man and woman at home watching tv with tablet laptop
There are a few different ways to cast your Windows desktop to your TV.
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Thanks to Miracast technology, it is possible to project your Windows 10 desktop onto your TV, so that you and others can view your desktop on your TV screen instead of crowding around a laptop screen. 

This process is called casting to a device, and it’s helpful to use during presentations, get-togethers, or movie nights. Here’s how to cast your Windows desktop to your TV.

What you’ll need to do before casting a Windows desktop to a TV

Before you begin casting, a few requirements must be met for the process to work.

1. Your television must be a smart TV and have its Wi-Fi capabilities turned on in order to successfully cast your computer screen to your TV. Your smart TV must also be connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your computer. (The only exception is if you’re using an HDMI cable to project your desktop – more on that later.)

2. Both your smart TV and your computer should have Bluetooth enabled.

3. Make sure that your smart TV and your computer both support Miracast. You can check this using the Connect app, which can be found under the Start menu on your Windows 10 computer.

4. Update your TV's and computer's drivers to make sure they are the most recent version.

5. Make sure your TV isn't an Apple TV – the method to cast on an Apple TV is different from that of other smart TVs, and this guide won't be completely applicable to an Apple TV.

Once you've met all of these prerequisites, you can start casting.

How to cast a Windows 10 desktop to a smart TV

1. Depending on the type of TV remote you have, press the "Home" or "Input" button.

2. Using the remote, select "Screen mirroring" or "Project" depending on which kind of casting you wish to do. You may need to select "Apps" first, depending on your TV model.

3. On your computer, go to the settings menu, and select "Devices."

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Select "Devices" from your Windows Settings menu.
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4. Underneath "Bluetooth & other devices," click on "Add Bluetooth or other device."

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Click to "Add Bluetooth or other device."
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4. Click "Wireless display or dock." 

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Select "Wireless display or dock."
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5. In the menu that appears, click on your smart TV to begin casting.

Another method to cast to a smart TV

1. On your computer, make sure both "Network discovery" and "File and printer sharing" are enabled.

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Make sure "Network discovery" and "File and printer sharing" are turned on.
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2. Right-click on the media you wish to cast, such as a video file.

3. Click on "Cast to Device" and then click on the device you wish to cast to. Keep in mind that this method doesn't work with every smart TV, though.

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Click "Cast to Device" and choose your device from the pop-up menu.
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Other ways to cast your desktop to your TV

If all else fails, you can still cast your Windows desktop to your TV using an HDMI cable, a third-party Miracast adapter, or a Google Chromecast device. The HDMI cable and Chromecast plug-in options also don't require that your television is a smart TV, unlike other methods.

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