has “Small icons” or “Large icons” in the top-right corner, skip this step.

3. Click Network and Sharing Center.This opens a list of all current connections, including your Ethernet connection to the laptop computer.

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4. Click Ethernet.It’s a link to the right of the “Unidentified Network” connection in the right panel.

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5. Click the Propertiesbutton.This is in the bottom-left corner of the window.

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6. Click Internet Protocol Version 4.You’ll find this line of text in the middle of the window. Clicking it will select it.

7. Click Properties. It’s on the lower-right side of the window.

8. Change the IP address for your connection.Check the “Use the following IP address” box near the top of the page, then fill out the following fields:

IP address– Type in192.168.1.1
Subnet mask– Type in255.255.255.0

9. Change the IP address on your laptop computer.To do so:

Go to the Network and Sharing center in the same way that you did on the desktop.
Open the Ethernet properties, selectInternet Protocol Version 4, and clickProperties
Check the “Use the following IP address” box at the top of the page.
Type192.168.1.2into the “IP address” field.
Type255.255.255.0into the “Subnet mask” field.
ClickOK twice.

10. Open File Explorer on either computer.You can do this by clicking the folder icon in the taskbar or by clickingFile Explorerin the Windows menu.

11. Open File Explorer . Click the folder-shaped icon on the lower-left side of the Start window.

12. Select a shared folder.Click on a folder that you want to share from your desktop to your computer.

You can also create a new folder to share.

13. Share the folder.To do so:

ClickShare on the top-left side of the window.
ClickSpecific people…
Click the drop-down arrow.
ClickEveryone
ClickShare
ClickDonewhen prompted.

14. Place files to share in the folder.To do so:

Find the files that you want to share.
Select the files.
PressCtrl+Cto copy the files.
Open the shared folder.
PressCtrl+Vto paste the files.

15. Switch to the other computer.Go back to the Windows laptop or desktop on which you want to access the shared folder.

17. Open the shared folder.OpenStart, clickFile Explorer, click the desktop computer’s name on the lower-left side of the File Explorer window, and double-click the folder.

You may have to scroll down through the far-left column of folders to access the desktop computer’s name.

18. Move the shared files onto your laptop.Select the files, pressCtrl+C, open a folder in which you want to store them, and pressCtrl+V.

You can also add files from your laptop to the shared folder if you want to access them on the desktop computer.

If you are using a laptop as your main computer to get your work done, you may be limited by ports or video connections. However, do not forget that with these USB-C ports you can add adapters or hubs with extra ports and additional video outputs.

How to set up a laptop as a second screen

Go to the laptop you want to convert as an additional screen. Boot the system and go in Windows 10 to‘Settings > System > Project to this PC’.Adjust the settings, achieving a balance between security and accessibility as shown in the image.

On your laptop or main computer, press ‘Windows key + P’ and click on the “Connect to a wireless display” link at the bottom. This may not appear if your PC does not have a Wi-Fi connection or is too old.

Your PC will scan for available displays and then have the ability to ‘Extend or Mirror’ once your PC has found the second monitor (since Windows will see your laptop as a monitor, not a laptop)

As the names suggest, ‘Extend’ will treat the additional screen as an extension of your current setup, giving it more space to use. For its part, ‘Duplicate’ will force the secondary screen to mirror exactly what you have on the main one.

Select the desired option and now you will have your main PC computer linked with the screen of the secondary laptop so that you can manage two screens with the system.

If you happen to have a spare monitor, we also have a guide on how to connect a second screen to your laptop or PC.

Finally, if you want to add a new generation second screen to your PC or laptop

How to use a screen as a collaboration point

You can also use your laptop’s ‘second screen’ as a collaboration point and allow another person to type and use the mouse if paired with your main computer. To do this, proceed as follows.

When you connect the screen, there will be a checkbox that will allow additional input. If you check this box, this monitor will allow input from a mouse or keyboard when linked to another PC.