How To Switch From Computer To Ps4 On Monitor

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My first gaming PC setup was a disaster. I spent hours trying to get my audio to work, only to realize I’d plugged the speakers into the wrong jack. Rookie mistake, sure, but it taught me a valuable lesson: sometimes the simplest things are the most annoying.

So when I finally got my PlayStation 4, I just assumed plugging it into my trusty monitor would be plug-and-play. Nope.

Realizing you need to switch between your PC and your console on the same display can feel like you’re trying to rewire a toaster with chopsticks. It’s not rocket science, but it can feel like it when you’re staring at a blank screen after trying to figure out how to switch from computer to ps4 on monitor.

Fear not, fellow gamer.

Plugging Things in: The Obvious Bit

This sounds stupidly simple, I know. But honestly, I’ve seen people get this wrong. You’ve got your PS4, your monitor, and your PC. The PS4 needs an HDMI cable. Your PC probably also uses an HDMI cable, or maybe DisplayPort, but for this exercise, let’s assume HDMI for both so we don’t get bogged down in adapter hell right away.

Plug one end of the HDMI cable into the back of your PS4 – the one labeled ‘HDMI OUT’. The other end goes into one of the HDMI ports on your monitor. Easy peasy. Now, your PC. If it’s a desktop, the HDMI port is usually on the back, near where all the USB ports are. If it’s a laptop, it’s usually on the side.

The crucial bit here is to make sure you’re using a decent HDMI cable. Not some fancy gold-plated garbage, but not the thinnest, cheapest thing you can find either. I once tried using a really old HDMI cable I found in a junk drawer, and the picture was all fuzzy, like watching TV through a thick fog. Cost me about $15 for a new one, and boom, crystal clear. That’s around $15 I wasted on dusty old tech.

The Big Question: One Monitor, Two Inputs?

Here’s where most people get stuck. You’ve got your PS4 plugged in. You turn it on. Great. You want to play your PC. You turn that on. Uh oh. What happens? Depending on your monitor, it might automatically switch to the active input, or it might just stick with whatever was plugged in first. This is where understanding your monitor’s inputs becomes important. Think of your monitor like a TV with multiple channels, but instead of broadcast signals, you have physical cables feeding it different ‘channels’ – HDMI 1, HDMI 2, DisplayPort, etc.

Many modern monitors, especially those geared towards gaming, have at least two HDMI ports. Some even have a DisplayPort as well. This is ideal. You plug your PS4 into HDMI 1, and your PC into HDMI 2. Then, the magic happens via your monitor’s on-screen display (OSD) menu.

Most monitors have a few buttons on the side, bottom, or back. These aren’t just for turning it on and off. They’re your gateway to controlling your monitor’s settings. You’ll need to press one of these buttons to bring up the OSD menu. From there, you’re looking for something labeled ‘Input’, ‘Source’, or ‘Signal’. Click into that, and you’ll see a list of the inputs your monitor has: HDMI 1, HDMI 2, DisplayPort, etc. Simply select the input you want to switch to. So, if you want to play your PS4, select HDMI 1. If you want to use your PC, select HDMI 2. (See Also: How To Put 144hz Monitor At 144hz )

The whole process of learning your monitor’s OSD can be a bit of a chore at first. I remember my first decent gaming monitor; it had this tiny, almost invisible joystick on the back. Took me a good five minutes of fumbling around to figure out it controlled everything. It looked so sleek, but functionally, it was a nightmare for the first week. I spent a solid hour just pressing buttons and jiggling that joystick to see what did what.

What If You Only Have One HDMI Port?

This is where things get slightly more complicated, but it’s far from impossible. If your monitor has only one HDMI port, you can’t have both your PC and PS4 plugged in at the same time. You’ll have to physically swap the HDMI cable between the two devices. This means unplugging it from your PS4 and plugging it into your PC, or vice-versa, every time you want to switch.

Honestly, I consider this an annoying workaround. It’s like having one power outlet for your coffee maker and your toaster – you can only use one at a time, and it’s a pain to keep swapping plugs. This is where I’d strongly recommend considering an upgrade if possible, even to a budget monitor with at least two HDMI inputs. The sheer convenience is worth it. Think about how many times a week you might switch – multiply that by two minutes of fiddling with cables, and it adds up. I’d wager I’ve spent at least 15-20 minutes a month just doing this cable dance over the years.

However, if you’re stuck with one port, there’s a better way than just swapping: an HDMI switch box. These are small, inexpensive devices that have multiple HDMI inputs and one HDMI output. You plug your PS4 into Input 1, your PC into Input 2, and then the switch box’s output cable goes into your monitor’s single HDMI port. The switch box itself usually has a button on it that you press to select which input you want to send to the monitor. It’s a cleaner solution than constantly yanking cables, and they typically cost between $20 and $40.

Looking at reviews from places like Wirecutter, they often point to simple passive HDMI switches as being reliable for this exact purpose. So, it’s not some niche, hard-to-find gadget.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the options when you’re figuring out how to switch from computer to ps4 on monitor:

Setup	Pros	Cons	Verdict
Two HDMI Ports (Monitor)	Instant switching via OSD menu. Clean and simple.	Requires a monitor with multiple HDMI inputs.	Ideal. Most straightforward.
One HDMI Port (Monitor) + Cable Swapping	No extra cost if you already have the cable.	Annoying, time-consuming, wear and tear on cables/ports.	Avoid if possible. A hassle.
One HDMI Port (Monitor) + HDMI Switch Box	Relatively cheap, easy switching, less wear on ports.	Extra device to manage, small power draw (usually).	Good budget solution for single-port monitors.

Audio Considerations: Don’t Forget Your Ears

This is where things can get tricky, and it’s something most guides gloss over. Your monitor likely has speakers, but they’re probably terrible. You’ll want to use external speakers or headphones. The question is, where do you plug them in?

If you’re using your PC, your speakers or headphones will likely plug into the audio jacks on your computer itself (usually the green one for speakers, pink for microphone, blue for line-in, on the back of a desktop). When you switch to your PS4, those jacks won’t do you any good.

Here’s the deal: the audio signal for your PS4 is also coming out of its HDMI port. If your monitor has a headphone jack, that’s usually the easiest way. When you plug headphones into the monitor, it should mute the monitor’s speakers and output the audio from whichever source is currently selected. So, if the PS4 is selected, you get PS4 audio. If your PC is selected, you get PC audio. (See Also: How To Switch An Acer Monitor To Hdmi )

My first monitor had this feature, and it was a lifesaver. I just plugged my gaming headset into the monitor’s headphone jack. It made switching between PC gaming and PS4 gaming so much smoother, as the audio just followed the video signal. No re-plugging headphones every time.

If your monitor *doesn’t* have a headphone jack, or if you have separate speakers you want to use for both, you’re looking at a small audio mixer. This is where you’d plug the audio output from your PC (either from the computer’s audio jacks or a USB audio device) and the audio output from your PS4 (which you can often get via USB or an optical audio cable if your PS4 has one) into a small mixer. Then, your speakers or headphones plug into the mixer. This gives you physical volume controls for each source, which is nice. You can even blend them if you wanted to, though I don’t see much use for that unless you’re streaming.

A basic audio mixer that handles two stereo inputs and one stereo output can be found for around $40-$60. It’s not essential for everyone, but if your monitor is basic, it solves the audio puzzle elegantly.

Here’s a quick look at common audio setups:

Monitor Headphone Jack: The simplest if your monitor has one. Plug your headphones directly into the monitor. Audio follows the video.
PC Audio Jacks + PS4 HDMI Audio: If you want to use PC speakers for your PC, and then switch to headphones for your PS4 (or vice-versa), you’ll need to manually swap connections or use a switch.
Audio Mixer: Best for separate speakers or complex setups. Allows you to mix audio from multiple sources into one output (speakers/headphones).

Display Settings: Making It Look Right

Once you’ve got the physical connections and audio sorted, it’s time to make sure everything looks as it should. Your PC and PS4 will both try to output at a certain resolution and refresh rate. Your monitor has its own capabilities.

On your PC, you’ll go into your display settings (right-click on the desktop, select ‘Display settings’). Here, you can choose your monitor’s resolution and refresh rate. Generally, you want to match your monitor’s native resolution – usually labeled as ‘Recommended’ – and its highest supported refresh rate. For gaming, a higher refresh rate (like 120Hz or 144Hz) makes a huge difference in smoothness, making games feel more fluid. My first gaming monitor was only 60Hz, and when I upgraded to 144Hz, it was like going from a flipbook to a high-definition movie. The difference is genuinely staggering.

On your PS4, the settings are within the console’s menu. Go to Settings > Sound and Screen > Video Output Settings. Here you can set the resolution, specify RGB range (usually ‘Full’ for best contrast if your monitor supports it), and set the HDR settings if your PS4 and monitor support it. Make sure the PS4 is set to output at a resolution and refresh rate your monitor can handle. If you set it too high, you’ll get a black screen or flickering.

Sometimes, if you’re switching between a PC running at 144Hz and a PS4 that can only do 60Hz, you might notice a slight flicker when the signal changes. This is normal. The monitor is essentially re-calibrating for the new signal. It usually only lasts a second or two. If it persists, double-check your cable quality and ensure both devices are set to compatible modes.

The key takeaway is that your PC offers more granular control over these settings than the PS4. You can overclock some monitors for a higher refresh rate, but that’s venturing into risky territory and not something I’d recommend for casual users. Stick to the manufacturer’s advertised specs for both your monitor and your console. (See Also: How To Monitor My Sleep With Apple Watch )

Final Verdict

Figuring out how to switch from computer to ps4 on monitor isn’t a dark art. It’s mostly about understanding your monitor’s capabilities and having the right cables or a simple switch.

Honestly, the biggest hurdle for most people is just getting familiar with their monitor’s OSD menu. Give yourself five minutes with the manual or just poke around the buttons until you find it. You’ll be swapping sources faster than you can say ‘loading screen’.

If you’re still wrestling with a single HDMI port and constantly swapping cables, seriously consider a $30 HDMI switch. It’s a small price to pay for sanity and saving wear and tear on your gear. My nephew spent over six months of his gaming life swapping cables before I finally gifted him one, and he hasn’t complained since.

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The next step? Just try it. Pick one method that sounds easiest for your setup and give it a go.