Screen mirroring is a wireless way to display what is on your phone, tablet, or laptop on another screen, such as a TV, projector, or meeting room display. Instead of connecting an HDMI cable, you can share your screen over a wireless connection.
It is commonly used in classrooms, meeting rooms, and homes. Teachers can show lessons from a tablet or laptop to the whole class. Presenters can share their screen without plugging in a cable. At home, you can use screen mirroring to show photos, apps, websites, videos, and other content on a TV or computer screen.
How it works
The device you're mirroring from (an iPhone, iPad, or laptop) is called the sender. The bigger display, or the device connected to it (a TV, projector, or dedicated screen mirroring receiver), is called the receiver. The sender and receiver need to be able to communicate, usually over the same Wi-Fi network.
To make this work, most devices use one of three built-in screen mirroring protocols:
- AirPlay on iPhone, iPad, and Mac
- Google Cast on Android and Chromebook
- Miracast on Windows and some Android devices
AirServer is an example of a receiver that supports AirPlay, Google Cast, and Miracast, making it compatible with most common phones, tablets, and laptops.
What screen mirroring isn't
Screen mirroring only shows your screen. It doesn't:
- Transfer files between devices.
- Print to a shared printer.
- Give the receiving screen control over your device.
If you want to send a file or control another device, you need a different tool. Screen mirroring is specifically about displaying what's on your screen on a bigger one.
Screen mirroring is sometimes confused with casting. The main difference is that screen mirroring shows your whole screen, while casting usually sends only selected content, such as a video or browser tab. Learn more in screen mirroring vs casting.