Will Surface Doc 2 support two monitors plus surface pro?

Question

Will the Surface Doc Stn 2 support two monitors plus the Surface Pro? I get one monitor working. The second one is detected on the display but not active. The second monitor will work if unplug the first one.

Answer 1

Yes — the Microsoft Surface Dock 2 absolutely supports two external monitors plus your Surface Pro screen (total 3 displays). The dock itself can drive two external displays up to 4K @60 Hz when connected to compatible Surface devices like the Microsoft Surface Pro 7.

Ref: Maximum display refresh and resolutions possible with Surface Dock

I shall suggest you use USB-C → DisplayPort cables from the two rear USB-C ports of the Surface Dock 2 to each monitor.

Surface Dock 2 (rear ports):

USB-C port 1 → USB-C to DisplayPort cable → Monitor 1

USB-C port 2 → USB-C to DisplayPort cable → Monitor 2

In Windows:

Settings → System → Display → Extend these displays

Answer 2

all Monitors work prior with another Surface Dock 2. I then used that Dock 2 for an older Surface Pro 6 and acquired a new Surface Dock 2 for the Surface Pro 7 in question and while waiting for the Dock I used a universal J5 Create USB-C Triple Display Docking Station. Again, all devices worked normally.

Answer 3

Surface Dock 2 does support using two external monitors plus the Surface Pro display at the same time, as long as the Surface model and monitor resolutions are within the supported limits.

From the documented capabilities:

• Surface Dock 2 supports up to two external displays at up to 4K (3840 x 2160) at 60 Hz on supported Surface devices such as Surface Pro 7, 7+, 8, 9, 10 and others.
• When two external monitors are connected, it is possible to adjust resolution/refresh rate per display; lowering one display’s resolution or refresh rate can allow the other to run at higher settings.

Given that only one external monitor is active at a time in this scenario, likely causes include:

1. The Surface model in use may not be in the list of devices that support dual 4K@60Hz on Surface Dock 2.
2. The combined resolution/refresh rate of both monitors may exceed what the GPU or Dock configuration can drive, so Windows only activates one at a time.
3. Display settings may be set to “Show only on 1/2” or “Duplicate” instead of “Extend desktop to this display” for the second monitor.

To configure both monitors plus the Surface display:

1. Connect Surface to Surface Dock 2 and connect both external monitors to the Dock.
2. In Windows, go to Start > Settings > System > Display.
3. Select each detected display and under Multiple displays, choose Extend desktop to this display for both external monitors (and keep the Surface display enabled if desired).
4. If one display still won’t become active, reduce its resolution and/or refresh rate and apply again.

If the Surface model is one of the supported devices listed for dual 4K@60Hz, and both monitors are within those limits, Surface Dock 2 should run two external monitors plus the Surface screen simultaneously.

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References:

• Surface Dock 2 overview
• Use Surface Dock 2
• Maximum display refresh and resolutions possible with Surface Dock