Surface Pro External Monitor Problems Solved
Surface Pro External Monitor Problems Solved
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A real, working solution to the Microsoft Surface Pro 2/3/4/5 external monitor issues.
Features
• Technology: Computer • Technology: DIY • Technology: Hardware • Technology: How-To • Technology: Tips & Tricks
• Games & Software: Windows PC
If you have a Microsoft Surface Pro 2, Microsoft Surface Pro 3, or Microsoft Surface Pro 4 and connect an external monitor then you've very likely had a lot of issues. In fact, these are so common that you can pretty much bet on the fact that the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 will also have external monitor connection issues.

The Problem

Connecting an external monitor to any mobile computer should be as simple as connecting a cable. With the Surface Pro line this isn't the case and you may experience a variety of problems such as:

  • External monitor not showing any picture at all.

  • External monitor works randomly. Sometimes it is fine, other times it is not.

  • External monitor flickers occasionally and/or blinks between screens.

  • Things work fine for days, weeks, or months and then just stop working completely.

These are just some of the frustrations Surface Pro users are familiar with. Sometimes these issues happen only in the Surface Pro dock (original dock or brick dock), other times they happen when you plug a monitor directly into the Surface Pro itself.

The Solution


If you're like most Surface Pro users with monitor issues, you've searched the Internet for a solution. The most common fixes are pretty easy and include:
But you're still having trouble, right? Then chances are good the problem is with your cable. I know, you'd think a cable is a cable but that's not actually not always true.

In my case, I'd been using an Amazon Basics DisplayPort cable without any issues for months after buying a new Surface Pro 4 and then one day my external monitor just wouldn't work with my Surface. The Surface recognized it being connected but wouldn't "see it" enough to display the picture and yet nothing else had changed (not even any recent Windows updates). A similar scenario happened a year earlier with my Surface Pro 3 on an HDMI cable.

So you need new cables!

Cables That Work With Surface Pro

Surface Pro DisplayPort solution

If your monitor has a DisplayPort connector then that's the best one to use in most cases. Specifically, you want this Cable Matters Gold Plated Mini DisplayPort from Amazon (affiliate link). Plug one end into your Surface Pro or docking station and the other into your monitor and you're done!

Surface Pro HDMI solution

The next best option if you don't have DisplayPort connectors is HDMI. If you have HDMI then you need this Cable Matters Gold Plated Active Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Male to Female Adapter Supporting Eyefinity Technology & 4K Resolution (affiliate link) (active converter) as well as this HDMI 2.0 (4K) Ready cable (affiliate link). Plug the active converter into your Surface or docking station, one end of the HDMI cable into the active converter, and the other end of the HDMI cable into your monitor and you're back in business.

Surface Pro active converter (HDMI show, DVI is similar)

The final option if you only have DVI is to get this Cable Matters Active Mini DisplayPort to DVI Male to Female Adapter (affiliate link) along with this DVI-D Dual Link Cable (affiliate link). The active converter will plug into your Surface or docking station and then the DVI cable will go from there to your monitor.

Conclusion

Finally, a real and working solution to the Surface Pro external monitor problems that have been a pain for so many of us! Considering the high price of Microsoft Surface Pro devices you'd think these cables would be packaged in with the Surface Pro, or at least with the docking station, but that isn't the case. Chances are good Microsoft will repeat this non-sense with the Surface Pro 5 as well.