Easy steps to mirror your Windows 10 screen to your TV using Chromecast [tutorial]

Sharing your computer’s screen to a TV has become easier right now than ever before. Sure, you still can do the old school wired connection via HDMI but this option can become inconvenient or impractical since you’ll be limited by the length of the wire. A better option is by using Chromecast.

With Google Chromecast, you can mirror any tab or your computer’s desktop with a few clicks. And that doesn’t involve using any wires at all! Sharing your computer’s screen is now done wirelessly!

The only downside to using Chromecast is the fact that it doesn’t support any other browser. If you’re not a Google Chrome fan, then you’ll need to install it first in order to start enjoying this feature. If you’re already a Google Chrome user, then what you need to do is to just follow the short tutorial for you and you should be good to go.

Before we proceed to the main topic though, we would like to remind you that we accept requests for assistance regarding their Windows computers. If you have a problem that you can’t seem to find a solution to, send us your issue by following the link at the bottom of this page. Just remember, windows problems can sometimes be difficult to diagnose so kindly make sure that you give us very detailed description of the problem. You want to mention relevant history that may have led to the issue. The more information that you can provide, the higher the chance of us diagnosing the issue more efficiently. We also expect that you mention whatever troubleshooting step/s that you may have done before contacting us in order to prevent repeating them in our article. Again, the more details you can give us, the faster it is for us to pinpoint the cause and its corresponding solution.


What you need

There are a few things that you need in order to successfully mirror your windows 10 computer’s screen to your TV. Below are the specific things that you must have in order to cast PC to your TV:

  • Chromecast device
  • TV with a working USB port
  • Windows 10 PC
  • Google Chrome browser
  • internet connection via local wifi

The last requirement (internet connection via local wifi) is important. You can only cast when you’re in the same wifi network. If you don’t have an active wifi network at home, you can create a Windows 10 hotspot.

How to mirror your Windows 10 screen to your TV using Chromecast

Casting your PC screen to a compatible TV is simple. To begin, here are the steps:

Step #1: Set Chromecast up

If it’s your first time to use Chromecast, make sure that you set it up first. Chromecast serves as a junction box for your devices. As long as they are connected to the same wifi network and you have the right apps installed, each of them should be able to cast to your TV. To set Chromecast up using your computer, kindly follow this link. Chromecast setup is easy so just follow the instructions as provided.

Step #2: Install Google Chrome browser (if it’s not yet installed)

As mentioned above, you’ll need a Google Chrome browser to cast your PC screen to a TV. Because both Chromecast and Chrome browser are products of Google, casting from Chrome is now a more streamlined process. Just make sure that you install the latest Google Chrome browser to minimize bugs.  If you’ve already installed it before, be sure to check that it runs the most recent version by checking About Chrome under Settings.

Step #3: Start casting from Chrome

Now that you’ve installed Google Chrome and set Chromecast up properly, you can begin casting. To do that, follow these steps:

  1. Open your Google Chrome browser in your computer.
  2. Click on Chrome’s menu at the upper right hand side (three-dot icon).
  3. Click Cast.
  4. Under Cast to section, you’ll be asked what source to display to your TV. Normally, there will be two options: Cast tab and Cast desktop.
    1. Cast tab option lets you cast the current selected tab. This is the default option. If you don’t select any source when casting, Chromecast will automatically select the current tab. Your Chromecast should be detected automatically if its online. Make sure that your Chromecast is properly connected to the TV’s USB port and set up so it’s powered on properly. To stop casting, just click on the X next to the Cast to section.
    2. Cast desktop will show your computer’s desktop. When attempting to cast your desktop, you’ll be asked what specific item you want to share exactly. You’ll also be asked if you want to share the audio or not. If you’ll see Chrome Media Router is sharing your screen [and audio] while casting your screen message at the bottom, that’s normal so just ignore it. To stop casting your desktop, click Stop sharing option.

Casting for the first time will also trigger the Welcome dialog screen with the Enable casting to cloud-based services like Google Hangouts option. It’s up to you if you want  to check the box next to it or not. Leaving it enabled gives you more options but you can live without them as well.

How to cast a supported website

Some websites like Youtube or Netflix have built-in Chromecast support so loading them in your browser will also display their Chromecast icon (a screen with signal waves at the bottom left). If you see the cast icon, you can click on it. By default, Chromecast will automatically cast from a supported website. If you’re trying to access a website that doesn’t have Chromecast support, you can cast it via your browser tab.

In theory, casting from a supported site is more preferable in terms of performance than when mirroring a tab. However, in reality, we really can’t see any significant difference at all so it’s up to you what option to select.

NOTE: To cast any website easily, simply right click on the current page and select Cast option.

Using Google Cast extension

If you want to make it easier to cast your tabs, we suggest that you install the Google Cast extension. Google Cast extension, during the early days of Chromecast, was the only way to cast your tab or desktop. However, at this time, it no longer does much since you can easily right click on any page and select Cast right away. Still, if you want to save a single click everytime you want to cast a tab, installing this extension may be worth it.

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