There are so many occasions when we want to show what’s on our laptop to more people on a big-screen TV. It could be a hilarious YouTube video you recently came across, a presentation you made for your team, or an album from your recent trip. No matter how sharp your laptop’s display is, it is not big enough for more than two or three people to watch the content on it. If it had been on your smartphone, you would have started screen mirroring. What about your laptop?
The good thing is that your laptop has everything you need to cast your screen to the big TV. The secret feature is called Miracast and is standard on all modern Windows laptops. Moreover, setting it up is quite easy, and this guide will tell you exactly that.
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Miracast is the magic sauce
No extra hardware or software required, just your PC and some steps
Credit: Sagar Naresh/MUO
Before we start digging into the Settings menu on our Windows laptop, it’s good to know what Miracast actually is. For those who don’t know, Miracast still uses HDMI cables to connect laptops to TVs to watch content.
While that is another good option and relays content in high quality, stretching a long cable across the room can be a bit risky, especially when you have children or older people in the house. You can get a streaming stick, but that is another investment.
Enter Miracast. Think of it as an invisible HDMI cable. In short, it is a wireless technology that allows two devices to connect and share a screen. Unlike Apple AirPlay or Google’s Chromecast, which rely on an active internet connection, Miracast creates a direct bridge between your PC and TV without an internet connection.
It uses Wi-Fi Direct, so your PC or TV doesn’t need to be connected to the internet. In fact, they don’t even need to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network. And the best part is that if your TV and laptop are relatively modern, you don’t even need third-party apps, and it’s free.
The checklist is short
You will need a few things to get started
For those who have a laptop that came with Windows 10 or 11 out of the box, you are almost ready to go. Miracast has been a feature that came with Windows laptops and Wi-Fi-enabled desktops for years. You can check if your PC supports it or not by following the steps below:
- Press the Win + I to open the Settings menu.
- Navigate to System -> Display -> Multiple Displays.
- At the bottom of this menu, if you see an option saying Connect to a wireless display, then you have a Miracast-ready PC.
Before you begin, you can also check whether Miracast is available on your smart TV. Most modern TVs, whether they run WebOS (LG), Tizen OS (Samsung), or Android TV, have Miracast built in. But brands rarely use Miracast to define the technology and instead use their own branded terms.
If you see anything like Screen Mirroring, Smart View, Anyview Cast, Wireless Display, Cast Screen, etc., then your TV has Miracast.
Connection takes a few seconds
From small screen to big screen in three clicks
After you have confirmed that both your devices, i.e., your laptop and your TV, have Miracast, the actual connection process is quite easy, and it takes a few seconds to connect them both.
- Turn on your TV. You can leave it on the home screen.
- On your PC, press Win + K to open the Cast pane directly.
- Your Windows laptop will start scanning the room for compatible devices. Your TV name should pop up in the menu.
- Click on your TV’s name.
- Watch on your TV’s screen, as you might get a prompt asking for permission to connect. Grab your TV remote and allow access.
After this, your TV will instantly mirror what is on your Windows laptop. However, you aren’t just restricted to mirroring. If you press the Win + P keys, the Projection Menu opens, and you can choose how you want your PC displayed on the TV. You will have the following options:
- Duplicate: This option will showcase exactly what you have opened on your computer. Good for sharing photos, web pages, or presentations.
- Extend: This turns your TV into a second monitor. You can simply drag a movie or anything to your TV screen while keeping your email or other tasks open on your laptop.
- Second screen only: Choosing this option turns off your laptop’s screen, and your TV acts as the primary screen.
A healthy reminder that you should not expect Miracast to function properly every time you run it. You may experience issues trying to run Miracast.
An easy way to cast your screen
Miracast is often overlooked because people either don’t know it exists or don’t know how to set it up. Once you know the stuff, you will never want to go back to hunting for the right cable, switching inputs, or even getting a streaming stick. It is the quickest way to share your PC’s screen for a presentation in a meeting or for a movie date with friends and family. Miracast is available for free and does not even require Wi-Fi.
