Connecting your Mac device to your TV via screen share/Airplay is straight forward and painless. Before we get started, we first must verify that we can do this. If your TV mentions it is Airplay capable, we are in business. If it is not, you will need to use an additional device, such as an AppleTV, to connect to. We also must make sure that the TV is on the same network as our Mac device. Home networks usually do not have this issue. You will most likely run into this problem at your work or school where technology might be on a different VLAN than PC’s and Mac’s. Once we verify that we are on the same network, lets get started:
- Power on your TV and your Mac device.
- On your Mac device (with latest OS installed), you will see a double slider icon in between the date and time and magnifying glass icon. Click on this double slider.
- Select the Screen Mirroring option.
- Find your TV in the list and click on it.
- If it is asking for a code, your TV will display it momentarily.
That is it, you are now screensharing with your TV.
Troubleshooting –
- Verify your devices are on the same network. Meaning, the IP addresses are in the same range. 192.168.1.20 & 10.0.0.45 are not on the same network. 192.168.1.20 & 192.168.1.79 are on the same network.
- Your firewall/antivirus may also block outbound connections (rare). Try disabling your firewall/antivirus if you are unable to connect.
- Machine out of date. Meaning, your TV and/or Mac need an update.
- Samsung TV’s are notorious for not working correctly with Airplay. Failure to connect as well as dropping connections are common with them.
The best brand we have used so far is LG. They are easy to connect to using both Mac and PC devices. They just work.