Laptops are great for portability but have small displays. The display size of the laptop to TV HDMI is not enough if you need a bigger screen? Let’s suppose that you need to connect it to a bigger screen to give a presentation. Or, you want to stream content or experience gaming on a bigger screen.
All of these conditions require you to connect your laptop with a TV or a spare display. If you are curious about how to connect a laptop to a TV using HDMI, don’t worry.
We have all been in the same shoes, trying to figure out how to connect the laptop to the TV. This post will elaborate on the method to connect the laptop to a TV using HDMI. Moreover, it will also offer many methods to forge connections between your laptop and TV.
How to connect a laptop to TV HDMI through cable?
HDMI is a ubiquitous connection interface between a lot of devices. Most laptops have an HDMI port which is useful to connect to external displays. It is a simple plug-and-play process but we will guide you through it. Retrace the following steps:
- Pick a certified HDMI cable and connect one end to your laptop’s HDMI port.
- Position your laptop beside the TV with which you will connect the laptop. HDMI cables are usually short and you will need to be close to the TV.
- Then plug in the other end of the HDMI cable to a vacant HDMI port on the backside of your TV.
- You will need to switch to the HDMI input on your TV. Most TVs are programmed to use HDMI by default. But if you own an older model, use your TV remote to do it.
- Now, right-click the desktop and choose Display Settings from the context menu.
- Find the Multiple Displays option and expand the drop-down list.
- Pick your primary and secondary displays. You can even turn off the laptop display for the time being to curb power wastage.
- Scroll down and select the output resolution. Most laptops and TVs support 1080p FHD resolution. So, stick to that.
- Now, you will notice that the laptop screen is mirroring the TV.
What if my laptop and TV have different ports?
Laptops sometimes ditch HDMI ports to achieve a more compact form factor. This is more prevalent in ultrabooks that are extremely sleek and do not have enough width to fit in an HDMI port.
You will have to use a ‘port-type’ to HDMI converter dongle to use HDMI connectivity. For e.g, you need a USB Type-C to HDMI adapter if you only have USB Type-C ports on your laptop. Here are some of the popular non-HDMI ports you may find in laptops.
1. VGA Port
It is a very old connecting interface found in very old laptops. If your laptop has a VGA port, then you need additional cables to transmit audio. HDMI doesn’t need extra cabling for audio. Everything happens via one wire only.
2. Display Port
It is much like the HDMI port and supplies superb picture quality. The only problem is that very few TVs have a Display Port. Computer monitors, however, have DisplayPort for connecting to laptops.
You will need an adapter to mirror your laptop screen to the TV using DisplayPort. There’s also a smaller version of the DisplayPort called mini-DP.
3. USB Type-C Port
USB Type-C is becoming common in newer laptops. You will find them in ultrabooks and to connect to an external display, you will need an adapter.
How to connect your laptop to your Smart TV wirelessly
Using HDMI seems like a good idea but it’s certainly not the best. There are many methods to connect your laptop to a TV without using HDMI. You can use technologies such as Chromecast, Miracast, AirPlay, etc to connect wirelessly.
Connect your Windows laptop to your Smart TV
You can directly cast your Windows laptop to your smart TV. The prerequisite is that your TV must support Miracast. Moreover, it must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your laptop. To cast your Windows 11 laptop to TV, do as follows:
- Press the Win key + K to open the cast option. You can also go to the Action Center in the bottom right corner and find the cast option there.
- Tap on the Cast option and it will begin a search for a nearby display.
- Find your target wireless display and select it from the list.
- Now, you will see that the laptop screen is mirroring on your TV.
Connect your laptop to your Smart TV using Chrome
Google Chrome supports casting using Chromecast. If you have an Android TV or one that has Chromecast built-in, you can cast your Chrome browser to the TV. It is a fairly simple process to enjoy streaming content from websites on a big screen. To cast the Chrome browser on your TV, repeat the following steps:
- Open Google chrome. Click the kebab-menu button(three vertical dots) to open more settings.
- Find the cast option in the menu and select it.
- The new pop-up window will search for devices. Select your home Smart TV to cast your Chrome browser.
Note: Chrome will only cast a single tab to your TV. So, open any website of your choice and stream content from it to your TV. You can switch tabs though.
Connect your Apple laptop to your Smart TV
If you have a MacBook, you can use AirPlay to mirror your laptop screen to your Smart TV. But your TV must support AirPlay to do so. Most modern TVs support Chromecast and AirPlay, so it shouldn’t be a problem. To connect your Apple laptop to your TV, do as follows:
- Open your MacBook and go to the Control Center area. Find the screen mirroring option in there.
- If you cannot find it there, click the Spotlight icon (if shown) in the menu bar. Type Screen Mirroring and open it.
- Now, let it search for available display devices. Then pick the TV you want to mirror your screen onto.
- You will notice that the MacBook screen appears on your TV.
Note: Your TV needs to be on the same Wi-Fi network as your MacBook for this feature to work.
Connect your Chromebook to your Smart TV
A Chromebook has Chromecast built-in. You can connect your Chromebook to your Smart TV via Chrome cast or a USB Type-C to HDMI cable adapter. For wireless connectivity, you can either cast the Chrome browser or the Chromebook. To cast your Chromebook, repeat the following steps:
- Click on the Time and select the Gear icon to open the settings menu.
- Enable the Bluetooth on your Chromebook. Ensure that both TV and Chromebook are connected to the same Wi-Fi.
- Use the top search bar and search for the Displays tab. Click on the Mirror Built-in displays option.
- Find the Smart TV you want to connect to and select it.
- Now, you will notice that the Chromebook screen mirrors on the TV screen.
Conclusion
This concludes our comprehensive guide to connecting laptops to TV using HDMI. We have covered both wireless and wired connection methods, so you can choose any one of those.
Moreover, you can pick a device of your choice, including a Chromebook, MacBook, or Windows. You may need a dongle to connect to a TV using an HDMI interface. Dongles are inexpensive and can convert your USB Type-C port or DisplayPort into HDMI.
