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How To Use Your Phone as a Second Monitor for Laptop/PC

By / Tech / June 29, 2025

Did you know you can use an old phone as a second monitor for your laptop/PC? Well, it is very much possible with the right tools and guide.

Picture describes how the phone is used as a monitor
Phone as a monitor using Splashtop Wired XDisplay app (Image via Splashtop)

Many households have a spare phone or two lying around the house these days. They are wasting away as no one uses them anymore. However, there’s a way you can put them to good use. Did you know your old phones can be used as a second monitor for your laptop/PC? Well, if you didn’t, now you do. It’s time to break out those old phones and use them as a secondary display and boost your productivity. In this article, we will show you how to use your old phone as a second display for your laptop/PC.

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and reflect the writer’s opinions.

Guide To Using Your Phone as a Second Monitor for Laptop/PC

To use your old phone as a second display, you will need to use third-party software, as there’s no native way of doing this. You can connect the phone to your PC via both wired and wireless connections, but the wired mode is recommended for lower latency, faster picture transmission, and the best resolution. With that said, here’s how to use your old phone as a second monitor for your laptop/PC:

Wired Connection

Picture describes how Splashtop Wired XDisplay app allows a phone to share a PC's screen
Splashtop Wired XDisplay allows a phone to share a PC’s screen (Image via Splashtop)

We will use a software called Splashtop Wired XDisplay for wired connectivity. However, this program requires a one-time paid payment to actually use it outside of the trial duration, which is quite short. With that said, here are the steps on how to set this up:

  • Download and install the XDisplay app on your phone as well as on your Windows computer. It can also be used on Mac, but the setup process will be slightly different.
  • Once installed, continue the setup process on both devices.
  • During the setup process, the mobile app will ask you to enable developer settings and turn on USB debugging. Do that.
  • Next, connect the phone to your PC via a USB cable, and your PC display will be mirrored or extended to the phone.

That’s it. You have successfully shared the screen of your PC with your old phone. Now, you can use it however you like.

Wireless Connection

For the wireless connection, we will utilize an application called Spacedesk. It can be used freely, but the paid version will unlock more functionalities. Apply the following steps to set it up wirelessly:

  • Download and install the Spacedesk app on your phone as well as on your Windows computer.
  • Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network and through the same SSID.
  • The Spacedesk app on the phone will immediately start displaying the PC screen.

This concludes the list of all the steps you need to take to use your old phone as a second monitor. You can also customize how the second display is used by going to the display settings. You can either mirror the two screens or use them individually using the Extend option in the PC settings app.

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