Surface Thunderbolt 4 dock not connecting with separate screen

Question

Surface Thunderbolt 4 dock not connecting with separate screen

GailNZ 0

I have a Surface Pro 8 with Windows 11 Home and recently purchased a Surface Thunderbolt 4 dock. While the dock connects well with my separate keyboard it does not connect with my separate screen. On the separate large screen I either get nothing or the message 'No Video Output'. The connection between the screen and the dock is a V8 in the screen and a small connection like the one that connects the dock to the Surface. I have returned one thunderbolt 4 dock only to find the problem still exists with the replacement one. I have also replaced the cord between the screen and the dock. Again, no difference. The additional screen is a Philips business monitor with Display port, HDML, DVI, VGA - USB HUB.

I would greatly appreciate assistance to fix this issue.

Thanks GailNZ

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Answer 1

Hi @GailNZ

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

Regarding your issue, the Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock outputs video through USB-C/Thunderbolt ports that require DisplayPort Alt Mode. Your Philips monitor doesn’t have a USB-C port with DisplayPort Alt Mode or Thunderbolt certification, so the dock can’t send video directly. Microsoft confirms that if your monitor doesn’t support this, you need a display adapter (sold separately)

For more details, please refer to: Use Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock

User's image

Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock overview

Here are a few steps you can try:

Use the correct cable

Purchase a high-quality USB-C to HDMI cable or a USB-C to HDMI adapter (followed by a standard HDMI cable).
Plug the USB-C end into any of the available Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports on your dock.
Plug the HDMI end into the HDMI port on the back of your Philips monitor.
Check your monitor's on-screen menu and ensure the input source is set explicitly to HDMI.

For more details, please refer to: Use a Surface USB-C to display adapter

Tested peripherals for Surface devices

Update your Surface Dock firmware

Go to Settings > Windows Update > Optional Updates and install any Surface Dock or Display updates.

Hopefully it will help work with your issue and if you have any other questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask.

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Jess-Q 4,750 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-03T15:13:06.4666667+00:00

Hi @GailNZ,

It has been a while and I am writing to see how things are going with this issue. Have you had a chance to check the replies provided? Any update would be appreciated.
GailNZ 0 Reputation points

2025-12-05T20:25:51.65+00:00

Hi Jess,

1 I purchased a high-quality USB-C to HDMI cable as suggested and plugged in the cable to the Philips Screen and Surface Thunderbolt 4 dock then plugged in the screen and dock into a power socket board and dock plug sparked badly, I tried another power board and it did the same. I renewed all my power boards recently when the dock plug sparked when I plugged it in. I am really disappointed in the dock. It works well with my separate keyboard but not with my separate Philips screen. Suggestions please.

2 If possible I would prefer to use the Display port to USB-C cable which I am told is newer better technology. As mentioned in my first question this did not work.

I would really like to get this issue resolved and my computer working well. Thanks Gail

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Surface Thunderbolt 4 dock not connecting with separate screen

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