How to Dock a Laptop to Connect It to Computer Accessories

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Learn troubleshooting tips for when the dock & laptop won't connect

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Last Updated: December 6, 2024

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• Finding a Compatible Dock
|
• Setting Up Your Dock
|
• Connecting to a Thunderbolt or USB-C Dock
|
• Connecting to a Proprietary Dock
|
• Fixing Common Problems
|
• Video
|
• Q&A

|Show more |Show less

Laptops offer a convenient way to be productive no matter whether you're at home, at the office, or even on-the-go. However, laptops can be a little inconvenient for prolonged work at a desk — often, they're not as easy and comfortable to use as a traditional desktop/monitor setup. However, with a product called a docking station, all a user has to do is connect his or her laptop to the docking station and they will be instantly be able to use a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and other peripherals of her choice. Docking stations come in many different varieties, but connecting a laptop to one is almost always easy!

How do you connect a laptop to a dock?

Connect your laptop to a dock via a Thunderbolt or USB-C port cable. Alternatively, if you're using a proprietary dock, slide the laptop into the dock rest until it's fully supported. After that, plug the dock into the laptop with the Thunderbolt or USB-C cable, and the laptop will be able to recognize the dock.

Steps

Part 1

Part 1 of 5:

Finding a Compatible Dock

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1. 1
   Get a dock from your computer manufacturer. While generic docks might work, the dock that will likely work best is one from the manufacturer of your computer. Here is a list of docks from their respective manufacturers:

   • Microsoft Surface
   • HP
   • Dell
   • Asus
   • Lenovo
   • Acer
   • Razer
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Part 2

Part 2 of 5:

Setting Up Your Dock

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1. 1
   Place your dock on your desk. The dock should be placed so that there is easy access to ports.
2. 2
   Plug the dock into power. Depending on the dock and laptop you will be docking, you may need to provide a greater power supply than what might be included by default. For example, if your laptop has a bigger battery, you may need to supply more power to it.
3. 3
   Plug in a monitor or two. Your dock might use Thunderbolt, USB-C, or DisplayPort for monitor connections. When your monitor is connected, you might see "No signal" or "Entering power save mode" on the display.
4. 4
   Plug in a keyboard and mouse. Your dock might have a USB port on the back to plug in a wireless transmitter for a keyboard and mouse. If so, you can plug the wireless transmitter and/or the power cable into USB. It might also charge the keyboard and mouse.
5. 5
   Plug in speakers. Your dock might also have an audio port that connects to speakers with a 3.5 mm audio jack. If so, you can plug your speakers in to the dock to set it up.
6. 6
   Plug in Ethernet. Your dock might also have an Ethernet port. If there is a working Ethernet jack in the wall, you can use an Ethernet cable to connect your dock to Ethernet.
7. 7
   Plug in additional accessories. If there are enough ports and PCI express lanes, you might also be able to connect a printer, external backup drive, or digitizer tablet to use while your laptop is docked. Check your dock's manual for more information.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 5:

Connecting to a Thunderbolt or USB-C Dock

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1. 1
   Make sure that your computer has a Thunderbolt or USB-C port. There are slight differences between Thunderbolt and USB-C, namely in the amount of PCI supported. Not all features of a Thunderbolt dock will work with a computer with only USB-C, but USB-C docks has less PCI and thus may have slower transfers and data access even with Thunderbolt computers.
2. 2
   Plug the dock into the computer, after completing initial setup. Once plugged in, the computer will recognize the dock and its accessories and connect to all of them.
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Part 4

Part 4 of 5:

Connecting to a Proprietary Dock

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1. 1
   Make sure that your computer has the port or layout for the proprietary dock. For example, certain Microsoft docking stations require a Surface computer to use.
2. 2
   Place your computer into the dock, if the dock has a specific rest. Once your computer is in the dock, you will be able to connect the dock.
3. 3
   Plug the dock into the computer, after completing initial setup. Once plugged in, the computer will recognize the dock and its accessories and connect to all of them.
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Part 5

Part 5 of 5:

Fixing Common Problems

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1. 1
   Check the dock's power. If you are having trouble with your dock, try unplugging it and plugging it back in. Do the same for your accessories.
2. 2
   Press ⊞ Win+Ctrl+⇧ Shift+B if your monitor is not recognized or if the scaling appears wrong. If your monitor is not detected, you can press this key combination to refresh the screen.
3. 3
   Fix further scaling problems in display settings. If the display still does not appear correct, you can use your computer's display settings to appropriately set scaling. You might also have to move the displays around on-screen until the display order and borders is correct.
4. 4
   Restart your computer if you are still having a problem with the dock. If your accessories are not working properly, it might need a reboot to fix. This might fix a lot of other problems that you might be experiencing with your computer.
5. 5
   Reinstall the drivers. In Device Manager on Windows, check the drivers and choose "Update Driver" and/or "Uninstall Driver" for each of your accessories. Restart your computer and Windows will select default drivers and download drivers from the manufacturer.
6. 6
   Try a different dock. Your dock might not be supported with your computer. Try a docking station from your computer manufacturer; that is more likely to work than a third-party dock.
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Community Q&A

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• Question

  Could I connect a desktop to a docking station so as to make use of multiple peripherals?

  

  Community Answer

  No, desktops aren't meant for docking stations, you can have multiple peripherals by getting more monitors and cables. Be sure that your desktop can support more monitors and that you have the right cable for the monitors.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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  Not Helpful 3 Helpful 9
• Question

  Can I connect a monitor to my laptop without docking stations?

  

  Community Answer

  Yes, most modern laptops feature a mini HDMI port that you can use to hook it up to a second monitor. You will need a mini HDMI to HDMI cable to do this. You can also use a normal HDMI cable if you have an adapter.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

  Yes No

  Not Helpful 4 Helpful 7
• Question

  My docking station has a DVI port but my laptop does not. Will this docking station work with my laptop?

  

  Community Answer

  Yes, the dock makes the connection inside. We used that as a work around for a laptop with ONLY and hdmi but all our projectors are vga.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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  Not Helpful 4 Helpful 2

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