How to Connect a Laptop to a TV

Check which ports you have

Look at the sides and back of the laptop. A full-size HDMI port is a flat trapezoid about 14 mm wide. A USB-C port is a small rounded oval; on most laptops made after 2018 it can carry video, but not on all of them, so check for a small lightning-bolt or display symbol beside it or look up the model. Older laptops may have a blue VGA port (15 pins, two screws), a white DVI port, or a Mini DisplayPort. On the TV, look for inputs labelled HDMI 1, HDMI 2 and so on. One of them may be marked ARC or eARC; that one works fine for a laptop too.

Connect with HDMI

1. 01

   Turn both devices on first

   Connecting while both are already on avoids the older handshake problems where a TV would not detect a laptop that was plugged in before it booted.

2. 02

   Plug in the cable at both ends

   Push firmly. A loose HDMI plug is the most common cause of a picture that flickers or drops out.

3. 03

   Select the input on the TV

   Press Input or Source on the remote and pick the HDMI number you used. Most TVs also show the input name on screen for a few seconds when a signal appears.

4. 04

   Tell the laptop what to do with the screen

   On Windows press Windows + P and choose Duplicate (same picture on both) or Extend (TV becomes a second desktop). On a Mac open System Settings, Displays, and choose Mirror or Extend. On most Linux desktops the display settings panel opens automatically when a screen is plugged in.

5. 05

   Set the resolution

   If text looks soft, open the display settings and set the TV to its native resolution, usually 1920 x 1080 or 3840 x 2160. Choose a refresh rate of 60 Hz unless you know the TV supports more.

Connect with USB-C

A USB-C to HDMI cable is the simplest option if your laptop supports video over USB-C (the feature is called DisplayPort Alternate Mode). Plug the USB-C end into the laptop and the HDMI end into the TV; everything else is the same as above. If the TV shows no signal, try a different USB-C port on the laptop, because on many models only one side carries video. A small USB-C hub with an HDMI output does the same job and adds charging and USB ports.

Connect wirelessly

Windows laptops can send the screen to a TV that supports Miracast (many smart TVs do, and any TV with a streaming stick that supports it). Press Windows + K and pick the TV from the list. Macs use AirPlay to an Apple TV or to TVs that have AirPlay built in: click the screen mirroring icon in Control Centre. Chrome and Edge can cast a browser tab or the whole desktop to a Chromecast-equipped TV from the browser menu. Wireless works well for slides and video and poorly for anything that needs low lag, such as games.

Fix the three usual problems

• Picture but no sound. The laptop is still playing audio through its own speakers. Open the sound settings and choose the TV (it appears under its brand name or as a digital output). On Windows right-click the speaker icon and choose Sound settings; on a Mac use the Output tab.
• Black border or the edges are cut off. The TV is applying overscan. In the TV picture menu look for a setting called Just Scan, Screen Fit, 1:1 or Full Pixel and turn it on. If the TV has no such option, reduce the laptop resolution scaling slightly.
• No signal at all. Try the cable in another HDMI input, reseat both ends, and on Windows press Windows + P once more and choose Duplicate. If you are using an adapter, confirm the laptop port supports video; many USB-C ports are data and charging only.

Using the TV as a second monitor for work

A TV makes a decent second screen for spreadsheets and video calls if you sit far enough away. Set Extend rather than Duplicate, drag windows to the TV, and in the display settings arrange the two screens so the mouse crosses over in the direction the TV actually sits. Turn on the TV's game or PC mode if it has one; it removes most of the picture processing and cuts the delay between mouse and cursor to a level you will not notice.

This guide is part of the laptop how-to guides. Once the TV is showing your desktop, the print screen shortcuts for every laptop are handy for capturing what is on it, and if you are setting up a big screen as a second monitor for writing, the laptop posture setup explains where to put it. Using the TV to show slides drafted with an assistant? The offline AI writing assistant setup keeps those drafts on the laptop.