If BIOS is not showing on an external monitor while using a laptop or desktop computer, here is how to fix the issue. You might often need to change settings in the BIOS to make things work for you. If you do not want to display the BIOS page on the main display but want to show it on the external display, it might not work at first. That is why you must change a specific setting to get the job done.
In simple words, your computer displays everything on the primary monitor. No matter how many monitors you have connected to your computer, there is only one primary monitor. This particular monitor displays all the important things, such as BIOS, your login screen, etc. Also, it does not matter if you have used HDMI, DVI-D, or VGA cable to connect your monitors; only Windows determines your primary monitor.
There could be times when you might want to show the BIOS on an external monitor or secondary monitor. Let’s say you have a partially broken primary monitor, and you want to make some changes in the BIOS. In such situations, you can follow this guide to show BIOS on an external monitor.
Fix BIOS not showing on external monitor
If BIOS is not showing on an external monitor, follow these steps:
- Press Win+I to open Windows Settings.
- Make sure you are on the System tab.
- Click on the Display menu.
- Expand the Multiple displays section.
- Select the secondary monitor.
- Tick the Make this my main display checkbox.
To get started, you need to open the Windows Settings panel. Although there are so many ways, you can use the Win+I keyboard shortcut to get it done. Then, ensure that you are on the System tab. If so, click on the Display menu visible on the right-hand side.
Here, you can find all the connected monitors in one place. You need to expand the Multiple displays section first.
Then, choose the external monitor or second monitor and tick the Make this my main display checkbox.
From now onward, your computer will display BIOS on the external monitor. However, if it doesn’t work, you can try these solutions:
- Change the cable order. Let’s assume that you have two monitors – one of them is connected via DVI-D cable, and another one is connected via HDMI cable. At present, the HDMI cable’s monitor is set as the primary monitor, and it is where the BIOS appears. If so, use the HDMI port to connect the present external monitor and use the DVI-D port to connect the primary monitor.
- Update your graphics driver. In some cases, an old version of the graphics driver might not apply the change, as said earlier. That is why you must install the latest version of the driver.
That’s all! I hope it helped.
Read: Dell BIOS Update not installing, Your security settings could not be detected
Why is my external monitor not showing BIOS?
By default, your system doesn’t show BIOS on the external monitor since it is changeable. You need to make your external monitor as the primary monitor. On the other hand, you can also make the change by switching the display port.
Can BIOS be displayed on external monitor?
Yes, BIOS can be displayed on an external monitor. Although it doesn’t do that while carrying the factory defaults, you need to make some changes to get it done. For example, you need to change your primary monitor. If it doesn’t work, you can change the display port order.
