I’ve ran into this situation multiple times at my current and previous jobs. I really want to avoid Windows and use something better, but I can’t live without two external monitors.
On Windows, it “just works”. I don’t have to do anything.
On Linux (I tried Linux Mint today) it doesn’t work. First, it only connected one of the monitors, the other one did not register. Then I switched to a different cable from the computer to the docking station and it connected both screens - however, they were locked to 30fps. I could not make them work at 60fps (and this is a major dealbreaker, I cannot live with 30fps).
This isn’t really a tech support question, I’m more trying to understand what fundamentally causes this situation. Why is Linux still struggling with pretty basic functionality that Windows does with zero setup? Is it the vendor of the laptop and docking station that aren’t properly supporting Linux? Or is it some other problem?
It only “just works” if you are using the correct dock and the correct cables. My Surface Pro with Windows 11 refuses to do dual monitors at 4K unless I use the actual Microsoft Adapter cables (USB-C to HDMI) along with the actual Microsoft Dock.
Your problem isn’t that Linux can’t do what you want, it’s that you have to have the correct hardware setup…and so does Windows.
My surface pro just decided one day that all external monitors will only be mirrors of the primary display, and that they will be 800px, not 4k. Nothing I have tried has fixed it. I finally gave up and started using my much older Arch laptop for those purposes.