Skip to main content

How to Use a Microsoft Surface PC as an External Touchscreen Monitor?

Introduction

This guide walks you through setting up your Microsoft Surface as an external touchscreen monitor. While this article focuses on the Surface, the same steps apply to most Windows devices. If you're using a device that doesn't have a touchscreen, this process will only allow it to function as a standard external monitor--touch capabilities won't be enabled on hardware that doesn't support them.

This process relies on Miracast, a technology that utilizes wifi to communicate video data between devices. If both your devices can connect to wifi networks for internet, then you likely already have the necessary hardware; otherwise, you might need to purchase a wifi dongle.

We will refer to the device that will be utilizing the Surface as an external monitor as the Primary Computer.

Set Up Surface to be Used as Wireless Display

To use your Surface as a wireless display, you’ll go through two steps: first, enable the required Windows feature; then, adjust the permissions to make it work smoothly. We’ll walk through both steps in detail.

Install Windows' Wireless Display Feature

To configure your Surface so that it can be used as a wireless display, you must have the "Wireless Display" feature installed. Follow the below steps to install this feature:

  1. Click on "Start Menu" > "Settings", as shown below:
  2. From the "Settings" window's left-hand pane, select the "System" tab, then look for and select the "Optional features" entry from the main panel. We've provided a screenshot below for reference:
  3. From the "Optional features" screen, look for "Wireless Display" from the list of "Added features". If you cannot locate it, then it means it isn't installed. If it is not installed, look for a "View features" or "Add a feature" button at the top of the screen and click it, then look for "Wireless Display" and install it. Below is a screenshot of the "Optional features" page:
    Installing the "Wireless Display" feature is a one-time process. Once this is done, proceed to the next step.

Configure Projection Permissions

Next, we’ll set up the Projection permissions on your Surface. This allows other devices to request and gain access to project video to it.

  1. From the "Settings" window's left-hand pane, select the "System" tab, then look for and select the "Projecting to this PC" entry from the main panel. We've provided a screenshot below for reference:
  2. On the "Projecting to this PC" screen, you’ll find several permission settings. We recommend modifying just one: set "Some Windows and Android devices can project to this PC when you say it's OK" to "Available everywhere". Feel free to adjust this and other settings based on your preferences. A screenshot of the recommended configuration is shown below:

Setup and configuration for your Surface is now complete.

Connecting to Wireless Display from Primary Computer

To connect to your Surface from your Primary Computer, follow the below steps:

  1. From your Primary Computer, go to the "Settings" page. From there, select "System" from the left-hand pane, then select "Display" from the main panel. Below is a screenshot, for reference:
  2. On the "Display" page, look for the "Connect to a wireless display" option and click it or, if there is a "Connect" button associated with it, click the "Connect" button. Below is a screenshot for reference:
  3. Your Primary Computer will begin scanning for wireless display devices. You should eventually see your Surface appear on the list. The name it appears as will be based off the computer's name. We've provided a sample screenshot below of the list of  wireless display devices:
  4. Select your Surface from the list. Upon doing so, your Surface should display a pop-up, asking you to allow the Primary Computer to project video to it, as shown below:
    If you wish to always allow connections from the Primary Computer to be accepted, adjust the dropdown seen within the pop-up. Click "OK" to proceed with the connection.
  5. Once the connection is established, you should see some options appear on the Primary Computer, as shown below:

    To utilize the touchscreen capability of your Surface, check the "Allow mouse, keyboard, and other input from this device" box.

Related articles