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Right click on the desktop background. Choose Personalize. On the lower left of the window that comes up, choose Display. Then, Change display settings.

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How to get to your display settings (Windows 10)

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The Multiple displays dropdown menu:

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Display settings explanation (Windows 10)

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The Multiple displays dropdown menu:

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Common configurations (Windows 7)

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In your display settings, change the Multiple displays option to Extend these displays. Don't forget to click Apply. Also, remember that you can click and drag the graphics representing the monitors to match the setup of your physical displays. 

2 of 2. Laptop with second monitor, laptop lid shut

If you use a laptop with a large second monitor, some people choose to not use their laptop screen at all in this situation, and leave it shut. Here's how to accomplish that. 

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Change the Multiple displays option to Duplicate these displays. Don't forget to click Apply. After you do so, shut the laptop lid, and the second screen should stay on.

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Common configurations (Windows 10)

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In your display settings, change the Multiple displays option to Extend these displays. The change should take effect immediately. Also, remember that you can click and drag the graphics representing the monitors to match the setup of your physical displays. 

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2 of 2. Laptop with second monitor, laptop lid shut (Windows 10)

If you use a laptop with a large second monitor, some people choose to not use their laptop screen at all in this situation, and leave it shut. Here's how to do it. 

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Right click on the desktop background, choose Display settings. When that window comes up, in the Multiple displays menu, choose Duplicate these displays. The changes should take effect immediately.

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Taskbar settings for use with extended multiple monitors (Windows 10)

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There are some helpful settings related to your taskbar (the bar at the bottom of the screen). Unfortunately, these settings are for Windows 10 only, as Windows 7 will not extend the taskbar across multiple monitors.To access these settings, right click in an empty portion of the taskbar and choose Taskbar settings. Below is a graphic representing a common set of taskbar options for use with multiple monitors.

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