Most desktops have no USB-C video output, which makes plugging in XReal Air glasses tricky. The fix is one specific cable. Here is the step-by-step to get your XReal Air or Air 2 Pro running from a desktop.
Editor's note (July 2026): This guide is from 2023 and still works for XReal Air and Air 2 Pro owners. Since then I have switched to the VITURE Luma Pro as my daily glasses. If you are on VITURE instead, I wrote a matching VITURE desktop connection guide. For my long-term take on living with the XReal Air, see the full review.
Desktops rarely have a USB-C port that outputs video, so you cannot just plug the glasses in. The answer is a DisplayPort-to-USB-C cable that also carries power over a USB-A leg. Plug the DisplayPort end into your graphics card, the USB-A end into a powered motherboard USB port, and the USB-C end into the glasses. Then set the display to 1920 by 1080 at 60fps and use Windows + Shift + arrow to move a window onto the glasses.
One DisplayPort-to-USB-C cable with power solves it.The XReal (formerly Nreal) Air glasses are a great way to get a big private display, but they expect a single USB-C connection that carries both video and power. Laptops and phones with USB-C video output handle that in one cable. Most traditional desktops do not have USB-C video output at all, so before anything else, check your machine's ports. If your desktop has no USB-C video out, and most do not, you need the workaround below.
To connect the glasses to a desktop, you need a single special cable: a DisplayPort-to-USB-C cable that combines a video connection with a powered USB-A adapter. The DisplayPort side pulls video straight from your graphics card, while the USB-A side supplies power, which matters because the glasses have no onboard battery. The one I used is a WJESOG DisplayPort to USB-C cable, 6.6 feet, rated 4K at 60Hz.
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With the cable in hand, the wiring is quick:
Once everything is plugged in, you may need to tweak your display settings so the glasses behave. This varies by operating system, but you usually reach it through the Control Panel on Windows or System Preferences on a Mac. A couple of things to check:
That is it. With the right cable, connecting the XReal Air or Air 2 Pro to a desktop without USB-C video output is entirely doable, and it opens up a big private screen for your PC.
Yes. Most desktops lack a USB-C port that outputs video, so you use a DisplayPort-to-USB-C cable that also carries power over a USB-A leg. The DisplayPort end pulls video from your graphics card and the USB-A end powers the glasses, which lets a desktop drive the XReal Air or Air 2 Pro.
Because most desktop USB-C ports do not carry a video signal. The glasses need video, and on a desktop that has to come from the graphics card's DisplayPort. That is why the workaround routes video from DisplayPort and power from a USB-A port through one combined cable.
A DisplayPort-to-USB-C cable with a powered USB-A adapter. The DisplayPort side handles video from your GPU and the USB-A side supplies power, which the glasses require because they have no onboard battery. I used a WJESOG DisplayPort to USB-C cable rated 4K at 60Hz.
1920 by 1080 at 60fps, which is their native resolution and refresh rate. After connecting, confirm your display settings match that so the image looks correct and smooth on the glasses.
On Windows, press Windows + Shift + the Left or Right arrow key to move the active application to the other screen, which sends it onto the glasses. You manage the glasses as a second monitor from your normal display settings.
Connecting AR glasses to a desktop without USB-C video output looks intimidating at first, but with the right cable it is straightforward. Follow these steps and your XReal Air or Air 2 Pro becomes a large private display for your PC. If you are shopping glasses new, I have since moved to the VITURE Luma Pro, so check the why I switched writeup and its own desktop guide before deciding.