How to Use Your TV as a Secondary Monitor

In this guide, Mytour will show you how to connect your TV to your computer and use it as an additional screen. After linking your Mac or Windows computer to your TV with the correct cable, you can adjust the display settings on your computer to manage how the TV displays your screen.

Locate the video output port on your computer. Almost all computers have at least one video output port:

• Windows
  • HDMI – A six-sided, tapered connector. It transmits both video and audio.
  • DisplayPort – Similar to a USB port, but with one corner narrowed. It carries both video and audio.
  • VGA – A blue trapezoidal port with multiple holes inside. VGA only transmits video. You will need a separate cable (such as an A/V cable) to transmit audio.
• Mac
  • HDMI – Common on Macs manufactured between 2012 and 2016. It is also found at the back of iMac computers.
  • Thunderbolt 3 (also known as "USB-C") – Found on both sides of modern MacBooks and at the back of iMacs. While you can't directly connect a USB-C cable to your TV, you can buy an adapter to convert USB-C to HDMI.

Locate the TV's video input options. Video input ports are typically found on the side or rear of the TV. Almost all modern TVs feature an HDMI port. If your TV has one, it's recommended to use it.

• DVI, VGA, and A/V are also common input ports.

Determine if you need an adapter. If both your computer and TV have the same type of port (such as HDMI), you won't need an adapter. Otherwise, you'll need a cable or an adapter to convert from [computer port] to [TV port] (for example, USB-C to HDMI).

• In some cases, like USB-C to HDMI or VGA to HDMI, a simple cable might suffice instead of an adapter.

Purchase the necessary cables and adapters. You can typically find cables and adapters at tech stores like Best Buy or shop online on platforms like Amazon and eBay.

Connect one end of the cable to your computer. The cable should be plugged into the video output port on your computer.

Plug the other end into the TV.

• If you're using an adapter to connect two separate cables, connect the computer cable to one end of the adapter and then link the other end of the adapter to the second cable, which you will then connect to the TV.

Connect an audio cable if necessary. If you're connecting your computer to the TV via HDMI to HDMI or DisplayPort to HDMI, no additional cables are needed to transmit audio. However, for setups like connecting VGA to HDMI, you will need a separate audio cable to transmit sound from your computer to the TV.

• Use a standard mm stereo cable to connect the computer's audio output port to the corresponding audio input on the TV, matching the video input used. The computer's audio output port is typically green and has an icon indicating it sends signals out.

Select the correct input. Use the remote to turn on the TV and switch it to the input mode that the computer is transmitting to. This option is usually clearly displayed, such as 'HDMI 1' or '1'.

• You can also use the Input or Video button on the TV to cycle through the supported input options.

Wait for the computer screen to appear. Once the computer display appears on the TV, you can begin adjusting the display settings to configure the TV screen as desired.

Go to System (System). This icon, resembling a computer, is located in the Settings window.

Click on the Display (Display). This option is found on the top left corner of the Display window.

Scroll down to the 'Multiple displays' section. This section can be found near the bottom of the page.

Nhấp vào hộp "Multiple displays" được thả xuống. Một trình đơn sẽ được thả xuống.

Nhấp vào Extend these displays (Mở rộng những màn hình này). Đây là tùy chọn nằm trong hộp được thả xuống. Màn hình TV sẽ hoạt động như là một phần nối tiếp của màn hình máy tính (thay vì chỉ đơn thuần hiển thị lại).

Sử dụng màn hình TV được mở rộng của bạn. Khi đưa chuột quá mép phải màn hình máy tính, chuột của bạn sẽ chạy qua màn hình TV và lúc này, bạn có thể tiếp tục sử dụng máy tính như bình thường.

• Mọi nội dung trên màn hình máy tính vẫn giữ nguyên như trước khi mở rộng màn hình hiển thị.
• Xem TV như một màn hình nằm ngay bên phải màn hình máy tính của bạn.

Nhấn System Preferences… (Tùy chọn Hệ thống). Tùy chọn này nằm gần đầu trình đơn được thả xuống. Cửa sổ System Prefrences sẽ xuất hiện.

Adjust the TV's resolution. Select the "Scaled" option and choose a resolution.

• You cannot select a resolution higher than the TV's built-in resolution (e.g., 4K).

Adjust the display scale. Click and drag the "Underscan" slider at the bottom of the page to the left to show more content on the TV, or to the right to zoom in the display.

• This allows you to adjust the Mac screen to fit the TV, in case the image on the TV is too large or small.

Uncheck the "Mirror displays" box. This will prevent the TV from merely duplicating what's on the Mac screen.

• Skip this step if the box is already unchecked.

Move the TV screen icon if needed. This is usually the larger rectangle at the top of the window, to the right of the Mac screen icon. You can click and drag the TV icon to the right if necessary.

• The screen icon with the white bar on top represents your Mac screen.

Use the extended TV screen. Move the cursor beyond the right edge of the Mac screen to transfer it to the TV. From here, you can continue working on your computer as usual.

• All content on the Mac screen remains the same as it was before extending the display.

• Extended screens are often used for activities like gaming or completing audio recordings.
• Windows users can change their display mode anytime by pressing ⊞ Win+P to open the "PROJECT" menu.

• Not all TVs perform well when used as extended displays: Older LCD TVs may experience issues like screen flickering or graphical glitches, such as tearing when moving the cursor between the computer screen and the TV screen.