Learn how to quickly and easily project or mirror your screen to a laptop in Windows 11 to use it as a second monitor.
Most don’t know this, but Windows 11 has built-in wireless screen mirroring functionality that lets you mirror or extend the current screen to another Windows 11 PC, such as your laptop. Because it’s wireless, you don’t need a dedicated wired connection using cables such as HDMI, Display Port, or VGA. For example, while recently troubleshooting a PC with a small screen, I needed more screen space. So, I simply extended its display wirelessly to my laptop, giving me a second monitor instantly. The best thing is that the entire process is pretty simple and reliable.
In this quick and easy guide, I will show you how to mirror/extend your screen to another laptop using built-in options in Windows 11. Let’s get started.
Before You Start
For the wireless screen mirroring to work in Windows 11, both systems must meet the following requirements.
- Both PCs must be on the same local network (i.e., connected to the same Wi-Fi router).
- Both PCs must support Miracast technology. Here’s how to check if your system supports Miracast in Windows 11.
- The PC you want to use as the second monitor must have the “Wireless Display” optional feature installed. Here’s how to install the Wireless Display feature in Windows 11.
Mirror Your Screen Wirelessly to Another Laptop in Windows 11
On the PC/laptop you want to use as a second monitor:
- Open the Settings app by pressing the “Windows key + I” shortcut.
- Go to the “System” > “Projecting to this PC” page.
- Select “Available everywhere” from the first dropdown menu.
- Select “Every time a connection is requested” from the second dropdown menu.
- Select “Never” from the third dropdown menu.
- Click the “Launch the wireless display app to project to this PC” option at the top.
On the PC you want to mirror or extend:
- Press the “Windows key + K” shortcut.
- Click your PC/laptop name.
- This instantly mirrors your screen to the other PC.
Note: If the screen is not a mirror, but extended, you can change it using the “Project” option. To do that, click the “Network” icon, click the “Project” button, and then choose the projection mode of your choice. For example, select “Duplicate” to mirror your screen.
Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)
On the PC you want to use as the second monitor:
First, we need to configure a few settings. To do that, open the Settings app by pressing the “Windows key + I” shortcut.
Once it opens, go to the “System” tab on the sidebar and then click the “Projecting to this PC” option on the right page.
On this page, select the following options for each dropdown menu:
- “Available everywhere” from the first dropdown menu.
- “Every time a connection is requested” from the “Ask to project to this PC” dropdown menu.
- “Never” from the “Require PIN for pairing” dropdown menu.
Note: The above options make the wireless display functionality hassle-free. However, if you want to make it more secure, you can configure it to allow projection only on secured networks (the first dropdown menu) and require a PIN every time (the third dropdown menu).
After configuring the options, click the “Launch the Wireless Display app to project to this PC” option at the top.
On the PC you want to mirror or extend:
Now, on the PC you want to mirror or extend, press the “Windows key + K” shortcut to open the “Cast” flyout menu. It will scan your network and show the name of the PC you want to use as the second monitor. Click on it. As soon as you click the button, your screen should be mirrored/extended on the second PC.
If you want, you can change how your PC projects to the second screen. To do that, click the “Network” icon to open the Quick Settings flyout menu. Next, click the “Project” button.
Now, select your preferred projection setting. For example, select “Duplicate” to mirror your screen and “Extend” to use the second monitor as an additional display.
If you are extended the display, you can rearrange the screen from the “Settings” > “System” > “Display” page.
Once you’re done, you can just as easily disconnect. To do that, press the “Windows key + K” shortcut, click on the PC name, and then click the “Disconnect” button.
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That is all. It is that simple to mirror your screen to a laptop to use it as a second monitor. If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.
