Share via

New second Screen Not working on a Serface laptop

Alice Thorogood 0 Reputation points
2026-01-14T13:33:38.5333333+00:00

Finally bought a new second screen.

All plugged in with a HDMI to USB adapter. The screen flashes up with "No signal" and the sound on my laptop switches off. The Laptop doesn't detect another display.
Can you help?

Surface | Surface Laptop | Display and screen
0 comments

2 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Thomas4-N 10,990 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-02-01T10:18:38.5566667+00:00

    Hello Alice Thorogood, welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

    Based on the symptoms you described, this looks more like an adapter compatibility problem rather than a Windows or monitor fault.

    Surface laptops do not output video over a standard HDMI‑to‑USB adapter. USB‑A ports do not carry a video signal, so those adapters can only work if they are DisplayLink‑based (and have the DisplayLink driver installed), or if you are using USB‑C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode.

    Here's what you need to check:

    • If the adapter plugs into USB‑A, it will only work if it explicitly supports DisplayLink and the DisplayLink driver is installed.
    • For best compatibility, use a USB‑C to HDMI/DisplayPort adapter that supports DisplayPort Alt Mode, or a Surface Dock / Designed for Surface adapter.
    • Make sure the external monitor input is set to the correct HDMI or DisplayPort source.
    • After connecting a supported adapter, press Win + P and choose Extend or Duplicate.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".  

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. 

  2. Q&A Assist
    2026-01-14T13:33:49.2766667+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    It sounds like you're experiencing an issue with your Surface laptop not detecting the second screen. Here are some troubleshooting steps you can try:

    1. Check Connections: Ensure that the HDMI to USB adapter is securely connected to both the laptop and the second screen. Sometimes, a loose connection can cause the "No signal" message.
    2. Power on the Monitor: Make sure that the second screen is powered on and set to the correct input source (HDMI).
    3. Display Settings: On your Surface laptop, right-click on the desktop and select "Display settings". Check if the second screen is detected. If it is not, try clicking on "Detect" to see if the laptop can find the monitor.
    4. Update Drivers: Ensure that your graphics drivers are up to date. You can do this by going to Device Manager, expanding the "Display adapters" section, right-clicking on your graphics card, and selecting "Update driver".
    5. Try a Different Adapter or Cable: If possible, test with another HDMI cable or a different adapter to rule out any issues with the current hardware.
    6. Restart the Laptop: Sometimes, a simple restart can resolve detection issues.

    If none of these steps work, there may be a hardware issue with the adapter or the second screen itself.

    References:

    0 comments

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.