If you have a laptop or desktop computer and want to use it as a remote control, it can be tricky to find the right adapter that connects your device to your smart TV.
Smart TVs offer great value. They’re inexpensive, easy to use, and come with a wide range of features. But the trouble is that they’re so hard to set up. Many TVs require proprietary connections that aren’t compatible with regular USB ports.
Most smart TVs also have limited app ecosystems. All of this means it’s challenging to connect a laptop to a smart TV. Until now, that is. Here’s how to set up a wireless connection between a laptop and a smart TV.
When you think of connecting laptops to TVs, the first thing that comes to mind is having to use a cable or wireless adapter. It seems like a hassle, right? Here’s how to make it easy and fun to get connected with just a few taps of your fingers.
How to connect your laptop to your Smart TV
If you’ve got a laptop and a Smart TV, you can make your laptop display bigger by connecting them to each other. But how do you go about doing that? Well, that’s what this article is all about. It’ll explain how to connect your laptop to your Smart TV and show you how it works.
Whether you’re looking to connect your laptop to your TV, or just want to use your TV as a monitor, there are many ways to do so. But not all of them are easy, or even safe. We’ve put together this guide to help you decide which one is right for you.
How to connect your laptop to your TV via HDMI
Many people still use VGA cables for connecting their computer to their TV set. HDMI cables are becoming increasingly popular and you can use your existing HDMI cable to connect your computer to your TV instead of spending money on new ones.
However, HDMI connections require you to have a special HDMI cable to connect your computer to your TV, so if you’re looking for an easy solution you need to find the right HDMI cable.
You probably already have an HDMI cable at home. But did you know you can use an HDMI cable to connect your laptop to your television? This is called “HDMI Crossover”. You can also use an HDMI cable to connect your computer to a projector, a Blu-ray player, or a gaming console. The only thing that matters is that both ends of the cable are HDMI.
To connect your laptop to your TV with an HDMI cable:
- Plug one end of the HDMI cable into your HDMI input on your laptop.
- Plug the other end of the cable into one of the HDMI ports on your television.
- You can use the remote control to select the input that corresponds to where you plugged the cable into the TV.
If you connect your laptop to the TV, your wireless network will work better because it will be able to pick up signals from both the laptop and TV simultaneously.
How to connect your laptop to your Smart TV wirelessly
Depending on your computer, it may be possible to ditch the cables and connect wirelessly.
To connect your laptop to your Smart TV, follow these steps.
- From the dashboard, select Connect.
- In the bottom right corner of the app, click Projecting to the PC. From the Settings page, select either Available everywhere on secure networks or Available everywhere.
- On ‘Project’, choose First time only or every time.
- You can also decide if you want to require a PIN. When your PC alerts you to connect, click Yes.
- When you turn on your laptop, the computer will launch the Windows Connect app.
To connect your Apple laptop to your Smart TV:
You can easily connect your laptop to your compatible Smart TV by using AirPlay.
A compatible device includes an Apple TV® or AirPlay 2-enabled Smart TV (i.e.
TVs from the past couple years from Samsung, LG, and Vizio will play video through the display.
Here’s how to connect your laptop to your TV using AirPlay:
- Open the app or the website that you want to stream video from on your laptop.
- In the video playback settings, select the Screen Mirroring icon.
- Connect your Apple TV or AirPlay 2-enabled TV.
- Once your video is done playing, tap the Screen Mirroring icon in the video playback controls and choose Turn Off AirPlay.
To connect your Chromebook to your Smart TV with Chromecast:
If you’d like to go wireless and connect your Chromebook™ to your TV without an HDMI cable, you’ll need to buy a Google Chromecast® to plug into your Smart TV
Here’s how to connect your Chromebook to your Smart TV with Chromecast:
- Connect the Chromecast to your TV’s HDMI port.
- Using your TV remote, find the HDMI input where you plugged in the device.
- On your computer open the Chrome browser, and then click the Cast icon.
- You will now be guided through the set-up process for the Chromecast.
- In the lower right corner you should see “Cast devices available,” select it to see all the casting options you have available:
- Internal Display > Share lets you mirror your screen on another monitor or TV.
- If you don’t have a computer handy, simply get Netflix and scroll through the list of TV shows and movies until you
- Go to YouTube and select Play on TV from the menu bar.