Laptops are great for portability, but they often have small screens. While you may easily connect an external monitor to your Windows laptop to get more screen real estate, this can sometimes cause unexpected problems, such as lag or performance issues.
Below, we will explore several effective troubleshooting tips that can help resolve performance issues with your Windows laptop when it is connected to an external display.
1. Make Sure Your Laptop Is Compatible With the External Monitor
One of the most common reasons why your Windows laptop may lag is if it lacks the minimum hardware requirements to support the monitor. This usually happens when your laptop’s graphics card isn’t powerful enough to handle the monitor’s resolution. Trylowering the resolution of the external monitorto see if that resolves the lag.
2. Change the Screen Refresh Rate
A monitor’s refresh rate is how many times per second the screen updates the image. If your laptop’s graphics card or integrated graphics is not powerful enough to handle the monitor’s higher refresh rate, it may have difficulty keeping up with the increased frame output, which can cause stuttering or tearing in the image.
you’re able to try changing the refresh rate for your monitor to see if that solves the problem.
3. Run the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter
Windows’ Hardware and Devices troubleshooter can help fix all kinds of issues with your external devices. It can scan your system for any irregularities and attempt to resolve them.
To run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter on Windows:
Allow the troubleshooter to detect any issues and fix them. After that, check if your Windows laptop still lags when connected to an external monitor.
4. Close Unnecessary Apps and Programs
It is likely that the performance issues you are experiencing are caused by the apps and programs running on your PC. you’re able to try closing unwanted apps and programs to see if that solves the problem.
PressCtrl + Shift + Escto open the Task Manager. In theProcessestab, locate and select the program you don’t need and click theEnd taskoption at the top. Close all unwanted apps and programs and check if you still experience lag.
5. Try Some Generic Fixes
Still having problems? Don’t fret, you can try the following generic solutions to solve the problem.
No More Lag When Using an External Monitor With Your Windows Laptop
As with most Windows problems, there’s no single fix that will work for everyone. That said, applying the above tips should resolve any issues that may have been causing your Windows laptop to lag or slow down when you connect an external monitor.
