How Do I Extend Two Monitors with One VGA Port?

Using two monitors has become a typical setup, especially when people started realizing how convenient it is to see all their apps in one glance. 

You don’t have to be annoyed switching from one window to another. Plus, you even increase your productivity! 

If your computer or primary monitor has two VGA ports, then you can just go ahead and connect one VGA adaptor  to each port and get going. 

Unfortunately, not a lot of computers have two VGA ports. But don’t worry, there is another way for you to have a dual monitor setup. 

Keep reading to know how to set this up. 

Does a VGA Splitter Allow an Extended Desktop?

There is some debate on whether a VGA splitter can allow for an extended desktop. In other words, if you can use your second screen as an extension of the primary monitor. 

If you’re only using a VGA splitter, then no, you can’t extend your primary monitor to the second monitor. All it can do is mirror the first monitor. 

However, if you have a video card that allows for extended monitors, then you can automatically extend your view to the second monitor. 

As a best practice, we recommend checking your graphics card, video card, and your PC’s specs so that you can determine if it can support dual monitors. 

For some, the maximum their PC’s specs can do is a dual monitor setup. If you need a third monitor to extend to, you need a graphics card that allows for two or more video outputs. 

How to Extend Two Monitors with One VGA Port?

Having only one VGA port is common and if you check your computer now, there’s a big chance that you only have one. 

There’s an easy workaround to this, but you’ll need a VGA splitter  to do so. 

A VGA splitter looks like a letter ‘Y’ where there’s one VGA male connector on one end and two female connectors on the other end. 

Note that when you buy a VGA splitter, the VGA cables to be connected to your monitors are sold separately. 

Connecting the VGA Splitter

Once you have a VGA splitter, the first thing that you have to do is turn off the monitors. If your primary monitor is a computer, then turn it off as well. 

Connect one VGA cable to the VGA port of your computer. If you have a desktop PC, you’ll find the port at the back of the CPU.

To tighten the VGA cable to the port, twist the screws until the cable is securely fastened. 

Once you’re done with that, connect another VGA cable to one of the female connectors. Connect the other end to the back of your monitor and make sure they’re fastened together. 

Do the same thing to the other female connector connecting the other VGA cable to your second monitor. 

When all the connections are tightened, you can now turn on your computer and monitors. 

Mirroring Your Monitor

For some computers, they automatically identify the new monitor. If this happens, you will see the second monitor mirror your computer’s desktop wallpaper. 

If this doesn’t happen, don’t worry. 

The first thing you have to do is go to the second monitor and choose the input source. If it’s a TV you’re using, press ‘Input’ on the remote and pick ‘VGA’. 

The next thing to do is go to your primary monitor and right-click on your desktop wallpaper. Pick ‘Screen Resolution’ or ‘Display Settings’, whichever is available. 

Clicking that will open a window that will show you two representations of the monitors. Depending on your setup, you can drag and drop these icons to rearrange the monitor organization. 

For example, if your primary monitor is on the right, make sure that the screen icon labeled as ‘1’ will be on the right-hand side of the screen icon labeled as ‘2’.

When you’ve arranged the screens, scroll below until you find ‘Multiple displays’. From here, you can choose to mirror displays. 

Are there Other Ways to Connect Two Monitors with One VGA Port?

Yes, there are! But these methods no longer use a VGA splitter. 

Here are the two popular alternatives to try. 

Connecting via HDMI

HDMI cables are pretty handy, especially for newer computers and home theater devices. Most monitors will have an HDMI port too. 

So if you have a spare HDMI cable , you can just plug one end of it into your computer’s HDMI port and the other to the second monitor’s HDMI port. 

Similar to connecting via VGA, you have to go to ‘Display Settings’. This lets you rearrange your monitors based on how they are set up.

For HDMI connections, you can choose to mirror or extend your screen. 

Connecting via USB to HDMI

You’re still going to need an HDMI cable for this, but the difference is that you’ll need another accessory: a USB to HDMI adapter .

This is ideal if your laptop doesn’t have an HDMI port because what this device does is let you use a USB cable to connect your computer or laptop to a second monitor that has an HDMI port. 

All you have to do is connect the USB end to the USB port on your computer. After that, you connect an HDMI cable (not usually included with an HDMI adapter) to the adapter and the monitor’s port. 

Conclusion

Having two monitors can be a great productivity improvement. And even if you have one VGA port, you can still get to enjoy this dual-monitor setup. 

Keep in mind that a VGA splitter is not enough, so you have to check your PC’s specs to know if it can accommodate a dual monitor setup. If it can’t, you have to buy a graphics card that allows for this feature. 

Once you have that, you can just plug your VGA cables into a VGA splitter, and you can now extend your screen.