Let's walk through the steps to set up a second display when using Windows 11. We'll cover the basics of getting your second (or third) display set up and customized to your liking.

First, start by plugging in your extra displays and make sure they're powered on.


Connect to an External Display

Press the Windows key and the letter P (WIN + P) on your keyboard. This will reveal a side panel where you can select your screen configuration:


Here's a quick explanation of your options:

  • PC Screen Only- Only your primary display will be enabled; all secondary screens, monitors, and projectors will be dark. This can be useful if you're presenting and you don't want participants to be able to see your screen.
  • Duplicate- Your primary and secondary screens will mirror one another, displaying the same thing. This can be useful for presentations or for demos.
  • Extend- This setting extends your desktop across all of the displays you have enabled. If you're using a second monitor on your desk, this is probably the setting you want to use.
  • Second Screen Only- This will keep your primary display dark while only using your secondary display. This is useful if you have a closed laptop attached to a docking station, since you don't want Windows to use your laptop's screen.

Configuring Your Secondary Displays
1. To adjust your screens' orientation and screen resolution, you'll want to open the Display Settings pane. You can reach this by hitting the Windows key, typing "Display Settings", and hitting Enter. 
You can also open the Start menu and clicking the Settings icon:


After clicking on the gear icon, choose 'System' from the left-hand menu, then select 'Display'.




2. In the basic systems preference pane, you can drag the screens around to orient them to how your monitors are arranged. If you need to identify which screen is which (they're only identified with numbers), click on 'Identify' and each screen will display its designated number. 



3. If you want to adjust properties of an individual screen (like its orientation or resolution), first click on the monitor's icon, then adjust the settings down below.



4. To change the displays' resolution, color settings, and other advanced features, scroll down until you see those options:





How about Three Screens?

It's pretty much the same deal. If you have a laptop, desktop, or docking station that will support two additional screens, you can re-arrange and configure them using the Display Settings preference pane: