The Dell Function Key for an Overhead Projector

Setting up a laptop to work with a projector can be tedious, especially if you're forced to navigate through menu after menu to make your laptop detect the projector. If you have a Dell laptop, however, you have a keyboard shortcut available to you that can simplify the process. With some of the work out of the way, you can display the contents of your laptop's screen on your projector a lot more quickly.

Connect one end of the VGA cable to the VGA-out port on your Dell laptop.

Connect the other end of the VGA cable to the VGA-in port on your projector.

Hold down the "Fn" key on your Dell laptop's keyboard and press the "F8" key. This keyboard shortcut instructs your laptop to shift the video from your laptop's display to the external display, which in this case is your projector.

Power on your projector. You should see your laptop's display on the projection screen.