How To Connect Macbook Air To Tv Wirelessly | Unrivaled Guide 2024

Would you like to connect your Mac to your living room TV to better enjoy a movie, show photos to friends and family or use it as a secondary screen to work? Don’t worry, it’s one of the easiest things in the world! All you have to do is read the instructions below and put them into practice.

In no time you will learn how to connect Macbook Air To Tv Wirelessly using the cable that best suits your Mac model. In some cases, in addition to the cable, you will also need to buy a small adapter to connect to your computer to make it compatible with the HDMI input of the TV, but don’t worry: these are quite cheap components.

If you don’t like having cables littered around the house, you can also stream both your entire Mac desktop and other multimedia content wirelessly to your TV, using some devices designed specifically for the purpose. How do you say? Now have I really intrigued you and you can’t wait to deepen the subject? Well, then read on: you will find everything explained below.

How To Connect Macbook Air To Tv Wirelessly

How To Connect Macbook Air To Tv Wirelessly

How To Connect Macbook Air To Tv Wirelessly

How To Connect Macbook Air To Tv Wirelessly | Unrivaled Guide 2024

How to connect Mac to cable TV

The first method to connect the Mac to the TV is through the HDMI cable . When you decide to opt for a connection of this type, stability is certainly beneficial, as the images pass through the wires and not wirelessly. However, it loses itself in terms of mobility, as the Mac will still have to remain in the vicinity of the TV at all times . Obviously the distance also depends on the size of the cable, for this reason, if you do not already have it, here are some HDMI cables of different sizes.

Equipment” to connect the Mac to the wireless TV

As anticipated at the beginning, in order to connect the Mac to the TV wirelessly, that is to say in wireless mode, you must necessarily equip yourself with appropriate external devices both to the computer and to the TV. More precisely, what I’m talking about are the  Apple TV , the famous set-top box of the Cupertino company, or Chromecast , the mini dongle produced by Google.

Between the two, as easily understood, the most suitable solution would be the first since the Apple TV being an Apple product, in turn, the connection between Mac and TV turns out to be much simpler, faster and more versatile. However, the use of Chromecast is also suitable. In short, the choice is yours. Both devices, but keep this in mind, fulfill the issue in question only if connected to the same network as the Mac. For more details continue reading, you will find everything explained below.

Apple TV

As for the Apple TV, it is a device that has become part of the company’s catalog of the “bitten apple” for several years now but which is still unknown to most. It is essentially a media center, known in very small terms as a “box” that connects to the TV and allows you to access a wide range of online content including iTunes Store movies, YouTube videos, Netflix etc. as well as displaying the Mac desk and everything that is passed on the computer screen on that of the TV used. It must be connected to the TV via HDMI cable.

To date, two different versions of Apple TV are available on the market: a more dated and cheaper price and a more modern and, as deductible, a higher price. On  the Apple website,  you can only buy the latest version of Apple TV, but you can still find the older version in other stores. The main differences between the two models are explained below.

Chromecast

To start the transmission of the Mac desktop to the TV to which Chromecast is connected, connected to the Internet site that hosts it via the Chrome browser , click on the icon with the three dots horizontally at the top right, expand the drop-down menu  Cast to and select your Chromecast name from the box that opens.

If, on the other hand, you want to play only a specific web page on the TV, click on the Cast option  and select the appropriate item. Also, on some sites, such as  Netflix and  YouTube  , Chromecast support is “native”. Consequently, by visiting them you can directly send the video to be played to the TV, excluding the rest of the web page.

Video settings adjustments

After making the connection between Mac and TV, you can change the settings related to the two screens by going to the System Preference  (the gear icon located in the dock bar), clicking on the Monitor icon  and selecting the Layout tab .

From here, if the TV is used as an extension of the desk, it is possible to arrange the two screens in the preferred order, so that the mouse can move naturally, respecting the real position of the monitors. To do this, move the two blue squares in the center.

If, however, regardless of how you use the screen you select, you want to change the resolution of your TV or Mac, use the settings on the  Monitor tab .

If, after setting the duplication of the screen, the audio continues to be reproduced by the Mac and not by the TV (and this is not to your liking), click on  the Sound icon , attached to the general screen of System Preferences , select the Output tab  and choose the TV name from the list of devices listed for audio output.

Other interesting solutions

In the specific case of smart TVs , as well as via Apple TV and Chromecast, it is possible to connect the Mac to the TV using some special applications, such as those below, to be installed on macOS and which allow you to duplicate the computer screen wirelessly.

• Mirror for LG TV – Allows you to connect your Mac to LG smart home TVs. You can mirror the screen directly from the macOS menu bar and manage color and audio options. It costs 10.99 euros.
• Mirror for Samsung TV – Allows you to connect your Mac to Samsung smart TVs. Even in this case, it is possible to duplicate the screen by acting from the macOS menu bar and manage various other options related to audio and video. It costs 10.99 euros.
• Mirror for Sony TV – Application that allows you to connect Apple-branded computers to Sony smart TVs. For the rest, it has the same characteristics as the resources mentioned above. It always costs 10.99 euros.
• Mirror for Panasonic TV – With this app you can connect Mac and Panasonic smart TV and view the macOS screen on the TV. The other features are similar to the resources already mentioned. The cost is € 10.99.
• Mirror for Philips TV – Allows you to connect your Mac to Panasonic smart TVs. It always allows you to duplicate the screen by acting from the macOS menu bar and to manage everything related to audio and video. It costs 10.99 euros.

How to connect Mac to wireless TV with AirPlay

Some latest generation TVs, belonging to the catalog of LG, Sony, VIZIO and Samsung, have AirPlay 2 technology as standard , very useful for duplicating the Mac screen on the TV, or using the same screen as a sort of secondary monitor. If you are in possession of one of the compatible models (it is indicated in the product characteristics) it will then be possible to duplicate the screen without the need to use cables or other equipment . The only precaution to have is that the two devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

• On Mac, click on the control center icon at the top right (in the menu bar)
• Click on “Duplicate Screen”
• Choose the name of the TV that appears
• If required, enter the code that appears on the TV panel

At this point the duplication will actually be completed. If, on the other hand, you want to use the TV as a separate monitor, you will need to access the Control Center again, continue with “Duplicate screen” and change the option by clicking on “Monitor preferences …” .