Surface Pro 3 dock not detecting external monitor

Anonymous
2014-08-13T15:12:33+00:00

I have a new surface pro 3 and I purchased two docking stations. 1 for the office and one for home. Neither docking stations allows the pro3 to detect a monitor that is plugged into it.   I can plug the monitor directly into the pro3 and it detects if fine both at home and at the office.   I can tell you that its a serious interruption professionally, and personally and does not bode well for MS's desires to serve the business community.   What I need is a solution.

Surface | Accessories | Surface Dock

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Anonymous
2015-10-25T14:03:15+00:00

I have a new surface pro 3 and I purchased two docking stations. 1 for the office and one for home. Neither docking stations allows the pro3 to detect a monitor that is plugged into it.   I can plug the monitor directly into the pro3 and it detects if fine both at home and at the office.   I can tell you that its a serious interruption professionally, and personally and does not bode well for MS's desires to serve the business community.   What I need is a solution.

hey guys

I had exact same issue and I did this and the issue magically solved!!

a two button restart:

  • Power off the Surface Pro
  • Hold Volume Up and the Power button for 10 seconds
  • Release buttons
  • Wait 5-10 seconds
  • Power on the Surface

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Anonymous
2014-08-13T23:38:43+00:00

Hi will-eman,

Thank you for visiting the Microsoft Community! Sorry to know that your Docking Stations are not detecting your external displays. I can certainly understand why this is an inconvenience, especially when, as you mention, it is used in a business environment and for professional purposes. I’d like to help and hopefully provide the best possible solution!

Please try the following:

  • With the Surface and external display connected to the Docking Station, unplug the Docking Station from the power outlet, leave it unplugged for 30 seconds to a minute, then plug it back and see if the displays are recognized.
  • Please make sure all and latest Windows updates are installed. If so, verify all updates were taken while the Docking Station was connected to the Surface.
  • When you connect the external monitor, do you have any other devices connected to the Docking Station as well? And if so, have you tried removing all devices and connecting the external monitor only?
  • Have you tried connecting other external displays to the docking Station? Are ALL displays or devices not recognized?
  • Have you tried the what Ed Bott - MVP suggests?

 Additionally, please read the following support article:

We hope this information works! Please keep us posted!

We are always here to help!

Best Wishes,

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  1. Anonymous
    2016-03-11T14:30:21+00:00

    Yes...the reboot protocol works.  But in a business environment, you cannot advise end users to perform this process every time they return to their desks from a meeting.  The Surface Dock should communicate to the Surface that monitors are available and should be active.  The old Hardware Profiles settings used to handle this adjustment seamlessly, not it is not present in Windows any longer.  Is there a firmware update forthcoming to address this issue?

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-03-11T15:31:19+00:00

    I know how you feel on this.  My entire executive staff uses surface pro 3's and this issue drove me crazy.  No one liked the 2 finger reboot option.  We ended up getting some of the new style cable docks that came out with the Surface Pr 4's and they have worked so far without a problem.

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-03-20T17:35:17+00:00

    I agree. 90% of my business is mobile and running the work related programs while I'm away and then needing to print or continue to work once it's docked is miserable.  Here I am on Sunday trying to get stuff done.  This note I'm sure serves no purpose to Microsoft other than me just blowing off steam before I go back to a Dell PC which is our other work option.

    The thing just will not pick up the external monitor.  The only way to make it work is to restart and plug it in to the dock after reaching the sign in screen.  And who wants to close all the work they've done while mobile and reopen everything after the restart. Not to mention the massive power use the tablet has after supposedly sleeping.  When I come back to it, the surface is dead, and I can't even do the restart trick to connect the monitor because the battery is so low that when I restart the thing unplugged it goes to auto sleep.  A vicious cycle of zero productivity.  I've been seeming posts for now the better part of two years on this issue.  I have a new generation dock, that's really not even a dock but rather a power block, and things still haven't gotten any better.  

    Microsoft please find an answer to this.  There should not be a complicated way for a dock to work.  Understandably the outlyers ma not have the right firmware/software installed but the massive responses you have deem otherwise.

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