When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
How to connect 3 monitors to a laptop docking station – Getting Started
When connecting 3 external monitors, most people choose to go with the docking station as it gives easy access to building a setup of the multi-monitor laptop.
Using such a setup is simple, clean, and functional.
Furthermore, the docking station is a perfect device to connect multiple monitors.
This article will teach you the steps for connecting 3 external monitors to a laptop docking station.
But, before we dive further into the topic, look at the definition of a docking station and its purpose.
What is a docking station?
The docking station refers to the device that allows multiple computer peripherals and accessories to connect to the laptop.
The entire setup works with the use of a single connection point. The docking station will give the laptop access to multiple devices.
This connection includes monitors, printers, audio devices, mice, and keyboards. You can connect all these accessories to the station and then access it by laptop.
You can effortlessly connect and disconnect the laptop at times from the docking station with the help of just a single connection cable.
Popularly called the docking port, the cable allows the laptop to function as a desktop computer. It will also maintain the mobility of the laptop. Overall, the setup becomes a multi-monitor.
Things you must consider before building the setup
Many modern Windows laptops support dual monitors directly and, with a docking station, can often support three or more monitors. But it’s essential to check a few parameters for adding more than two.
1. You must check the graphic card. A graphic card that can support multiple monitors will only fulfill the objective.
Many modern graphics cards and integrated graphics solutions support multiple outputs, allowing for more than two monitors. It’s essential to check your laptop’s graphics card or integrated graphics specifications to confirm the number of supported displays. You must check the graphic cards’ properties and the manufacturer’s instructions.
Checking the specifications will ensure that it will favor the connection of multiple devices. If you find that the graphics card fails to meet the objective, it is essential to install another.
2. You must check the ports available on the laptop. Usually, the computer or laptop includes a display port, digital video interface, video graphics array, and high-definition multimedia interface ports.
While checking, remember that the laptop and monitors should have all four corresponding ports.
Let’s look at the steps to connect 3 monitors to a laptop docking station.
Step 1. Observe the ports
Before shoving the wires on the laptop’s docking, observing the ports you need is good.
While examining the sides of the device, you can see more than one port. If you see that there are only two ports, it means that the device is capable of sending and receiving the signal.
If your laptop has limited ports, a docking station can extend its connectivity, enabling you to connect multiple monitors even if the computer has only one or two video outputs. For that, you have to flip the side of the laptop and immediately pop out the back cover to check the available slots.
They must be fit for the extra video card. For building the setup, you must have a laptop that will allow the extension of the functionality.
With the help of a docking station, the multimedia mode compatibility will allow the connection of the three different monitors to the docking station for the laptop.
Step 2. Customize Video Card
In this step, you have to customize the video card settings.
If your docking station has three ports but you’re unsure how to enable all monitors simultaneously, you’ll need to adjust your graphics settings. This often involves configuring your display settings through the operating system to recognize and utilize all connected displays.
So, you have to check the compatibility of the video card to display multiple monitors.
The quickest procedure is to plug in the monitor directly and click on the start menu. Here, you have to type “display to change the display settings.
The display setting window will show you that multiple displays are popping up with some disabled options. Some will be set at the primary display, while others will be set as a secondary display.
Now, you must click on the advanced display settings at the bottom of the window. If you want to check the number of monitors connected to the graphics card, looking at the number of different monitors plugged in is mandatory.
Step 3. Open display manager
To configure multiple monitors, right-click on your desktop and select ‘Display settings’ (for Windows). Here, you can identify and arrange your monitors as needed. Ensure your graphics drivers are up to date to support multi-monitor setups effectively.
Step 4. Connect to the docking station
This is the last step, where you must connect the three monitors to the laptop docking.
You may need USB display adapters to connect three monitors, especially if your docking station or laptop lacks sufficient video outputs. Depending on your monitor’s input options, these adapters convert USB ports into video outputs like HDMI, DVI, or VGA. Now, you can connect the USB port and the display adapter to the laptop docking.
The handy device comes along with an adapter. The type is DVI or VGA. It is dependent upon the requirement for connection with the monitor.
Summing it up
Successfully connecting three monitors to a laptop via a docking station depends on the laptop’s video output capabilities, the docking station’s ports and features, and having the right adapters if necessary. Ensure all components are compatible and properly configured for a seamless multi-monitor setup.
See Also