How to Switch to HDMI on a Toshiba Laptop

By Ken Burnside

HDMI makes it much easier to hook a laptop to a TV as an external monitor.
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All Toshiba laptops have a way to display the desktop on an external monitor or television; most now have HDMI ports, which can transport both the video and audio stream to an external television. Connecting your laptop to an HDMI television is straightforward.

HDMI Cable

Step 1

Plug the HDMI cable into your Toshiba laptop's HDMI port.

Step 2

Plug the other end of the HDMI cable into one of the HDMI ports of the TV or external monitor you're using. If you're using a TV that allows firmware upgrades, make sure you're using the latest firmware for the TV by going to the manufacturer's website, entering the model number of the TV and downloading it. Some TVs have the ability to connect to the Internet and download software updates automatically.

Step 3

Use the television's remote control to select "HDMI" as the source. If the television has multiple HDMI inputs, you may need to select "HDMI1" or "HDMI2," depending on which port you plugged the laptop into.

Step 4

Turn on the laptop if it hasn't been done already.

Step 5

Right-click on the desktop and select "Graphics Options." Then select "Output To" from the context menu that comes up, and choose "Digital Television." Your laptop's screen will go dark, and the television screen will show the desktop. If the desktop doesn't show on the TV screen, use the remote to cycle through the input sources until you find the one that's displaying the computer's desktop.

Step 6

Right click on the desktop once it's on the TV screen and select "Screen Resolution." A dialog box will show up; one of the options will be "Resolution." Select 1920 x 1080 or 1920 x 1200, whichever matches the resolution of your television. You can also configure the displays to keep your laptop screen active (for mirroring what you're doing on the laptop on a television in a conference room) or use the laptop and television as two monitors with a shared desktop for more screen real estate. When you disconnect the laptop from the television, the screen resolution will automatically reset to the resolution of the laptop's display.

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