You need a HDMI-to-VGA adapter. Your laptop is outputting an HDMI signal which has to be converted to VGA.
Some connectors are physically different, but use identical signaling - in these cases a passive adapter is sufficient. Passive means there's no signal transformation necessary. It's just two different connectors wired together. For example, DVI-A is just repackaged VGA (aka D-Sub) and they can be passively adapted both ways. Similarly HDMI uses the same signaling as DVI-D, so you can convert between them without any electronics - just wires.
HDMI and VGA are completely incompatible, so you need an active adapter which will decode the HDMI signal and produce equivalent VGA signal.
You may be tempted to use a passive HDMI→DVI adapter and then a passive DVI→VGA adapter, but this won't work. HDMI would be converted into DVI-D, and the second adapter needs DVI-A input. DVI-D and DVI-A use physically compatible connectors, but the signal won't go through.
Note that while active adapters are directional (HDMI→VGA is completely different than VGA→HDMI), passive adapters are usually not. As long as passive adapter's plugs physically fit, it will work in both directions. So for example a HDMI→DVI adapter would work for DVI→HDMI too.
Answer from gronostaj on Stack ExchangeYou need a HDMI-to-VGA adapter. Your laptop is outputting an HDMI signal which has to be converted to VGA.
Some connectors are physically different, but use identical signaling - in these cases a passive adapter is sufficient. Passive means there's no signal transformation necessary. It's just two different connectors wired together. For example, DVI-A is just repackaged VGA (aka D-Sub) and they can be passively adapted both ways. Similarly HDMI uses the same signaling as DVI-D, so you can convert between them without any electronics - just wires.
HDMI and VGA are completely incompatible, so you need an active adapter which will decode the HDMI signal and produce equivalent VGA signal.
You may be tempted to use a passive HDMI→DVI adapter and then a passive DVI→VGA adapter, but this won't work. HDMI would be converted into DVI-D, and the second adapter needs DVI-A input. DVI-D and DVI-A use physically compatible connectors, but the signal won't go through.
Note that while active adapters are directional (HDMI→VGA is completely different than VGA→HDMI), passive adapters are usually not. As long as passive adapter's plugs physically fit, it will work in both directions. So for example a HDMI→DVI adapter would work for DVI→HDMI too.
Many people get this the wrong way round.
Signals go from > to
You might think you're connecting your display to your computer, but you're not. You're connecting the computer to the display.
This means your signal goes from the computer to the display - that's an HDMI to VGA connection.
HDMI is a digital format, VGA is an analog format, so any connector you get must be an active connector.
Trying to connect my dads laptop to his monitor. It doesn't have HDMI. I bought this VGA to HDMI adapater, but it didn't work. The laptop connects fine to my own monitor. My monitor doesn't have a VGA port to test on.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GZ159FJ?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
Would I have more luck with a different adaptor? Or should he just get a monitor with hdmi?
Videos
Are you saying you are using a HDMI - VGA cable?
A simple HDMI to VGA cable almost never works, because HDMI is digital and VGA is analog, and a passive cable cannot convert the signal.
To go from HDMI to VGA, the cable must include an active digital to analog converter, or you need to get a converter instead.
Most cheap HDMI to VGA cables are passive and those will not work.
To connect your laptop to a second monitor using both HDMI and VGA, follow these steps:
- Check Connections: Ensure that both the HDMI and VGA cables are securely connected to both your laptop and the monitor. Sometimes, a loose connection can prevent detection.
- Select the Correct Input Source: On your monitor, use the buttons to navigate the menu and select the correct input source. Make sure to choose either HDMI or VGA, depending on which cable you want to use. If you have both connected, try switching between them to see if one works.
- Detect Display in Windows: On your laptop, right-click on the desktop and select Display settings. Scroll down and click on the Detect button to see if Windows can find the external monitor.
- Use Keyboard Shortcut: You can also use the keyboard shortcut
Windows + Pto open the projection options. From there, choose either Duplicate or Extend to see if the monitor is recognized. - Update Drivers: Ensure that your graphics drivers are up to date. You can do this through the Device Manager by expanding the Display adapters section, right-clicking on your graphics card, and selecting Update driver.
- Check Display Configuration: If you are using a USB-attached monitor, be aware that the display configuration may not be retained after reboot. You may need to reconfigure it each time you connect.
If the monitor still does not detect the signal, consider testing the monitor with another device to rule out any issues with the monitor itself.
References:
- Docking station external monitors not working when a Windows 10 version 1703-based portable computer is connected
- When using USB-attached monitor, display configuration may not be retained after reboot
My monitor of acer has only one VGA IN port and my laptop has USB ,HDMI ports
My monitor is Acer P166HQL My laptop is Lenovo ThinkPad T470
I need to connect my monitor to my laptop...what port should I use and how should I connect them?
I bought a HDMI(male) to VGA(female) adapter to connect my laptop to the monitor, but the monitor is not receiving any signal.
To troubleshoot, I tried connecting the monitor to my PC through the adapter see if the adapter is at fault, but the adapter is working perfectly fine. I then tried connecting an HDMI monitor directly to my laptop through an HDMI cable and that works perfectly fine, so the HDMI port on my laptop is not to blame either
The laptop I'm using is Acer Predator Helios 300 and the monitor is a SDM-S75A
My PC is an over 10 year old HP Pavilion with an Intel Core i3 processor and has integrated intel graphics.
I want to switch out my old monitor to an LG 29WL500 29" Widescreen to modernise my setup further but the LG only has 2 HDMI inputs whereas my PC only has a VGA out.
Can I use a VGA to HDMI converter and use the original VGA cable with it and connect the converter to the LG monitor?
Also, would the new monitor even be compatible with my PC which doesn't have a dedicated GPU?
I can't justify purchasing a new PC at this time so this is my best bet if it's possible.
I'd appreciate any help on this as I can't find any concrete answers online.