Connecting to External Displays – Student Technology Assistants

The Digital Learning and Scholarship area has a selection of both public computers and external displays. Our public PCs and Macs, equipped with licensed software such as Adobe Creative Cloud, MATLAB, and more, are now all on the middle island, while the side islands host our external monitors. You can connect your device to these external monitors and have either an extended display (an additional screen with different displayed content) or a mirrored display (the same content that is on your device’s screen is displayed, but appears on a larger, nicer screen). Here, we’ll walk you through how to connect your device.

1: Ensure the HDMI cable is plugged into the monitor

At the back of the monitor, locate the HDMI port and ensure the connection is there and secure. Sometimes, when monitors are moved around, the cable disconnects. The cable port and the cable head will say “HDMI”. If unplugged or loose, plug it back in and secure. The port looks kind-of trapezoidal.

2: Connect your device

Locate the other, free end of the cable, and locate your HDMI port on your device. This looks like the port on the monitor, shown above.

If your device does not have this port, use the attached USB-C adapter to connect the free end of the HDMI cable into your device.

3: Make sure the external display is powered on

Press the button at the back of the monitor, at the bottom right corner. It has an on/off icon next to it and is flush with the screen. The screen should power on.

4: Adjust screen settings if necessary

By default, your screen should be duplicated onto the monitor. You can also change the settings to change how the external monitor is used. Duplicating just means the same screen on your laptop will be on the monitor.

Extending the display is like a dual-monitor setup, where you can drag things between the monitors.

On Windows, navigate to these settings:

Settings > System > Display, or hit the Windows key and type “Duplicate”.