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Dual-Display: Why Doesn’t my Keyboard and Mouse Work on my Monitor?

Anonymous
2024-02-12T15:57:51+00:00

I have a ThinkPad with windows 10 (1st display) and a Samsung monitor (2nd display), I use them as extended displays and connect them with an HDMI cord. When I plug in the keyboard and Mouse into my laptop’s USB Ports, they work fine on both displays. However, they can control my laptop and they take up it’s ports, I don’t want this. So, I plug the keyboard and mouse into the Monitor’s USB Ports hoping they would only control only my monitor and conserve space (while also making my work station look more appealing). Now, they don’t work at all and I’m confused why I can’t use the ports on my monitor. All I want is to have a keyboard and mouse specifically used for my monitor, and use the built-in keyboard and touch pad for my laptop. If I plug them into my laptop it looks ugly, they can control both displays, and the most upsetting problem is they take up its USB Ports. So, this isn’t ideal.

Is it even possible to make a mouse and keyboard work for my secondary display ONLY? Why doesn’t my keyboard and mouse work when I plug them into my Monitor’s USB Ports?

Note*

  • Even if I can’t make the keyboard and mouse work only on my monitor, I’d rather not have a cluttered work space and have my USB Ports free to use
Windows for home | Windows 10 | Devices and drivers

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-02-13T11:27:46+00:00

    Hello, Nicholas Papadakis

    Welcome to the Microsoft community.

    Hello, sorry to hear about your situation.

    Thank you for your description, some high end monitors do have the ability to use a separate keyboard and mouse for the secondary monitor only. However, you may need to check the specifications of the monitor to see if it has a built-in USB hub that supports this feature. You can check with the manufacturer of the monitor to see if it has this feature.

    If the monitor does have a USB hub, you may need to check if the USB hub is enabled in the monitor settings. Some monitors may require the USB port to be manually enabled for use.

    In addition, you may need to ensure that your computer is configured to recognise USB devices plugged into the USB port of your monitor. This can usually be done by going into Windows Device Manager and checking that the monitor's USB ports are listed under Universal Serial Bus Controllers and that they are working properly.

    If your monitor does not have this feature, and does not have a hub then it is possible that the monitor's port may be used to connect audio devices such as headphones.

    Thank you for your time and effort to work on this topic.

    Best wishes

    Bobhe | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

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