Use AirPlay to Mirror or Lengthen Your Mac’s Show

Apple’s AirPlay is a type of low-level applied sciences that’s extra succesful than many individuals understand. Along with permitting you to stream video and audio from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac to an Apple TV linked to a large-screen TV, AirPlay additionally allows you to use that TV as an exterior Mac show, both mirroring what’s in your Mac’s display screen or extending the desktop. It even means that you can flip one Mac right into a show for an additional.

The large win of connecting to a TV comes whenever you wish to demo one thing out of your Mac to a gaggle—it’s a compelling purpose to have an Apple TV-equipped display screen in a convention room—or whenever you wish to use one Mac’s show from one other with out the trouble of rearranging cables. On this article, we concentrate on these exterior show options, that are useful to each people and companies alike. There are 3 ways to make use of AirPlay to allow one other show: mirroring the whole display screen, mirroring chosen apps or home windows, and lengthening the desktop.

Set Up AirPlay to Obtain Video

First, make sure that all gadgets have Wi-Fi turned on and are linked to the identical community. If you happen to’re utilizing AirPlay to a Mac, observe the minimal system necessities (primarily macOS 12 Monterey or later). Moreover, for those who’re utilizing your individual gadgets, it’s greatest to be signed in to the identical Apple Account.

Second, ensure that the display screen to which you wish to mirror is accessible:

• On an Apple TV, the settings are possible already enabled; nonetheless, if not, navigate to Settings > AirPlay and HomeKit and activate AirPlay. You can even set who can achieve entry (everybody, anybody on the identical community, or solely individuals sharing this residence) and require a password. For an workplace surroundings, you possibly can flip the Apple TV right into a convention room show that gives connection directions with the display screen saver, requires a PIN, and means that you can set a customized message and background photograph. Additionally, observe the AirPlay Show Underscan possibility, which you’ll activate to cut back the prospect of the display screen being cropped or flip off to eradicate black bars. Auto tries to decide on for you—in our testing, cropping was typically unavoidable.

• On a Mac, go to System Settings > Common > AirDrop & Handoff and activate AirPlay Receiver. The “Permit AirPlay for” menu enables you to specify who can entry it, and you’ll require a password.
  

Mirror Your Mac’s Display

Apple’s advisable methodology for mirroring your display screen is to open Management Middle by clicking its icon on the proper facet of the menu bar, click on Display Mirroring, and choose the specified Apple TV or Mac from the checklist. When you do this, your Mac’s display screen will seem on the exterior show.

Nevertheless, it could not show at a usable decision. You management the decision in System Settings > Shows, and you’ll leap there by clicking Show Settings in both of the 2 rightmost home windows proven above. Within the Shows settings display screen, from the Optimize For pop-up menu, select both your Mac or the exterior show. If you happen to select the exterior show, you possibly can choose from all accessible resolutions.

If you happen to’re mirroring to a Mac with a number of shows, a small, darkish lozenge within the upper-left nook of the vacation spot display screen supplies a menu from which you’ll select which show to make use of.

Mirror Chosen Apps or Home windows

Mirroring your whole desktop is usually overkill when all you wish to share with the group is one or two home windows. As of macOS 15.2 Sequoia, that’s now doable. An additional benefit is that you simply don’t have to fret about others seeing your messy desktop or probably delicate data in different home windows.

To reflect one window or all of the home windows in an app, open Management Middle, click on Display Mirroring, choose the vacation spot show, after which click on Change or Select Content material. Within the dialog that seems, choose Window or App and click on Select Window or App.

Then choose the specified window and click on both Mirror This Window or Mirror All Software Home windows.

You’re not restricted to home windows from a single app. You may add further home windows by clicking the purple Display Mirroring menu within the menu bar, clicking Add Home windows, and deciding on one other window. (If you wish to cease mirroring one and begin mirroring one other, choose the present window to see a Cease Mirroring This Window button.)

Lengthen Your Mac’s Desktop

Mirroring is helpful for displays or working with a gaggle, however for those who as a substitute wish to enhance your productiveness with further display screen actual property, you possibly can choose to increase your Mac’s desktop to a different Mac or TV.

To take action, open Management Middle, click on Display Mirroring, choose the vacation spot show, click on Change, and within the dialog that seems, choose Prolonged Show and click on Lengthen Show.

This feature usually requires further configuration to get all the pieces wanting the best way you need. Open System Settings > Shows and click on the second show. First, it’s possible you’ll wish to choose a special decision to see roughly content material on the second show. Clicking Present All Resolutions expands the checklist, however most of the further resolutions gained’t be superb. Sadly, some fascinating resolutions are marked with a “low decision” tag—they’ll be fuzzier than superb.

Upon getting your required decision, you might want to organize the screens appropriately. It’s normally greatest to match the real-world positioning, so in case your second show sits to the left of your Mac, transfer its illustration there so dragging home windows and different objects on the prolonged desktop works as you anticipate. Click on the Prepare button, drag the second show into the specified location, and click on Completed.

Common Use and Stopping Mirroring

Though it’s easy to start out mirroring or extending your desktop and to modify among the many varied modes, you’ll most likely use one of many modes more often than not. The excellent news is that macOS remembers your earlier alternative, so for those who mirror your whole display screen or prolong your desktop, clicking Display Mirroring in Management Middle will default to that possibility the subsequent time you invoke it. Mirroring home windows all the time requires that you simply decide the window to share.

No matter the way you’re mirroring your display screen, you possibly can cease by clicking Cease Mirroring within the purple Display Mirroring menu within the menu bar. Alternatively, open Management Middle, click on Display Mirroring, and click on Cease Mirroring. Or click on the Disconnect button in Shows.

On the distant Mac, that small, darkish lozenge additionally supplies an X button that ends display screen mirroring when clicked from the distant Mac. Turning off the distant Apple TV additionally works.

Utilizing AirPlay to reflect or prolong your Mac’s show to a different Mac or TV might not be one thing that you simply use on an on a regular basis foundation, nevertheless it’s an enormous win when you might want to share content material with a gaggle, do a presentation, or ramp up your productiveness with out rearranging cables.

(Featured picture by iStock.com/Ratchapon Supprasert)