How to get laptop activity to show up on TV (they're VGA-cable-connected

November 3, 2014 10:55 AM

I just successfully used a VGA to VGA cable to connect my Toshiba Satellite 4-year-old laptop to my TV. Now I see the static desktop background on the TV. But...

that's what stays on the TV screen. In other words, the activity on the laptop is not showing up on the TV screen. My goal is to watch movies via YouTube, Netflix, etc. that I have on my laptop, on the TV -- in other words, to use the TV as a larger monitor.

What do I have to do next to make this happen?

(more background: The laptop has no HDMI port and that's why I didn't connect them that way; I also know that I will need to connect the audio separately)

posted by DMelanogaster to Computers & Internet (5 answers total)

Best answer: You're probably "extending" your desktop onto the TV instead of "mirroring" it. Once you're connected, go into your display settings (probably accessible by right clicking on the desktop somewhere) and find the setting to mirror displays.
posted by brainmouse at 10:59 AM on November 3, 2014 [3 favorites]

If you're using Windows 7, a very easy way to send the current window to a different screen is to hold down the Windows key and Shift and press either the left or right arrow to send the current window to the other screen. This avoids the need to set up the display properties to mirror displays.
posted by ambrosen at 11:03 AM on November 3, 2014

if you actually have extended your desktop, as brainmouse suggests above, an easy test is to try to move your mouse off the edges of your laptop display and over to the extended display. So, try moving off the left/right/top/bottom of the laptop screen and see if your mouse shows up on the TV. if it shows up, you definitely have an "extended" desktop, and you can use that, just move your browser window over to the other screen.
posted by alchemist at 11:03 AM on November 3, 2014

If this is Windows 7, you should be able to hold down the windows key and press P, to cycle through the display options. Sending to the TV alone - as opposed to extending or mirroring - may give better results on a cheap laptop, as the graphics card is only having to run one display.

Some laptops let you hold down a function key, and press one of the number or function keys, to cycle or toggle displays (if so, there should be screen-like symbols on the relevant key(s), of the same color as the function key).
posted by wilko at 11:08 AM on November 3, 2014 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: The mirroring instead of extending thing worked!! thank you., (I'm on XP)
posted by DMelanogaster at 11:25 AM on November 3, 2014