Convert Any Laptop Into A Dual-Screen Laptop: How To Do It

You can work (or play) whenever and wherever you want thanks to laptop computers, which are wonderful portable devices. Their small screen size, when compared to a dual monitor desktop, unfortunately limits your productivity. However, what if you could consume that while you’re on the go?

Dual-screen laptops are cool but pricey

There are many innovative laptop designs with multiple screens at the high end of the market. A brilliant secondary touch screen is revealed when you open the Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo, located above the keyboard.

The Lenovo Yogabook i9’s sleek design incorporates a full vertical dual-monitor setup with the option to switch to a side-by-side portrait setup if you’d prefer.

Do you really want to spend a fortune on one of these fantastic productivity and entertainment laptops just to add a second screen? The good news is that you have lots of options for expanding your mobile laptop’s screen without getting a brand-new one!

Use a Portable Monitor Instead

Since they are not connected to a laptop, portable monitors are essentially laptops. Although the 15.4-inch size is the most popular, other sizes are also offered. While some of these monitors can be powered by USB, others have HDMI or other conventional display inputs.

These screens are small enough to fit into the same laptop bag or sleeve as your computer and don’t require batteries. Therefore, all that is left to do is take out the screen, plug it in, and start working.

Mount a Laptop Screen Extender

Although portable monitors are fantastic for turning your single-screen laptop into a productivity monster, they have a space disadvantage. They cannot be used on your lap, for one thing, and there may not always be enough table surface for the monitor to stand on, for another.

A laptop screen “extender” can be useful in this situation. The device that joins the extra screens to the main laptop body is a monitor system, also referred to as a monitor mounting system. Your laptop’s footprint is unaffected because the additional monitors don’t touch the floor.

Yes, we did say monitors since these extenders have triple-monitor setups. Naturally, this begs the question of whether your laptop can support the weight of a second monitor connected to it. However, if you’re using an ultra-thin and light laptop, check to see if it’s officially compatible. Most of the time, these monitors are so light that they easily fit within the weight capacity of the primary screen. Otherwise, contact the extender manufacturer and inquire whether their product is compatible with your computer.

Make Your Smartphone or Tablet a Secondary Display

You can also use your existing iPad or Android tablet with your laptop as an extended USB or wireless screen if you already have one. You can choose between using Apple’s Sidecar or a third-party solution when using an iPad. Apple’s more recent Universal Control feature, however, might be a more effective way to link an iPad and a Mac.

Although there isn’t a straightforward fix for Android tablet owners, some models, like Samsung Galaxy tablets, do have solutions that are comparable. If your Android tablet doesn’t have a brand-specific solution, don’t worry; apps like Duet Display work with any tablet that satisfies the app’s requirements.

Also: Apple in 2023: iPhone 15 Ultra, MacBook Pro 2023 And Everything Expected

Consider using a VR headset

The final method for adding more monitors to your laptop may appear a little out of the ordinary, but you can use a virtual reality headset like the Quest 2 to create a virtual workspace with multiple virtual desktops. You’re not using your laptop’s monitor in this case, but rather creating a virtual workstation without dragging around multiple physical screens.

We don’t recommend using this solution in public places like coffee shops or airport lounges, but it’s a fantastic solution for a private workspace like a hotel room. Virtual Desktop and Immersed are the two most important apps to be aware of.