How to Convert DVI to VGA or VGA to DVI

Find the right adapter or cable and get your display connected

Updated on November 21, 2019

DVI and VGA are both very common display connections, especially on older computers and monitors. While they aren’t the same, and DVI does support higher resolutions than VGA, it’s simple enough to convert between them, allowing you to use DVI and VGA monitors and ports interchangeably.

Take Quality into Account

Before you get started, its best to understand something about image quality. Like with a lot of digital signals, your video output is only as good as its weakest link. VGA only supports a resolution of 1024x768, while DVI can support full 1080p HD at 1920x1080. As soon as you convert between them, the quality will reduce from whatever the source was to a maximum to 1024x768.

Switching from VGA to DVI will not scale up your picture.

Converting Between DVI and VGA

There are two basic ways to convert from DVI to VGA. You can use a cable that does the conversion for you. It will have a DVI connector on one end and a VGA one on the other. Plug one end into the DVI port and the other into the VGA, and everything will work normally. You can find cables like this pretty much anywhere online that sells electronics.

The other way to convert between these connectors is with a simple adapter. There are plenty of small adapters that have a DVI connection on one end and a VGA one on the other. Choose the right adapter that will plug into the device that you want to have either the DVI or VGA connection that you need, and connect everything up, using the adapter to replace the usual port. These are widely available too, and they’re relatively inexpensive. You can pick this one up from Amazon, and it’ll work in most situations.

Be sure to choose the right male/female configuration to match the connectors on your devices. It shouldn’t be too difficult, since both adapters and cables are widely available, and many devices use the same scheme.