How To Connect Your Laptop To Your TV To Work From Home
Trying to find the easiest way to work at home without your familiar office space? Find out how to turn your TV into an efficient second screen
20 Mar 2020
Not everybody has a conventional home office setup. With mobile working becoming ever more mobile, many people have to be flexible in their approach and be prepared to work anywhere
However, when you have to work from home, its not as tricky as you might think. Even if you dont have a PC monitor and a cosy office area, you can still make it work.
The best way to get connected to a second screen at home is with your TV. Once your laptop is linked to your TV, you can use your laptops display settings to get your working space just right. ;
There are a few ways to link your TV to your laptop. Lets find the best way for you.
Mirror Your TV With Smart View
Important: Make sure your TV is turned on and connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your phone. Some TVs may require you to switch inputs or turn on screen mirroring. Compatibility with non-Samsung TVs may vary or may not be available. Check your TV’s user manual for specific details. SmartView is not an app you download on your phone and is located in the quick settings panel.
Make a big statement by projecting photos or videos from your phone or tablet onto your TV. You can also do the opposite and stream your TV to your phone’s or tablet’s screen!
Open the Quick settings panel by swiping down from the top of the screen using two fingers. Then swipe to and tap the;Smart View;icon.
Note: If the Smart View icon does not appear, try swiping left. If it still doesn’t appear, your device may not be compatible, or it may need to be added to the panel.
Tap your TV from the list of Available devices. Enter a PIN or allow access to complete the connection if prompted.
Your device’s screen will now appear on the TV. If you want to stream the TV’s screen to your phone or tablet, and the TV supports it, tap;Other device Phone. To switch back, tap;Phone Other device.
When you are done using Smart View, tap the;Smart View;icon on your phone, and then tap;Disconnect. If you need help editing the icons in the Quick Settings panel, check out our guide.
How To Connect Your Laptop To A TV
While the quality of laptop displays has skyrocketed in recent years, even the panels found on some of the best Windows laptops out there usually pale in comparison to a top-notch TV. With their wide color gamuts, sharp resolutions, and large dimensions, modern TVs provide an incredible media-viewing experience. For this reason, we recommend that you connect your laptop to your TV if you’re planning on using it to binge new episodes of your favorite show or check out a new movie.
In this Windows 10 guide, we’ll explain how you can connect your laptop to your TV in two different ways.
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Making Your TV Work For You
Once youre connected to your TV via HDMI, tweaking the display is simple. If youre using a Windows laptop, right click on your desktop display and scroll down to Display settings. When youre there, click Detect to find your TV as a video output.
You can then choose whether to extend your display across both screens or duplicate your laptop display. If youre not facing your TV head-on, you may want to use your laptop as normal and drag files to your TV when you need to see them for reference. To do this, select Extend these displays.
Make sure that if your TV is to the left or right of your laptop, youve got the screens arranged correctly in Display settings. That way, dragging programs between displays will feel more natural.
Want to know how to connect a MacBook to a TV? Okay – it will either have a Mini DisplayPort, ThunderBolt or HDMI port. Check to see what port yours has. If its not an HDMI port youll need to buy an adapter to connect your TV with a cable.
The only drawback of connecting with an HDMI cable is trailing wires across the room youre working in. A good way around it is to make use of;wireless mouse and keyboard. This way, you can use your laptop much like a tower PC and use your TV as the main display. With wireless accessories, its easier to work from anywhere in your home.
How To Connect A Laptop To A TV With A Vga Cable
If you have an older laptop and TV, youll likely find a VGA port on both of them. You can check out what a VGA cable looks like and buy one here. VGA isnt as good as HDMI because of the lower-resolution video quality it provides. It also only deals with the video signal, which means youll need a .
Turn on your TV and laptop and then connect them using a VGA cable as well as a 3.5mm audio cable. The next step is to press the Input button on your remote and select the PC or RGB option from the list. Thats all there is to it.
Step-by-step instructions:
The connection between the two devices should be established automatically. But in case it doesnt, go to Settings > System > Display and make sure TV is selected. You can also adjust the resolution to match the one of your TV. One thats done, press the Windows key and P key and then select the Duplicate option.
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Can I Use A Usb To Hdmi Cable To Connect My Laptop To My TV
Connecting a USB cable from a laptop to a TV thats equipped with a USB port will not allow the laptops display to be directed to the TV. Instead, you can use a USB-to-HDMI adapter thats designed for a computer or laptop. Like other types of HDMI adapters, it will make your laptop look like an HDMI device to your TV.
What Wireless Device Can I Plug Into My TV To Stream Media And Mirror My Display
You dont need a smart TV model to mirror your devices display on your TV you just need to purchase a smart box. There are two main choices here, both of which plug into your TV via a spare HDMI port.
Firstly, if youre exclusively wedded to the Apple ecosystem, then the;Apple TV 4Kallows you to stream media as well as mirror your;MacBook;or iOS mobiles display on the big screen.
Alternatively,;Googles Chromecast;is cheaper, and works across a wider range of devices Windows, Linux and Android, as well as Mac and iOS. You can stream media from your mobile using a range of;supported apps, and youll be pleased to learn that both Emby and Plex are supported.
Chromecast works on laptops via the Chrome web browser and;add-in. Once installed, click the Cast button to the right of the address bar to pick what to cast and where to cast it.
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Idea #: I Have Five 32 Monitors Spread Around My Room So Students Can Present From A Big Screen
Our school had pods of Google Chromebooks that you could use to teach in the classroom. So if I could get 8 chromebooks / teacher laptops / desktops, I would split the class into groups of 2-4 students, and give each group a device. They would connect the device to a TV monitor, and mirror the display. This way students could present to a small group and everyone could see the screen.
Way better than trying to cram 4 students around a single chromebook screen, but required some Black Friday shopping to get some good deals on TVs.
Connection Of Laptop To TV Using External Hard Drive
New TV or LED contains the USB port. It is a very easy way to watch the contents that are saved on your laptop, you can easily watch it on the big screen of the TV. You can watch the videos or any content by transferring the data into the USB and then connects it with the USB port of the TV screen.
Data can also be saved in other hard drives like floppy and then plugging into the port and it can be watched on a TV screen.
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Extra Tip Cast Pc To TV Using Apowermirror
If you find it difficult to setup the Roku TV, here is an alternative way for you. Using a third-party mirroring app called ApowerMirror, youll be able to mirror your PC to TV for free and without any hassle. This tool is also capable of recording your screen as it has a built-in screen recorder. Explore and experience its other professional features by relying on the following steps.
- Then, connect both devices to the same WiFi network. After that, launch the app on both devices.
- On your computer, go to the TV option on the apps main interface.
- This time, find the PIN code on your TV screen and type it in the PIN code box on your computer.
- The mirroring will proceed once you click the Start Mirroring button.
Follow the given steps above to cast computer to Roku. You may also use ApowerMirror in case you find it difficult to connect your PC to TV or if you do not have a Roku TV itself. Nonetheless, both ways are made to help you mirror your devices and provide the convenience you are looking for.
How To Connect A Laptop To TV Using Hdmi
The easiest way to hook up your laptop is with a cable. Connecting your laptop to your TV via HDMI is todays most common way as almost all modern televisions as well as laptops have HDMI ports. All you need is a;cable.
Some newer laptops are so thin, they havent got HDMI ports. These usually come with USB Type-C instead. But dont worry, there are plenty of;HDMI to USB-C cables;and adapters that you can pick up for a good price.
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Connection Of Laptop To TV By Using Vga Cable
The second way to connect your laptop to TV is by using the VGA port on both devices. This method implies on those are having an old computer. One should know that a VGA cable only gives video output it does not give you an audio output.
So you should connect another 3.5 Metter cable to connect with it from headphone socket of the laptop to TV audio port to give audio output.;
;If it is not working automatically then go to Control Panel > Display > Adjust Resolutions.
How To Get A Different Display On Laptop Screen And Projector Screen / TV Monitor
If youre using a Windows laptop, there are 2 ways to get your teacher laptop to show a different display on laptop screen and projector screen / TV monitor
PSST!Make sure your projector is plugged into your laptop first so the computer can detect it. This will work if you use the old school VGA cables, or a newer cable like HDMI or DVI. You can set up your computer so that instead of the second projector screen duplicating whats on your desktop, you can have it extend as a second screen.
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Screen Mirroring To Your Samsung TV
That photograph you took is stunning, but you know what would make it look even more amazing? Projecting it onto a big screen. With Smart View, you can wirelessly connect a compatible Samsung device to a Samsung Smart TV. Beam photos, videos, presentations, and games on a large screen to make them look bigger and better.
Note: Available screens and settings may vary by wireless service provider, software version, and device model. Smart View is not available on every device. Devices must be on the same Wi-Fi network as the TV for screen mirroring.
How To Hook Up A Laptop To A TV
This article was co-authored by Luigi Oppido. Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article has 13 testimonials from our readers, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 1,859,836 times.
Laptops can be more than portable work computers. By hooking your laptop up to your TV, you can turn it into a media center, streaming your favorite Netflix and Hulu content, as well as playing YouTube videos and any media stored on your laptop. You can play games on the big screen, or edit a document without straining your eyes. Follow this guide to get your laptop hooked up to your TV.
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How Do I Connect My Windows 10 Computer To My TV
Connect Windows 10 Laptop to TV or Projector via HDMI
21 . 2019 .
How To Connect Laptop Or Personal Computer To My Philips TV
Note: The TV only support PC resolution of 800 x 600 at 60 hertz refresh rate.
There are two ways to connect a PC/laptop to your TV:
- HDMI to HDMI.
- DVI-I to HDMI, with an added audio connection.
Follow these steps to connect the devices;
To adjust TV settings for best picture and audio;
Note:
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How Do I Connect My Laptop To My TV
The options for connecting a laptop to a TV just keep expanding. Tried-and-true methods, such as using HDMI or DVI cables, are easier than ever with higher maximum display resolutions and automatic device-to-device syncing. Or you can go cable-free using new wireless screen-sharing solutions – including some that require no additional hardware such as dongles or set-top receivers.
Big Laptop Libraries: Plex
If you’ve built a big media library on your computer, you can stream it easily to your TV using;Plex. Plex is media server software that can catalog all of your video and audio files and stream them to any device running the Plex app. It can also act as a front-end for streaming media services, and can even record live TV with a USB tuner.
All major;media streamers;support Plex, along with many smart TV platforms. It can even stream to your phone, tablet, or any other compatible device outside of your house, as long as your computer is on and connected to the internet. Plex is available for free, but for more advanced features like live TV and DVR, you need to get the premium Plex Pass for $4.99 a month, $39.99 a year, or $119.99 for a lifetime subscription.
Plex is very functional for media playback and streaming, even in its free form. It doesn’t support any sort of screen mirroring, however; anything streamed to the Plex app on your TV or media streamer must be registered through the server software. That means no games. It also tops out at 1080p, so it can’t stream 4K.
Pros:;Robust media format and service support. Accessible outside of the home. Free, with optional premium subscription for advanced features.
Cons:;Doesn’t support 4K. Doesn’t work with games.
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How To Connect Your Laptop To Your TV With Miracast
Miracast is a Windows feature that you can use to connect your laptop to smart TVs wirelessly, providing you with an alternative to a wired HDMI connection. Here’s how to connect your laptop to your TV with Miracast:
Select the Add Bluetooth or other device option.
Once you select your TV from the list of devices that are available for use with Miracast and the connection process finishes , your laptop’s display will be projected onto your TV.