Want to expand your MacBook’s little screen for a more immersive experience? Connecting it to a TV lets you mirror or extend your display, giving you way more digital real estate. This guide covers two easy methods for pairing a TV with your MacBook or MacBook Pro.
The Wireless Way: AirPlay
If you have an AirPlay 2 compatible smart TV, wireless streaming is the simplest hookup option. Just make sure both the TV and MacBook are connected to the same Wi-Fi network first.
On your Mac, click the Control Center icon on the menu bar, then select Screen Mirroring. Or open System Preferences > Displays and check the box for “Show mirroring options in menu bar.”
Next choose your television from the list to start mirroring your MacBook display directly onto the TV. Easy peasy!
You can also opt to EXTEND your MacBook screen instead of strictly mirroring. This lets you flow the display across two monitors. Just arrange the order of screens within the Display settings tab.
Wired With Cables
Don’t have an AirPlay ready TV? No worries! You can still connect a MacBook using good ol’ fashioned cables.
You’ll need a video cable that connects your MacBook’s Thunderbolt, HDMI, or DVI port to one of your TV’s video input ports. Check your TV manual to ID compatible ports.
For modern MacBooks with only Thunderbolt ports, snag an adapter to enable hookup. Then route your video cable from computer to TV et voila!
Once connected, you can adjust resolution settings on your TV monitor within your Mac’s Display preferences tab. And if you want the TV’s speakers to output sound from the MacBook, poke around in the Sound settings.
When you’re done using the extended screen, simply disconnect the cables and you’re back to laptop mode.
So whether you opt for wireless AirPlay or a wired video cable setup, expanding your MacBook to a TV is totally doable. Enjoy that wider field of vision for immersive streaming, gameplay, or tackling multiple tasks at once across displays.
