HDMI is the standard connection used by most televisions and monitors, and should be familiar to most people. Be aware, however, as there are variants. There are micro-HDMI and even mini-HDMI connectors, as well as the standard full size, so make sure you select the right cable. Some systems will use a USB-C or Thunderbolt™ 3 port to output video to an external display. Use the instructions below to configure your system to output video to an external display. Make sure your PC, the external display, and the cable all support DisplayPort or MHL alternate modes.

If you're in the market for a new laptop, be sure to have a look at our best business laptops guide, as we always value devices with plenty of connectivity options. A battery icon with a warning on it appears in the system tray to indicate that a slow charger is connected, and the battery is discharging. The Slow charger notification might appear too. Chargers that don't have a standard USB Type-C connector might use a proprietary, nonstandard connector that your PC doesn’t support. DisplayPort (we recommend at least 1.2 or higher for best results) is the choice of graphic designers, animators and other creative types. If your monitor uses DisplayPort, but you only have HDMI on your laptop, that’s no problem, as there’s a cable for that.

Interfaces

At the same time, if you are on a Windows system and have more than one DisplayPort-compatible monitor, you can also use the MST mode to daisy chain both the monitors. Make sure the device or dongle is connected to the USB-C port on your PC (or phone) that supports the features of the device or dongle. For example, if you're connecting a Thunderbolt device, make sure it’s connected to the USB-C port on your PC (or phone) that supports Thunderbolt. Terms Apply. Promotion ends 3 December 2023. Items are subject to availability. Max 5 units per customer.

As technology continues to progress and new standards are created, it’s becoming more frequent to find difficulties in achieving the result you want. This also applies to monitors. The everyday, casual, user might not be familiar with USB-C, DisplayPort, or HDMI, and it’s not always clear for them. Your PC is providing power to other devices, so it has temporarily limited the power it provides to the device you just connected to. Make sure your PC (or phone), the external display, and the cable all support DisplayPort or MHL alternate modes. The MHL Alternate Mode lets you project video and play audio on an external display that supports MHL. Note: This applies to all the error codes shown in Device Manager except error Code 28 (drivers for the device aren’t installed).

Functions / Device Type

The USB device that you connected to reported a problem, or there’s a problem with the device driver. For USB Power Delivery, DisplayPort over USB-C cables can provide up to 100 watts. This is convenient for laptop users, as it's possible to maintain your laptop's charge via the connection to the monitor, meaning it's unnecessary to drag the charger around with you. Again, it has standard looks and doesn’t have fancy frills like the braided exterior, textured connectors, and the likes. It’s a simple USB-C to DisplayPort cable, and that’s about it. It’s more likely than not that your device is fairly ancient if you ever find yourself having to use VGA. This once-ubiquitous connector can be identified by its shape - a trapeze with rounded edges, and the cable head, which is typically blue with screw prongs on either side. It also uses a 15-pin connector, with 5 pins across three rows.