Screen mirroring not working?
When AirPlay, Chromecast, Miracast or Smart View refuses to connect, the cause is usually simple. Tell us what you are mirroring and what goes wrong, and you get the fixes in the order most likely to work.
Step 1 - Your setup
Step 2 - What is happening?
Your devices connect with AirPlay.
Try these, in order
- Put both devices on the same Wi-Fi network, and on the same band (2.4 GHz or 5 GHz) if your router splits them.
- Turn the TV off and on again, then restart the phone or computer.
- Turn off VPNs, and guest or "AP isolation" mode on the router: they stop devices from seeing each other.
- Update the TV software and the phone or computer.
- Samsung: for AirPlay open Settings > General > Apple AirPlay Settings; for Android or Windows open Source > Screen Mirroring.
The fix that always works
Mirror across any brand instead
AirPlay, Chromecast and Miracast do not talk to each other. The MHL Mirroring receiver gets around that: it runs in an ordinary web browser and connects with a 6-digit code.
- On your TV, open the web browser and go to the receiver page.
- Note the 6-digit code it shows.
- Open the sender on your computer, enter the code, then pick what to share.
Mirror straight from your browser
Try MHL Mirroring on your own screens
Open the receiver on the TV, the sender on your computer, and connect with a 6-digit code. Free, peer-to-peer, nothing to install.
Good to know
Common questions
Why is my screen mirroring not working?
Most often the two devices are on different Wi-Fi networks, mirroring is switched off on the TV, or the devices use different standards that cannot talk to each other.
Why will my iPhone not mirror to my Samsung or LG TV?
iPhones use AirPlay, which must be switched on in the TV settings, and AirPlay 2 is only built into Samsung TVs from 2018 and LG TVs from 2019.
Why does screen mirroring keep dropping or lagging?
Almost always weak or busy Wi-Fi. Move closer to the router, switch to 5 GHz, lower the resolution and stop other downloads.