How Do You Connect a Laptop to a Digital Projector With VGA Cable?

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Outputting your laptop's display to a digital projector gives you a bigger screen for doing work when trapped in a conference room or showcasing your small business presentations. Additionally, Windows gives you a few different display options for how to use the projector for some added flexibility. Most laptops have a VGA ouput port built into them that you can use to connect the device to a projector. Even if your laptop only has a DVI or HDMI output port, you can use a VGA adapter to connect the device to a digital projector.

Plug one end of a VGA cable into the VGA output port on the laptop. If there is no VGA output port on your laptop, connect a VGA adapter for the video output that your laptop does have, such as an HDMI-to-VGA adapter or DVI-to-VGA adapter. If you use an HDMI-to-VGA adapter, be aware that the outputted video will be in standard definition and not high definition. If there are screw holes on each side of the VGA output port, screw the VGA connector into place.

Plug the other connector on the VGA cable into the VGA input on the digital projector. If there are screw holes on each side of the VGA input port, screw the VGA connector into place.

Power on the projector and then switch the displayed input to the VGA input where you connected the laptop.

Turn on the laptop. Press "Win-P" on the laptop keyboard to open a menu with options for how to use the connected projector.

Click "Computer Only" to output the computer display to the laptop only and not the projector. Click "Extend" to extend the primary display's work area onto the projector. Click "Duplicate" to display the computer's primary screen on both the laptop's screen and the projector. Click "Projector Only" to put the laptop's display on the projector's screen only.