I have an HP laptop running Windows 11 that has been connected to an external monitor via HDMI for a few years without any problems. Recently, however, my external monitor stopped working and my laptop can't connect to it anymore. I've checked and the monitor and HDMI cable are both working fine when I connect them to another computer.
My laptop also has a USB-C port, and I tested a USB hub with an HDMI port, but still no luck connecting to any monitor. Despite trying to update the display drivers directly from HP's official website and even using Windows Update, I'm still unable to detect a second display. Additionally, I attempted updating the chipset drivers, but that didn't help either. I also looked into BIOS updates, but the versions available on the HP site are marked as incompatible with my device. Everything is correct model-wise, so I'm scratching my head here.
With both the HDMI and USB-C ports failing to detect any monitors, I'm at a loss for what to do next. All monitors and cables are perfectly functional. Although the USB-C port on my laptop seems to work fine for data, it won't recognize a monitor connected through a USB-C hub. What could possibly be causing this sudden failure?
3 Answers
If you're seeing no detection at all and everything else is checked, it could be a deeper hardware issue—possibly with the laptop's graphics output or even the motherboard connection. If it's under warranty, I recommend reaching out to HP support directly for assistance. Otherwise, you might want to get it checked out by a technician.
It sounds like there might be an issue with the display output settings on your laptop, possibly at the firmware or driver level, especially since both HDMI and USB-C stopped working at the same time. First, try doing a full power drain: shut down your laptop, unplug it, and hold the power button for about 30 seconds. Then, in Device Manager, remove the GPU entries and any USB root hub entries, and reboot your laptop so Windows can rebuild those connections.
Also, double-check your BIOS settings for any options related to hybrid graphics or external display settings. Sometimes, HP updates mess with those settings unexpectedly. Lastly, run the HP hardware diagnostics—specifically the UEFI video test—because sometimes the retimer chip can fail, and while the USB-C data will still work, the display signal might be lost.
Just to clarify, does Windows recognize the external monitor in the settings, or does it say 'no signal' instead?
Unfortunately, it doesn't recognize the external monitor at all and says 'no displays detected.' That's part of the problem! I’ve checked everything on my end.