HDMI Switches and Splitters

Share one screen, or fill two

Two laptops on one desk with one monitor, or a laptop, a games console and a streaming stick fighting over one TV socket: an HDMI switch sorts it. Plug every device into the switch, and the switch into the screen, and you choose which one shows with a button or a remote. A splitter does the opposite job, sending one picture to two screens at once.

The kinds here

• Switches with three, five or seven inputs and one output, most with a remote, some switching by themselves to whichever device turns on. Several list 4K at 60Hz and HDR.
• Splitters, one input and two outputs, for the same picture on two screens.
• Two-way switches that work either way round: two devices to one screen, or one device to two screens. Some are listed at 4K, some at 8K.
• KVM switches, for keyboard, video and mouse, so two computers share one monitor, keyboard and mouse with one button.
• A switch with an audio extractor that takes the sound out to a soundbar or amplifier, with ARC.

How to choose

Count your devices and your screens. More devices than sockets means a switch. One laptop to a monitor and a projector means a splitter. Two computers that should share one desk set-up means a KVM switch, which saves a second keyboard and mouse.

Then match the speed to your screen. HDMI Licensing names the cables by what they carry: Premium High Speed for 4K at 60Hz, Ultra High Speed for 4K at 120Hz and 8K. Use the right HDMI cables on each side of the switch, or the picture drops to what the weakest cable carries.

For sound, the switch with an audio extractor sends the sound from whichever device is showing to a soundbar or amplifier by a separate lead, and its ARC socket brings sound back from a TV that supports it.

Questions people ask about HDMI switches and splitters

Will a splitter give me two separate desktops?

No. A splitter shows the same picture on both screens. For two separate screens from a laptop, use a docking station or a USB-C hub with two video sockets, on a laptop that supports two displays.

Do they need power?

Some draw power from the HDMI devices, and one here is listed as needing no power adapter. Others come with a power lead.

Can I use one with a USB-C laptop?

Yes, through a USB-C to HDMI adapter or a USB-C to HDMI cable.

Delivery is included in every price and tracked to your door. Each product page says when it usually arrives.

More to look at

• HDMI cables
• USB-C to HDMI adapters
• Laptop docking stations
• HDMI accessories
• Keyboard and mouse sets
• Guide: How to connect a laptop to a monitor or TV