How to Mirror Your Mac's Screen to Your Apple TV

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Stream your desktop or individual videos to your TV so you can watch on a bigger screen

Written by Megaera Lorenz, PhD

Last Updated: April 28, 2025 Fact Checked

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Mirroring Your Screen

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Streaming Video or Audio

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Troubleshooting

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Q&A

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Tips

This wikiHow article teaches you how to view your Mac's screen on your Apple TV using AirPlay. You can mirror your Mac's screen to an Apple TV as long as your Mac is from 2012 or later and using the latest version of macOS that's available. You'll also need an Apple TV running tvOS 9.0 or higher, or an Apple TV 4K with tvOS 11 or later.^{[1]
X
Research source} If your Mac can't connect to your Apple TV via AirPlay, you'll need to use an HDMI cable to connect instead.

Quick Steps

Make sure your Apple TV and Mac are both on and connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
Open the Control Center on your Mac.
Click the Screen Mirroring icon (it looks like two overlapping rectangles).
Select your Apple TV from the list of devices.
Enter a code from the TV screen on your Mac if prompted.
Select your preferred screen mirroring mode.

Section 1 of 3:

Mirroring Your Screen

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If this is your first time using Apple TV, you may have to set up and configure the Apple TV before proceeding.
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Ensure your Mac and Apple TV are connected to the same Wi-Fi. You may need to change your Mac's connection to match that of your Apple TV. To check your current connection:
- Mac - Click the
  "Wi-Fi" icon in the upper-right corner of the screen, then look at the name of the network that has a blue and white Wi-Fi symbol next to it.
- Apple TV - Open Settings
  , select Network, and review the name of the network under the CONNECTION heading.
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3
Click the
Control Center icon on your Mac. It's the two sliders on the right side of the menu bar at the top of your screen.^{[2]
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- If you're using macOS Catalina or earlier, click the icon of a square with a triangle in the menu bar instead. Then, choose the name of your Apple TV to connect.
It's the two overlapping squares on the Control Center. Available AirPlay devices will appear.
Depending on your settings, a 4-digit code may now appear on your Apple TV. If so, enter the code on your Mac to connect.^{[3]
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Choose whether to mirror or extend your screen. You may see a message prompting you to choose whether to share a specific window on your Mac’s screen, mirror the entire screen, or extend your Mac’s screen onto the TV. Once you’ve made your selection, click Set as Default if you want to save your preference and skip this step in the future.
- If you want to change your selection, click the screen mirroring icon in your Control Center again and click Change. You can also select Add Window to mirror multiple windows.
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Wait for your Mac's screen to appear on your Apple TV. Once you see your Mac's screen appear on the Apple TV, you have successfully mirrored your display.
- AirPlay automatically transmits the sound from your Mac to your TV.
- If you can't hear the sound from your Mac through your Apple TV, click the
  Control Center icon in your Mac’s menu bar, then click the AirPlay icon next to the Sound control (it looks like a series of concentric circles with a triangle at the bottom). Select the name of your Apple TV.
  - Also check to make sure the volume is up and not muted on both devices.^{[4]
    X
    Research source}

Section 2 of 3:

Streaming Video or Audio

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1
Open a video you’d like to stream on your Mac. If you want to stream just a video to your Apple TV without mirroring your Mac’s entire screen, you can do so from the video playback controls. Open a video in a streaming platform like YouTube using the Safari browser. If the video is stored locally on your computer, open it in an AirPlay-supported app such as QuickTime.^{[5]
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- You won’t see the AirPlay option on videos in browsers other than Safari.
It looks like a rectangle with a triangle at the bottom.
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Select your Apple TV. You will see it in the list of available AirPlay devices. The video should now appear on your Apple TV.
- If you don’t see your Apple TV, make sure it’s connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your Mac.
- To stop streaming, click the AirPlay icon again in the controls on the video, then click your Mac’s name in the list of devices.
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Use the sound controls on your Mac to stream just audio. If you want your Mac’s audio to play through the speakers on your Apple TV, you can do so through the Control Center on your Mac.
- Click the
  Control Center icon in the menu bar at the top of your Mac’s screen.
- Click the AirPlay icon next to the Sound control. It looks like a series of concentric circles with a triangle at the bottom.
- Select your Apple TV from the list of devices under the Output header.

Section 3 of 3:

Troubleshooting

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Both devices have to be powered up and close enough to each other to connect.^{[6]
X
Research source} They should be in the same room, without a lot of other electronic devices in between them that could interfere with the signal.
Update your Mac and your Apple TV. If either device is running outdated software, it could interfere with a proper AirPlay connection.
Both your Apple TV and your Mac must be on the same Wi-Fi network for AirPlay to work. If they are both on the same network but you still can’t get AirPlay to work, make sure you have a strong Wi-Fi connection. You might need to restart your modem or router.
Try the classic tech support trick of turning your devices off and on again. This could help iron out any glitches that are preventing AirPlay from working properly.
You might have a restriction set in the Home app that’s preventing you from mirroring from your Mac to your Apple TV. Open Home and select ••• More > Home Settings > Speakers & TV to check for any restrictions on AirPlay or screen mirroring.
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Check for restrictions in your Apple TV settings. If you’ve set up parental control restrictions on your Apple TV, they might be interfering with your ability to use AirPlay. To turn off your restrictions:^{[7]
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- Press and hold the Home button on your Apple TV remote (it looks like a simplified image of a TV) to open the Control Center.
- Select the Restrictions icon, which looks like a padlock with a figure of a child in front of it.
- Enter your passcode, then set Restrictions to Off.
- You might also have restrictions in your general settings on who can stream to your Apple TV. To find and adjust these settings, go to Settings > AirPlay & Homekit to choose who can AirPlay to your TV (i.e., anyone, only people on the same home network, or only people using devices that are connected to the same Apple Account) and whether a password is required.^{[8]
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  Research source}

Community Q&A

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Question

Why does my Macbook Pro not show Airplay under the display?

Community Answer

If you look to the top right hand corner of your screen, you'll see a number of icons. The Airplay icon resembles a rectangle with an upward-pointing triangle below it. If you don't see it, open up System Preferences and click on Displays. In the bottom left hand corner you should see the words "Airplay Display: Off." Simply click Off and change it.

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How do I get the drop down menu in system preferences?

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You can't get it in system preferences. Instead, if you hover over the top of your screen, a bar will pop up.

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Can I use my Apple TV without the remote?

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You need the remote to get the Apple TV onto your WiFi network but after that you can download the Apple TV Remote App on to a mobile device and as long as that device is on the same network as the Apple TV you can control it.

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