Connect and drive multiple displays over USB using DisplayLink® technology.
DisplayLink Direct is an SDK that lets applications render content directly to DisplayLink-connected displays. DisplayLink (developed by Synaptics) encodes and transmits video over standard data buses, such as USB 2.0 and USB 3.x, without relying on native video pass-through such as DisplayPort Alt Mode or Thunderbolt.
The SDK provides C/C++ headers and language bindings so you can integrate multi-display output into your own applications.
- Drive multiple displays over a single USB connection.
- Use the C/C++ API or Python bindings.
- Render Qt applications to DisplayLink displays with the Qt platform plugin.
- Get started with ready-to-run samples, including a video wall and EDID reader.
- Deploy without host-side drivers or compositor integration, making the SDK suitable for embedded systems and other use cases that need a lightweight solution.
- Configure and integrate multi-display output quickly with the simple, easy-to-use API.
| Platform | Architectures |
|---|---|
| Linux | x86_64, aarch64 |
| Android | aarch64 |
Full documentation is hosted at:
It covers installation, requirements, API reference, code samples, and troubleshooting. To build and preview the docs locally:
python3 -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r docs/requirements.txt
./docs/serve.sh| Path | Description |
|---|---|
include/ |
C/C++ header files for the SDK. |
libs/ |
Core library details (binaries are distributed as release assets). |
python/ |
Python bindings, distributed as .whl release assets. |
samples/ |
Sample applications for C/C++ and Python. |
firmware/ |
Firmware update packages and instructions. |
docs/ |
Documentation source (MkDocs). |
For instructions specific to each area, see:
- samples/README.md for instructions on building and running the sample applications.
- libs/README.md for core library package details and dependencies.
- firmware/README.md for firmware update workflow and assets.
The core libraries are proprietary and closed source, distributed as pre-built binaries via GitHub Release Assets. See LICENSE for terms and NOTICE for third-party notices.
Contributions to the documentation and samples are welcome — see CONTRIBUTING.md for details.
To report a security vulnerability, please follow the process described in SECURITY.md.