Laptop makers sometimes don’t want to clutter the clean lines of their products by adding additional logos, it seems.Īdding to the confusion, you may also see USB-C hubs marketed as “Thunderbolt compatible.” That’s true. But some laptop makers use a similar lightning-bolt icon to indicate that a USB-C port can be used for charging your phone, and not for Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt ports are supposed to have a small lightning-bolt icon to identify them. Put another way, all Thunderbolt ports are USB-C, but not all USB-C ports are Thunderbolt-equipped. A Thunderbolt port may look indistinguishable from a USB-C port, since they both use the same physical USB-C connection. The short answer: Look at the laptop’s published specifications to be sure. How do I know if my laptop has Thunderbolt? If you’re on the fence about whether a Thunderbolt dock is right for you, knowing the answers to the following questions could help. Consulting the manufacturing specifications is your safest bet. Which laptop offers Thunderbolt? The top one, though it can be difficult to tell. You will now have everything set up for multiple displays.Two laptops, both with USB-C ports, and both with lightning-bolt symbols. You can now close the display settings.This will help with arranging the monitors in the settings to ensure they are extending properly between laptop and external monitors. A large number will appear on each display to correspond to the display settings numbers to identify each monitor. Return to the Select and rearrange displays area and select the Identify button.Scroll down until you see the Multiple displays section to ensure that you have it set to Extend these displays to extend the display across the monitors. You will now see three monitors available to select and arrange.Go to your Display Settings by right clicking on an empty portion of your desktop screen and then select Display settings.Connect the second external monitor that you want to use to the docking station. You should hear a jingle to indicate that it has connected successfully and is recognized. Connect the docking station to the computer.The dock may include an installation CD, otherwise please refer to the manufacturer’s website for downloadable drivers.
You may also need to install drivers onto the computer for the dock to fully function. Be sure to check what connections your laptop supports. There are universal docking stations that will work with most systems.ĭocks may connect to USB-A, USB-C, or Thunderbolt ports.
How to connect Multiple Displays to a Laptop using a Dockĭescription: This article will show you how to connect multiple displays to a laptop computer by using a docking station. Help options - 4 groups of items - 12 total selections PC Parts options - 11 groups of items - 49 total selectionsĮlectronics options - 12 groups of items - 60 total selectionsĪccessories options - 10 groups of items - 50 total selections