Was wondering. Over the years, have I mentioned to you fellas how much I despise Windows?

Never had that problem. Maybe it's your cables?

No one really gives a shite

Never had a problem with this with any version of Windows included Windows 11.
Based on my Help Desk experience, it sounds like the old loose nut behind the keyboard error.
Why aren't you using your Mac? I mean it just works. Right?

I apologize.
I am old and retired but a quick query in Copilot generated a likely explanation:
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Win 11 Pro. Trying to add another monitor for a dual monitor display. HDMI to HDMI connections. Three different monitors so far and counting. What should be a 10-second hook-up has never once allowed another monitor to connect to it. Tried multiple attempts to hook up one by one. Shut down then restart, plug one in at a time, both at a time etc., etc.

Still the same error message- no other monitor found to connect to
Your friend’s description points to one of three root causes, and the pattern is very recognizable:

The GPU/PC only has one active video output (common on budget desktops, older OEM systems, or systems where only one port is wired to the iGPU).

The second HDMI port is physically present but not electrically connected (extremely common on office PCs and many Dell/HP prebuilts).

They are plugging into the motherboard HDMI while using a dedicated GPU (Windows will never detect the second display unless BIOS multi-monitor support is enabled).

The fact that three different monitors all fail the same way tells us the monitors and cables are not the issue. The failure is upstream.

The core insight
If Windows 11 says “No other monitor found”, it means the GPU is reporting only one active output to the OS.
Windows cannot detect a display on a port that the hardware itself has disabled.

This is why swapping monitors, cables, and rebooting changes nothing.

The three most likely causes (ranked)
1. The PC only supports one display output at a time
Many OEM desktops and small form factor PCs have:

One HDMI port wired to the motherboard (iGPU)

One HDMI port wired to the GPU

Only one of them active, depending on BIOS settings

If the system is using a dedicated GPU, the motherboard HDMI is usually disabled.

Symptom match:
Every monitor works individually, none work as a second display.

2. The second HDMI port is a “dead port”
Some prebuilt systems include extra ports on the case that are not connected to the motherboard or GPU.
They look real, but they are not functional.

Symptom match:
One HDMI port always works. The other never works with any monitor.

3. The GPU only has one HDMI output
Many GPUs (NVIDIA/AMD) have:

1× HDMI

3× DisplayPort

If your friend is trying to use HDMI + HDMI, but the GPU only supports HDMI + DisplayPort, the second HDMI port they’re using may be on the motherboard and disabled.

Fix:
Use a DisplayPort ? HDMI active adapter for the second monitor.

The fastest way to diagnose it
Here’s a clean step-by-step guide your friend can follow.
This uses the troubleshooting template so they can walk through it in order.

01
Identify which HDMI port is actually active
Most Common Cause
Most dual-display failures come from plugging into a disabled motherboard port.

Look at the back of the PC

GPU ports are horizontal and grouped together

Motherboard ports are vertical and near USB ports

Make sure BOTH monitors are plugged into the GPU, not the motherboard

02
Check if the GPU actually has two usable outputs
Hardware Limitation
Many GPUs only have one HDMI port; the rest are DisplayPort.

Count the GPU ports: HDMI ×1, DisplayPort ×3 is very common

If there is only one HDMI, the second monitor must use DisplayPort ? HDMI adapter

Enable multi-monitor support in BIOS (if using motherboard ports)
If the system uses integrated graphics, the BIOS may disable additional outputs.

BIOS ? Advanced ? Integrated Graphics ? Multi-Monitor / iGPU Multi-Display

Enable iGPU Multi-Monitor

Save and reboot

Try connecting the second monitor again

04
Force Windows to rescan for displays
Once the correct ports are used, Windows should detect the second monitor.

Settings ? System ? Display ? Multiple Displays

Click Detect

Ensure Extend these displays is selected

If still not detected, the port is not active

Tell them to answer these three questions:

Are both HDMI cables plugged into the GPU, not the motherboard?
If not, that’s the fix.

Does the GPU actually have two HDMI ports?
If not, they need a DisplayPort ? HDMI adapter.

If using motherboard HDMI, is the BIOS set to allow multi-monitor?
Most systems ship with this disabled.

One of these three will almost certainly be the culprit.

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One of these three will almost certainly be the culprit.

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Ok will do Thanks

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There is probably something easy you aren't doing. Like going into display settings.

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Damn Sam. I said it gives me a display not found error message. I have to be in the Display settings to get the bad news.

While I have a host of complaints about Windows, I've never had it be the cause for not detecting a secondary display. Every time, it's either been an issue with the display port, an issue with the cable, or an issue that the device was running a "default" display driver which wasn't playing nice with the handshake protocol the graphics card was expecting.

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You don't really say what this error is, so its hard to diagnose your error. Thar being said, at you sure the hardware supports more/the displays you're trying to connect?

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Sure I did ---

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Still the same error message- no other monitor found to connect to

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And it certainly does. It worked before

I have a Windows 11 laptop with USB-C docking station and dual monitors. Works out the box like it should. I get a macbook air and attach the same docking station with USB-C to it. What do you know, I need a thunderbolt capable dock to be able to use two monitors. Apple sucks too. But your issues is likely a driver issue. Glad to help if you need it.