Make sure your PC, the external display, and the cable all support DisplayPort or MHL alternate modes. A battery icon with a warning on it appears in the system tray to indicate that a slow charger is connected, and the battery is discharging. The Slow charger notification might appear too. Other benefits of HDMI include functions such as HDMI-CEC (HDMI Consumer Electronics Control), which allows you to control numerous devices with one remote. For example, connect a soundbar to your television through an HDMI-CEC compatible port and the soundbar can turn on and off with your television and be controlled by a single remote. Make sure the device or dongle is connected to the USB-C port on your PC (or phone) that supports the features of the device or dongle. For example, if you're connecting a Thunderbolt device, make sure it’s connected to the USB-C port on your PC (or phone) that supports Thunderbolt.

Make sure the device or dongle is connected to the USB-C port on your PC that supports the correct Alternate Mode. For example, a DisplayPort Alternate Mode adapter should be connected to the USB-C port on your PC that supports DisplayPort Alternate Mode. Under most circumstances, you can get away with using whichever cable you have lying around – and whatever works – but if you have more specific needs, such as carrying audio, displaying a higher resolution or outputting a higher refresh rate for gaming, you’ll need to be more discerning with your choice of cable.There's a driver in the device you connected to that isn't supported in the version of Windows 10 Mobile your phone is running. For information about the supported devices, see Universal Serial Bus (USB). We outline the different types of connections below and give you different usage scenarios to help you decide. We’ll also outline the best connection and cable to choose for 144Hz and other higher refresh rate displays. The HDMI Alternate Mode lets you project video and play audio on an external display that supports HDMI. Note: This applies to all the error codes shown in Device Manager except error Code 28 (drivers for the device aren’t installed). Your PC is providing power to other devices, so it has temporarily limited the power it provides to the device you just connected to.

For those of us who game, you might be wondering what’s the best cable to use to achieve a 144hz refresh rate. There are various cables you can use, but you should pay close attention to the version of your output port and that of your monitor. Disconnect the adapter from your Surface, and then reconnect it. If that doesn’t work, disconnect the video cable from your adapter, and then reconnect it. The cable to use depends on your display and the type of video connection it uses—DisplayPort, HDMI, or VGA.

This USB port doesn't support DisplayPort or Thunderbolt or MHL. Plug the USB device into a different USB port on your PC.

A newer 1.3 and 1.4 version, that both have a maximum data rate of 25.92 Gbits/sec, are both becoming more widely available. With the increased bandwidth capabilities, it opens up the floodgates to higher resolutions such as 7,680 x 4,320 (8K). HDMI has seen numerous revisions since its inception in 2002. Its most common version, used in most consumer devices at present, is 1.4 but there’s a newer, more exciting 2.0 specification now becoming more prominent. The main difference between the 1.4 and 2.0 specifications focus around bandwidth available. HDMI 1.4 has a bandwidth maximum of 10.2 Gbps/s whereas the HDMI 2.0 tops out at 18 Gbps/s.To charge faster, your PC, charger, and cable must all support the industry standards. Your charger and cable must also support the power levels your PC requires for the faster charging. For example, if your PC requires 12V and 3A for the fastest charging, a 5V, 3A charger won’t give you the fastest charging.

Your PC (or phone) is providing power to other devices, so it has temporarily limited the power it provides to the device you just connected to.

We explain the difference between every display connection available and help you decide which is best for you

Make sure the video cable is securely plugged into your external display or TV. On the other end, make sure the video cable is securely plugged into the adapter. Most monitors will have a range of different inputs available, and your PC or laptop will also use different outputs, so it can be difficult to decide which is the best connection to use. Take the video cable that’s connected to your external display or TV, and then plug the other end of it into the adapter. The differences between single-link and dual-link refer to how much bandwidth the cable can carry. A single-link DVI-D or DVI-I cable can carry 3.96 Gbit/s, which tops out at 1,920 x 1,200 resolution. Dual-link, on the other hand, physically has extra pins on the connectors, allowing a maximum bandwidth of 7.92 Gbit/s and 2,560 x 1,600 resolution. Although DVI is still a common connection, it’s becoming dated, so if you want to output a very high resolution you’ll need to use HDMI or DisplayPort instead. A PC (or phone) with USB Type-C connectors has larger power limits. If the connector supports USB Power Delivery, it can charge even faster at greater power levels.