Surface Pro 7 keeps losing external display connection after working for hours

Question

I have two external displays that connect fine when I boot up my new Surface Pro 7 with the Qualcomm chip. But several times a day it will lose the monitor connection. It will reconnect is I disconnect the USB-C line and plug it back in. When it reconnects the image on the laptop screen shrinks a little and fills the screen again.

I have this issue whether I connect the two monitors with a USB_C to a dual HDMI connector or use a Lionwei 7 to 1 hub.

Answer 1

Hi MeInKC,

Welcome to Microsoft Community.

It sounds like the issue with the Surface Pro 7 losing the connection to the external display may be related to power management or signal processing. After unplugging and replugging the USB-C cable, it reconnects, which suggests it may be a driver or firmware issue. Here are some troubleshooting steps that may help resolve this issue:

1. Check Power Settings:

• Disable USB Selective Suspend: Sometimes, Windows' power-saving settings can cause issues with USB connections. To turn this off:
• Open Device Manager.
• Expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers section.
• Right-click on each USB Root Hub and select Properties.
• Under the Power Management tab, uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.

2. Monitor Display Scaling:

• The shrinking of the laptop screen when the monitor reconnects may be a display scaling issue. Make sure that Display Scaling is properly set in the Display Settings and is consistent across your devices.

If none of these work, the issue may also be related to compatibility between your Surface Pro 7 and the third-party USB-C hub or adapter you're using. We recommend using Designed for Surface Accessories or Surface USB-C to display adapters.

Let me know how it goes after trying these steps!

Your Sincerely

Hahn. W - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 2

Thanks, I have been having the exact same issue since I updated my Surface Pro 7 few weeks back.

The external monitors are disconnecting every few minutes abruptly, I wanted to find some pattern, however it is very random.

It may be 2-3 times in 10 minutes and again it may not happen for another 20 minutes.

It is really bothering, I use this Surface Pro for working remotely, and I get disconnected in between meetings and presentations, this is unacceptable.

I have been trying to find a solution, however nothing worked.

I tried the above steps, still no luck.

Will really appreciate that if the updates can be tested and then rolled out, please provide me a solution.

I am using an external USB C Hub from Articona for the last 2 years and the Surface Pro 7, never had this problem before.

I tried clearing display Cache, updating Windows etc...

Answer 3

I have the same issue with my surface laptop bought in September. I have it with one specific screen, an ultrawide monitor (DELL) with a resolution of 5120x2160.

Some days, all works perfectly. Other days I have it every few minutes. The screen says no signal from your device.

The screen is also a USB hub. Sometimes I can still type or use my webcam in meetings, so the connection clearly is still functional.

Using another USB port solves it for a bit, but then it often returns again.

Also important is that Windows doesn't think the connection is broken. I use second monitor only and while my screen thinks there is no display signal, the laptop screen remains black. It is only when I unplug the cable that my laptop screen is used again.

I use other screens with my Surface laptop (Snapdragon) that never have this issue. I also used other laptops with the ultrawide that have never had this issue.

So it seems that the specific combination of the snapdragon with this ultrawide screen triggers it. It is extremely annoying since it often lasts about 20s for the screen to come back.

I'm hesitating to use the newer QUALCOMM display drivers to see if that solves anything, but it is my laptop for work.