There are many reasons to connect videos from your laptop to your TV. It could be a family gathering, friends hang out or even a presentation in school or business. As the years pass by, technology begins to advance at a rapid rate. In earlier times, connecting TVs and laptops was not possible. During development, it became possible to connect the two devices. With this article, you can accomplish all with ease and no difficulty.
At times a bigger screen is needed when carrying out some activities like presentations or watching a movie. Let’s review the different ways to connect a laptop to the TV. There are two main ways of connecting a laptop to a television. You can either connect it with wires or you can connect it wirelessly, either one is alright. These are the ways of connecting a laptop to a TV. There are various methods to adopt when connecting the laptop to a TV with wired connections. This mostly involves using cables or adapters.
How to Connect Your Laptop to TV with a Wired Connection
Connecting your laptop to your TV can be done with either an HDMI cable a VGA cable or an Adapter. The methods are:
Using HDMI Cable
An HDMI cable is a device that transmits audio-visual signals from one device to another. In this case, we would be using It to transmit audio and visual signals from the laptop to the TV. Make sure that both the TV and laptop possess an HDMI port. If not, then you could get an HDMI converter cable.
How To Use HDMI Cable to Connect Laptop to TV
After getting all the necessary materials then you can proceed to setting up the connection. To connect the laptop via HDMI:
- Since we are sending signals from the laptop, connect one end of the HDMI cable to the laptop’s HDMI output port.
- Then carry on with connecting the other end to the television’s HDMI input port.
- Select which HDMI input on the television using a remote. It could be HDMI 1, HDMI 2, HDMI 3 and so on.
Most modern laptops have display ports instead of HDMI ports but that is not a problem. Using an adapter, the display port can be converted to HDMI.
Using VGA Cable
This method is mostly for older models of laptops or computers in general that still possess a VGA port. VGA cables only transmit video signals, so it is used alongside an audio cable. If the TV doesn’t have a VGA port, then you could get a VGA-to-HDMI converter.
How To Use VGA Cable to Connect Laptop to TV
This method is straightforward to understand. To connect via VGA:
- Connect one end of the VGA cable to your laptop. If your laptop only has a display port, then get a display port to a VGA converter.
- Connect the other end of the cable to your television. The TV should be on during the set-up.
- Don’t forget the audio cable. Plug each end to the TV and laptop. Plug it into the headphone jack of your laptop and the audio output of the television.
- Alternatively, you could connect the audio cable to a speaker to transmit the sound during video play.
- Use the remote to switch the input of the TV continuously until the screen appears. Only do this if the TV does not switch automatically.
Now that you have set up the connection, proceed to stream the chosen media from your laptop to your TV.
How to Connect Your Laptop to TV with a Wireless Connection
We have discussed the various methods of using the wired connection between a laptop and a TV. Let’s now venture into wireless connection. This method is mostly applicable to TVs and laptops that are Wi-Fi enabled and also have Bluetooth. The two devices should be connected to the same Wi-Fi. The methods are:
Using Miracast
It is not all TVs that support Miracast or screen mirroring, make sure your TV supports it. Also, in some cases, you may have to enable it on your TV. To know if your laptop supports Miracast:
- go to search in the Windows tab.
- Type in connect and if you see an option like connect to wireless display, click on it.
- If you see it doesn’t support Miracast then you could get a Miracast adapter.
- Plug it into the HDMI port of your laptop.
How to Use Miracast to Connect Your Laptop to a TV
The methods are pretty straightforward and only require a stable WI-FI connection. To connect:
- Connect the TV and laptop to the same stable WI-FI.
- Ensure that the Bluetooth is on for both devices.
- Click the notification tab at the bottom left corner of your screen and then press connect. You could also search connect on the window tab and click on connect to a wireless display. Then scroll down to click detect.
- After clicking the notification tab. Click on either cast or connect depending on which windows you are using.
- Select your TV on the windows that pop up. Some TVs require you to type a code on your laptop before you can connect.
- Don’t forget to disconnect after you are done.
Very easy and very effective, use it to stream your videos and photos from your laptop to your TV.
Using Chromecast
Many televisions support Chromecast, making it mirror your laptop screen to your TV. If your TV doesn’t support Chromecast then you can buy a Chromecast streaming device which is easy to set up.
How To Use Chromecast to Connect your Laptop to your TV
The methods are easy to follow and shouldn’t pose a difficulty to you. To connect your laptop to your TV:
- Turn on your TV.
- Download and install Google Chrome if you don’t have the app on your system.
- Connect the laptop and TV to the same WI-FI network.
- Open the platform you would like to cast to your TV on your Chrome on your laptop.
- Click the three-dot menu at the top right corner of the chrome and click cast.
- Click on sources to pick what to cast, you could click on the cast tab or cast screen.
- Undercast to, select your TV.
- When you are done disconnect by clicking the casting icon at the top right corner of the address bar. Then select the stop casting option.
This way is easier and is usually the most preferred method of connecting the laptop to the TV through a wireless connection.
“Using Apple Airplay” Can be used to connect your Laptop to Your TV
This method is mostly used for Mac with Apple TV but a smart TV could also be connected in this way. You can stream videos, movies and photos from your Mac to your Apple TV or smart TV.
How To Use Apple Airplay to Connect your Laptop to your TV
In just a few steps, you can stream videos or movies from your Mac to your Apple TV for everyone to enjoy. To connect your Mac to your Apple TV or smart TV:
- Turn on your Apple TV and Mac.
- Sign in and click on the control centre in the menu bar at the top right side.
- Select screen mirroring.
- Then select your Apple TV or smart TV.
Now sit back and enjoy with family and friends. You could even use it in presentations in business or institutions.
There are many reasons to stream videos from your laptop to your TV. It could be a family gathering, friends hang out or even a presentation in school or business. With this article, you can accomplish all with ease and no difficulty. Enjoy!