Are you having trouble connecting your MacBook to a projector? Do you have a presentation to give in front of many people and you just cannot figure out how to connect MacBook to the projector? You don’t want to be embarrassed in front of people not knowing the process of making the connection. This article will help you in this regard. Connecting a MacBook to the projector is not a straightforward process, but it is not a hard task to do either. You just have to know which port and cable to be used. Yes, you cannot directly use HDMI or VGA cable to make a connection, but you can do it with a little tweak. How? You will have a clear idea of setting up both the devices in our following segment.
Table of Contents
How to Connect MacBook to Projector with USB
You already may have tried and failed to make a connection between the MacBook and the projector with an HDMI cable or a VGA cable. It does not work because the MacBook does not have an HDMI or VGA port. This is where using a USB comes into the picture to make the connection between the two. Let’s learn how you are supposed to solve the matter.
Setting up the Projector
First of all, make sure that the projector is turned off. Now, take a VGA cable or an HDMI cable. Put the cable into the correct port of the projector; don’t do it the hard way, smoothly put in the cable on the right side. The following figure shows the setting up of the VGA cable into the projector. If you want to use an HDMI cable, no problem, you can find the port on the left side of the projector (depending on the model of your projector, of course).
Use of a USB Adapter
As you know, the MacBook does not support either VGA or HDMI cable; hence you have to use a USB adapter to connect the two devices. There are several USB adapters available on the market. Make sure you buy the one supported by your MacBook. Plus, know before buying the adapter- which cable you are going to use- VGA or HDMI. USB-c (Thunderbolt-3) is a popular adapter for this kind of task. You can find a USB-c adapter with only a VGA port, with only an HDMI port, or even with both the ports. Depending on the price and need, choose the right adapter for your MacBook.
Now, connect the other part of the VGA or HDMI cable, extending from the projector to the one port of the USB-c adapter. Therefore, the connection between the projector and the adapter is completed.
Setting up the MacBook
Locate the USB port of your MacBook. It is generally located on the upper-right side of the MacBook Pro series, as the figure suggests. Put the other part of the adapter cable into the USB port of the MacBook. There you go; you should be able to see a sudden refresh on your MacBook screen as the connection has been made with the projector.
However, sometimes the MacBook does not find the projector straight away. In this case, you need to manually select the connected device for your MacBook. How to do it? Let’s know all about it in the next part of the article.
How to Choose the Right Settings?
You may have to change some settings so that the projector can show smoothly whatever is displayed on your MacBook. Follow these simple steps:
Step 1: Tap on the little apple icon located in the top-left corner of your screen. Now, click on the ‘System Preferences’ from the drag-down menu.
Step 2: Next, hit the ‘Dispalys’ option from the preferences page.
Step 3: Here, navigate to the bottom-right corner of the screen and click on the ‘Detect Displays’ option. You should find the connected projector name; click on it to let the MacBook clearly know about the connected projector. Also, you may have to change the resolution from the list given so that both the devices are synchronized well.
Make sure that the ‘Mirror Displays’ option is checked on, which can be found under the ‘Arrangement’ tab. Alternatively, you can use the ‘Expand the screen’ option to detect the projector.
Conclusion
Now you know how easily you can build a connection between your MacBook and projector. The USB-c adapter is really a savior. Now, go out there and rock the audience with your presentation.
