If you’re using an iPhone or Mac and want to stream video from a specific app on your iPhone or Mac to your TV, you can use AirPlay. However, if you want to cast your entire screen – with any windows or apps you may have open – then use mirroring.
You can mirror your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Mac screen to an Apple TV or AirPlay 2 compatible smart TV. (Here system requirements.) Screen mirroring requirements are similar to AirPlay requirements: make sure your device is up to date and connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your TV.
Below we’ll walk you through the steps to mirror your screen.
Mirror your iPhone screen:
These instructions are for iPhones, but the steps are similar on iPad or iPod touch.
- Open Control Center by swiping up (iPhone 8 or older) or swiping down from the top-right corner (iPhone X or newer)
- Tap “Screen Mirroring” (you will tap “AirPlay” on iPad)
- Select the device you want to use from the drop-down options (on iPad you need to turn on “Mirroring” after this step)
- You may get a popup asking for a code. Enter the code displayed on your TV here.
- Now, you mirror your iPhone screen. To exit the Screen Mirroring window, tap anywhere on the screen outside of that window and do the same to exit the Control Center. If you have an iPhone 8 or older, you can also double-press the home button.
- To stop mirroring your screen, open Control Center, tap the Screen Mirroring button (it should now be highlighted and display the name of the device you’re mirroring) and then tap “Stop Mirroring” at the bottom of the pop-up window. (On an iPad, you need to tap the AirPlay button, turn Mirroring off, then tap “iPad” in the list of devices.)
Mirror your Mac screen:
- Click the AirPlay button in the menu bar in the upper right corner of the screen. (If you don’t see the AirPlay button, you need to enable it. See instructions below.)
- Select the device you want to stream
- You may be asked to enter the code on your TV. Enter this code in the popup window on your Mac.
- You should now be mirroring your Mac screen. You have several options for adjusting the proportions of the screen and you can access them via the AirPlay button in the menu bar. Click “Mirroring Built-in Display” to have your TV match the screen to the proportions of your Mac screen. Click “Mirror Apple TV” to have the screen on your Mac match the proportions of the TV screen.
- Click the AirPlay button again to turn off Screen Mirroring. Next, click “Turn off AirPlay”.
Activate AirPlay on your Mac
If you don’t see the AirPlay button in the menu bar at the top of your screen, you need to enable it. Here’s how:
- Click the Apple button in the menu bar in the upper left corner of your screen
- Click on “System Preferences”
- Click “Displays”
- Make sure “Show mirroring options in menu bar when available” is selected
These are the basics of mirroring your iPhone or Mac screen. If you don’t need to cast the entire screen, you can use AirPlay to stream video from individual apps on your iPhone, Mac or Windows PC to your TV.
