How to Use a Windows Laptop As a Monitor for Raspberry Pi

Raspberry Pi is one of the best and inexpensivesingle-board computersout there. If you are a tech hobbyist, then it opens the door for nearly everything frombuilding a smart speakerto creating your personal VPN server. That said, you need a separate monitor to set up the Raspberry Pi, which adds to the overall cost. However, there is a nifty way to use your Windows laptop as a monitor for Raspberry Pi. In this tutorial, we have explained the steps to connect Raspberry Pi to a Windows laptop in simple terms. On that note, let’s go ahead and learn how to connect Raspberry Pi to a laptop display.

Use Windows Laptop As Monitor for Raspberry Pi

Use Windows Laptop As Monitor for Raspberry Pi

In this guide, I am using Raspberry Pi 4 Model B to demonstrate all the steps. However, if you have an old Raspberry Pi, there is nothing to worry about. I have mentioned separate steps for old boards too. You can click on the table below and jump to the relevant section right away.

Requirements

  1. First off, to use a Windows laptop as a monitor for Raspberry Pi, youneed an ethernet cable. You can then connect the Raspberry Pi to yourWindows 10laptop directly or to your router. I would recommend connecting to the laptop directly for a faster connection.

  2. Next, you need a microSD card of a minimum of16GBin size.

Downloads

  1. You need to downloadRaspbianOSfromhere. I suggest downloading “Raspberry Pi OS with desktop and recommended software” on the web page that opens. It will have all the required packages, utilities, and dependencies.

  2. After that, downloadbalenaEtcher(Free) to flash Raspbian OS onto the SD card.

  3. Next, downloadPutty(Free) for connecting your laptop to the Raspberry Pi’s console.

  4. Finally, downloadVNC Viewer(Free) so that you can access the desktop environment of Raspberry Pi on your Windows laptop.

Flash Raspbian OS on Raspberry Pi

  1. Once you have downloaded Raspbian OS,extract the ZIP file. You will get an IMG file.

  2. Next, install balenaEtcher and open it. Select the extracted image and choose the SD card under the “Select target” option. After that, click on “Flash“.

  3. Once the flashing process is complete, you need to followone more step to enable SSH. Create an empty text file on the desktop. To do that, right-click on your desktop and select“New -> Text Document”to create the file.

  4. Now, open the text file and save it as asshfile with no extension. Simply select “All files” from the “Save as type” drop-down menu. Make sure there is no extension added to the filename.

  5. Finally,move the ssh fileto the root directory of the flashed SD card. You are done on this front. Remove the SD card from your laptop and insert it into the Raspberry Pi.

Connect Raspberry Pi to Windows Laptop Display

  1. Use the ethernet cable andconnect the Raspberry Pito your Windows laptop. After that, connect the Raspberry Pi to a power source using a USB Type-C cable. You can also use your laptop’s USB port as a power source.

  2. Next, install Putty and open it. You don’t need to change any default settings. Just enterraspberrypi.localin the Host Name field. Andmake sure “SSH” is selected as the Connection type. Finally, click on “Open” at the bottom.

  3. A console window will then open up. By default, Raspberry Pi’susernameispiand password israspberry. Enter these details on the console window and hit enter. You will successfully log into Raspberry Pi’s console.

  4. As you are using your Raspberry Pi for the first time, it’s better to run the below command toupdate all the packagesand dependencies to the latest version. You can skip this step if you have already updated your RPi. Note that you will need an internet connection on your Windows 10 laptop to execute this command. If you can’t update it right away, you can skip this step.

  5. Once the update is installed, enter the commandsudo raspi-configand hit enter.

  6. It will launch the configuration tool for Raspberry Pi. Move to “Interface Options” or “Interfacing Options” using the keyboard’s arrow keys. Then, hit Enter.

  7. Under Interface options, move to “VNC” and hit enter.

  8. On the next page, choose “Yes” and hit enter.

  9. After that, open “System Options” and go to “Boot/ Auto Login”. Next, move to the “Desktop Autologin” option. If you are using an old Raspberry Pi, navigate to Boot “Options -> Desktop/ CLI -> Desktop Autologin”.

  10. Finally, hit enter to apply the changes. Next, move to “Finish” by pressing Tab and hit Enter. It will reboot your Raspberry Pi, and the SSH session will end. Now, close Putty and other windows.

  11. Now, installVNC Viewerand open it. Enterraspberrypi.localand hit enter.

  12. Then, a prompt will appear, click on “Continue”. On the next window, enter yourRPi’s credentials, username:piand password:raspberry. Now, click on “OK”.

  13. Within seconds, the Raspberry Pi’sscreen will be liveon your Windows 10 laptop’s display. Now, go through the on-screen instructions and set up Raspberry Pi. If you get any errors, move to the next section.

Fix “Cannot currently show the desktop” Error on Windows Laptop While Connecting to Raspberry Pi

If you get the “Cannot currently show the desktop” error while trying to connect your Raspberry Pi to a laptop display, there is nothing to worry about. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

  1. Close all the windows andfire up Putty. Follow the same steps as above and connect to Raspberry Pi’s console once again. To explain briefly, enterraspberrypi.localas the Host Name, select “SSH” and click on “Open”.

  2. Next, enter RPi’s credentials and hit enter. Now, entersudo raspi-configto open the Configuration tool.

  3. Here,open “Display Options”and navigate to “Resolution”. But if you have an old Raspberry Pi, you will find this setting under “Advanced Options”.

4.Choose a resolution other than “Default”. According to your laptop’s aspect ratio and display resolution, you can choose any other mode.

  1. Now, press Tab to move to “Finish” and close the Putty session.

  2. Finally,open VNC Viewer,and this time, you will be able to connect to Raspberry Pi’s desktop environment without any issues. If the “Cannot currently show the desktop” error persists, keep changing the resolution and check which one works for you. That’s it.

Connect Raspberry Pi to a Laptop Display in 2021

Connect Raspberry Pi to a Laptop Display in 2021

So this is how you can use your Windows 10 laptop as a monitor for Raspberry Pi. The steps may seem lengthy, but believe me, it’s easy and doable. You need to follow the instructions step-by-step, and you will be ready to use the Raspberry Pi in no time. If you face any issues while setting up Raspberry Pi without a monitor, comment down below, and we will help you out. And if you have managed to connect Raspberry Pi to your Windows laptop, go ahead and find thebest Raspberry Pi 4 projectsfrom our linked article.

Arjun Sha

Passionate about Windows, ChromeOS, Android, security and privacy issues. Have a penchant to solve everyday computing problems.

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