Can you confirm the exact splitter you have? It may be that the video card/port you are using is not able to 'extend', and the splitter is only projecting the same image to both.

If this is a branded machine, what machine is it?

 

I have pictures of it

 

it shows 1-2 duplicator, which to me that it will show the desktop on 2 monitors simultaneously, and not separate.

What computer do you have?

 

It's a desktop

 

That device is meant to display the same image on two monitors/projectors, etc.In order to display separate images (known as extended desktop) you will need a video card with multiple video outputs (usually of different types, but there are dongles to convert to VGA, if required.

 

Unless a super small mini or micro PC, the vast majority of desktops computers have more than one video output connections on the back. They may be two different types, HDMI and DisplayPort, for example but typically you can connect a monitor to each and use them as one big "extended" desktop. Then you can have an open Word document on one monitor and your email program running on the other. You can move windows from monitor to monitor, even copy a file on one monitor and paste it in a folder on the other monitor.

I've been running a dual monitor setup for over 25 years and frankly, I don't understand how anyone can live with just on monitor.

If your computer does not have two video outputs, you will need to add another adapter. A card would be best, IMO, but there are USB types too. The problem with a card is it may require upgrading the power supply too.

As noted, a splitter takes one signal and sends the same image to both monitors. Anything you do on one monitor is replicated on the other.

 

Please post the brand and model of the "desktop" computer you have.

the vast majority of desktops computers have more than one video output connections on the back.

Or if the computer is old. Neither of our desktop computers (Dell and eMachines) have more than one video output connection. They both only have a VGA port.
So we'd need to add a video card which isn't cost effective in our old computers.

 

so my desktop has two vga ports, one is a male and one is a female. Would it work if i got a male and female cable and plugged that into my monitor so both of the vga ports are full, would it detect 2 screens then?

 

Maybe. But without knowing the exact model number of the computer (or motherboard), "maybe" is all I can offer.

Check your user manual.

 

Look closer at those two ports. I believe you will find that they look like items 8 & 9 in the above picture. The one with 9 male pins is a serial port, not a VGA port.

 

Yeah - easy to tell the different (assuming there is no label). Serial uses 9 pins. VGA is 15 pins.

Again, check the manual.

 

And I cannot ever recall seeing a male VGA port on a PC. Of course, I can't recall what I had for dinner last night, either, but that's another story ... ;-)

 

So this is the back of the desktop and now I see that it is a 9 pin thing so I was looking online and would a vga to USB adapter work to detect 2 monitors?

 

You have 2 DisplayPort ports there, too. What kind of inputs have you got on your monitors?

 

One is a vga port and one has an hdmi port and vga

 

You can use a cable such as this:

Amazon.com: BENFEI 4K DisplayPort to HDMI 6 Feet Cable, Uni-Directional DP 1.2 Computer to HDMI 1.4 Screen Cable Compatible with HP, ThinkPad, AMD, NVIDIA, Desktop : Electronics

Buy BENFEI 4K DisplayPort to HDMI 6 Feet Cable, Uni-Directional DP 1.2 Computer to HDMI 1.4 Screen Cable Compatible with HP, ThinkPad, AMD, NVIDIA, Desktop: HDMI Cables - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

I have not used this, nor am I endorsing it, this is just an example of what you need. It is one direction only. If you choose a different cable, be sure it goes from a DisplayPort source to HDMI monitor.