Solved: Windows 10 not detecting the second monitor after windows update

The second monitor provides you a smoother experience while working with multiple apps, playing games, etc. And adding a second monitor to your system is usually very easy but sometimes you may experience a Connection problem between the computer and the external display. Few Windows users report, the Second monitor not detected after Windows update, the second monitor detected but not displaying or the dual monitor not working windows 10.

Windows 10 cannot detect the second monitor or Didn’t detect another display

These issues commonly caused by outdated Graphics drivers and installing the latest display/Graphics driver probably help fix if Windows 10 not detecting the second monitor.

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Second monitor not detected windows 10

Firstly restart windows 10 to establish a secure and constant connection.

Check and make sure that the VGA cable connection is properly attached between the graphics card and your monitor. Also check the cable for damage or defeated pins, and try different cables.

If you have a dedicated graphics card installed on your device, then make sure all visual output connections go from there, That means any monitor cables (VGA, HDMI, DVI, whatever) you connect to the motherboard boards (VGA port) won’t work.

Change the project mode

Also, wrong project mode can be the issue of the second monitor not being able to be detected automatically.

Press Windows Key + P, A small column will pop out featuring different types of project mode.
Select the duplicate if you want the same content to be displayed on both of the monitors.
Select extend if you want to extend the workplace.

Manually detect the second Monitor

Try to manually detect the monitor with the help of the Windows Settings app.

Press Windows key + I to open Settings.
Click on System then Display Tab
Scroll down and look for the Multiple displays option then click on Detect.

If its a Wireless Display Monitor then you need to follow the steps below.

Press Windows Key + I to open Settings.
Click on Devices then Bluetooth & other devices
Click on Add Bluetooth or other device then click on Wireless display or dock. Make sure your Wireless Display is discoverable.
Select the desired external display from the list.
Proceed forward with the instructions provided on the screen.

Update the display graphics driver

Most of the time windows 10 can’t detect the second display if the video card or graphics card does not have the latest drivers. Check for and update outdated, malfunctioned, or corrupted graphics driver which is currently not compatible with Windows 10.

Note: First try to update the Graphics driver, If it didn’t fix the problem we recommend Rollback Driver (If the problem started after a recent Graphics driver update) or download and Reinstall the graphics driver from the manufacturer site.

Right-click on the Start Menu then tap on Device Manager Option.
Expand Display Adapters, list of display (Graphics) drivers will pop up
Right-click on the display adapter and select Update Driver.
Click on Search Automatically for Updated Driver Software.
Windows will try to automatically update the device drivers with the latest version.
Once done restart your PC and try add the second monitor again.

Rolling back graphics driver

Note: if the problem started after Reinstall Graphics driver update then try the rollback driver option that reverts back graphics driver to its previous version.

Reinstall Graphics driver

Also, try to reinstall the graphics driver which might be not functional or corrupted. Follow the steps below to download and install the latest graphics driver from the manufacturer’s site.

Press Windows key + R, type devmgmt.msc and click ok,
This will open the device manager, and display all installed device driver list,
Double-click on the option “Display Adapters”, right-click the particular adapter and then choose the option “Uninstall device.”
Checkmark on Delete the driver software for this device and click uninstall.
And restart your Device completely remove the graphics driver.

Now right click on the start menu select device manager,
Click on the action tab then select scan for hardware changes to install the basic display driver.

Now visit the Graphics driver manufacture site, download the latest Graphics driver version on your PC and install it. After that restart your PC and again try to connect the second monitor.

Change Screen Refresh Rate

On Windows computer, the refresh rate refers to the number of times your screen refreshes the images in a second. And some Graphics cards don’t support Two monitors with the different refresh rates. Also, few windows users report changing the frequency on the monitor helps them to fix this problem as well.