Second monitor not displaying in Windows 11/10 after Update

Most of today’s professions require us to be more efficient. In such a scenario, a second monitor has become a necessity rather than a luxury. Sometimes, Windows machines stop detecting or displaying the second monitor, especially after an update. It could be a Windows Update, NVIDIA driver update, or a simple restart; users have reported the issue of the second monitor not working after the update. If you are also facing the same issue, then read further to know the workarounds to resolve this issue.

Second monitor not displaying in Windows 11/10 after Update

Most of the time it is the driver issue that causes the issue of the second monitor not working after the update. If the Second monitor not displaying in Windows 11/10 after Windows Update, NVIDIA driver update, etc, then follow these suggestions to fix the issue:

Check the Extend option
Review the manual settings of the second monitor
Rollback or the driver to the previous version
Update the driver for the display
Uninstall the problematic Windows Update.

Let’s look at these solutions in more detail.

1] Check the Extend option

It is always good to start with simple solutions to setup the second monitor. If your Windows PC is not able to detect the second monitor, try the following steps.

Press Windows key + P.
This will open the Project pane, which has various options to select.
Click on Extend option from the list.

This will make sure that the second monitor is selected for the display.

Read: Second monitor not detected after Sleep

2] Review the manual settings of the second monitor

If your Windows PC is not able to detect the second monitor, then you can try to do the manual settings for the second monitor. Follow the next steps for the manual settings:

Open the Settings app on your PC.
In the Settings window, click on System
From the left side menu, click on the Display
Now, on the right-side pane, find Multiple displays Click on the Detect button under the heading Multiple Displays.
Windows should automatically detect other monitors or displays on your device.

3] Rollback the Graphics driver to the previous version

If the graphics driver is recently updated, it might cause the issue of the second monitor not working. Sometimes, an updated display driver becomes incompatible with the second monitor. If you have recently updated the device driver, you might want to try the following steps to rollback the driver:

Press Windows Key + X. A list of applications opens on the left side of the screen.
Select Device Manager from this list.
Click on Display Adapters settings and expand to see the available devices.
Right-click on the display adapter then click on Properties.
When the Properties window opens, click on the Driver
From the various buttons listed, click on Roll Back Driver.

Windows will prompt you to provide a reason for the rollback. Choose the appropriate reason and then press Yes.

Note: In case you see the Roll Back Driver option disabled, you may need to go to the display manufacturer’s website and download the previous driver version file.

4] Update the display driver

If you have not updated the driver and are facing this issue, then we suggest you update your Graphics Driver and see if that helps. the above step of rolling back to the older version of the driver does not solve the issue, you may need to update the graphics card.

You may visit your computer manufacturer’s website, or you may visit the graphics hardware manufacturer’s site to download and install them

Read: Where to download NVIDIA drivers for Windows

5] Uninstall the problematic Windows Update

If the issue started after a Windows Update, you could uninstall the problematic Windows Update or restore your computer to a prior good point.

I hope this helps.

Why is my second monitor not getting detected by my PC?

There can be numerous reasons why Windows is not able to detect the second monitor. However, try the basic solutions such as making sure that the cable connecting the PC and the second monitor is secure. Try changing the cable connecting the external monitor. If the new one works, you know the previous cable was faulty. Try using the external monitor with a different system. Also, make sure that your PC has the latest version of the graphics driver. If you have incompatible, corrupt, missing, or outdated drivers, the second monitor is not detected. To solve the issue, you need to update the driver.