Forum Discussion
When switching projection modes, all options in the pop-up sidebar are grayed out.
When I press the Win + P shortcut to open the Projection Mode sidebar, the four options—Computer Screen Only, Duplicate, Extend, and Second Screen Only—are all grayed out and unavailable, making it impossible to switch display modes.
After trying to reconnect the external monitor and restarting the computer, some options became available again, but the issue reoccurs intermittently, especially when connecting the monitor via a docking station.
2 Replies
The greyed-out choices usually mean Windows has temporarily lost the display connection, so it has no second screen available to project to. Since it happens mainly through the dock, the dock, cable, or its display driver is more likely than the Win + P shortcut itself.
When it happens, disconnect the dock from the laptop, power the dock off for a minute, reconnect the monitor cable firmly, then connect the dock again. Check Settings > System > Display to see whether Windows detects the external monitor. Test the monitor connected directly to the laptop as well. If the options work reliably that way, the dock or its connection is the cause.
Install the latest BIOS, graphics driver, and chipset driver from the laptop manufacturer, plus the dock firmware or driver supplied by the dock manufacturer. Do not rely only on Device Manager saying that the driver is current.
Because every Win+P mode becomes disabled mainly when the dock is involved, Windows is intermittently losing a usable display path. First, bypass the docking station and connect one monitor directly. If Win+P works, update the dock firmware and USB/Thunderbolt driver, then test another certified cable and dock port. If it remains gray when connected directly, press Windows+Ctrl+Shift+B once to reset the graphics driver, then open Settings > System > Display > Multiple displays and select Detect. Install Windows updates and the PC maker’s graphics driver. If the issue began after a display-driver update, use Device Manager > Display adapters > Properties > Driver > Roll Back Driver; otherwise reinstall the driver. Test each monitor separately before reconnecting both. If only the dock reproduces the failure, its firmware, bandwidth, compatibility, or hardware is the likely boundary, so escalate with the dock and PC models.
