How To Connect Your Mac To A TV (Wirelessly Or With HDMI)

There are moments in life when bigger actually is better, especially when we're talking about Mac screens. Through the years, Apple has offered displays of different sizes, from the 11-inch screens of the MacBook Air models of the past to the 16-inch MacBook Pro models of the present. While Apple has introduced many ways to get a bigger screen, whether it is through your iPad (via Sidecar) or through an external monitor, one of the best ways to get a massive screen for your display needs is with a TV screen.

In 2024, you can get pretty big smart TVs for under $500. Plus, there are even some pretty unique TV models on the market, which can make whatever you're trying to share from your Mac look more grand than it does from your laptop screen. With a TV, you can opt to either mirror whatever is displayed on your Mac or extend your Mac screen, so you can keep working outside the view. So, whether it is sharing photos and videos from your latest holiday to showing your clients the latest version of the deck you've been working on, there's a lot to gain from using a TV as a big Mac display.

Now, there are two ways you can connect your Mac to a TV: wireless and wired. Depending on your preference, here's how to do both methods to connect your Mac to a screen to a TV.

The most straightforward way to connect your Mac to a compatible smart TV is using AirPlay. These days, a lot of smart TVs already offer built-in AirPlay features. To know if your TV is AirPlay-enabled, you can check the Apple Home accessories list or consult your specific TV's manual or manufacturer's website. Once you make sure that your Mac and smart TV are connected to the same, stable internet connection, here's how to set it up.

1. Option 1: On your Mac, click the Apple icon and select System Settings. In the left sidebar, click Displays and then proceed to click the plus (+) icon next to your Mac name.

2. Option 2: In the upper-right corner of your screen, click the Control icon and select Screen Mirroring > Display Settings.

3. Type the four-digit code displayed on your TV screen into your Mac to confirm the pairing.

Should you encounter issues with using AirPlay, try to bring your Mac and TV closer together, update their respective firmware, or try to restart them. If you find that your smart TV isn't AirPlay-compatible, you can use streaming devices, like the Apple TV 4K, Roku, or Google Chromecast to do something similar. Apart from streaming from your Mac, there are a lot of benefits to using a Google Chromecast, even if you already own a smart TV. If you do encounter trouble casting your iPhone screen to your smart TV, you can check out our troubleshooting guide to get it back to working order.

Thankfully, if your smart TV isn't compatible with any of the existing wireless options, you can choose to use a wired connection. Not to mention, if you also have a weak internet connection or encounter a lot of signal interference, going wired can offer a more stable alternative. To do this, you first need to connect your Mac to your smart TV via the appropriate cable. Depending on your TV, you may need to do some additional setup procedures. For example, the Samsung Frame TV will require you to select the device type, which is important because it can help recommend settings.

If your Mac does not have an HDMI port and you need it for your television, you can purchase either an adapter or dock, like the Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter ($69). Although there are plenty of options for third-party ones, it's important to note that these may not always be built up to standard or have compatibility issues. Additionally, it's important to note that there is more than one type of HDMI cable. To get the most out of your Mac and TV connection, it's best if you get HDMI 2.1, especially if you're using a TV with a 120Hz refresh rate. Thankfully, you can also snag the 2 meter-long Belkin UltraHD High Speed 8K/4K HDMI Cable ($29.95) or the Belkin 4K mini DisplayPort to HDMI Cable ($59.95) from the Apple Store, which is tested up to standard for Mac compatibility.

In terms of settings, it's important to note that each television is calibrated differently. If you successfully connect your Mac to your TV but find that it's not displaying correctly, there are two common ways it can manifest: Overscan and underscan. Overscan is when portions of the screen projected on the TV do not appear properly. For Mac users, this typically appears in the form of the menu bar or dock disappearing or being cut off. On the other hand, underscan is when you can see the whole screen, but with black box sections either on the top, bottom, or sides of the display. To fix either overscan or underscan, here's what you can do.

1. On your Mac, click the Apple icon in the upper-left portion of the screen.

2. Select System Settings.

3. In the left sidebar, click Displays.

4. Next to Optimize, click your Mac and select your TV name from the options provided.

Alternatively, you can also play around with the display resolution on your Mac. Next to Show all resolutions, toggle on the button. Then, try the different options to see what fits your TV the best. Lastly, if adjusting your Mac settings doesn't work, you may need to adjust the picture settings directly on your television screen. Depending on your TV model, the location will vary, but it is typically found under the Settings or Display section.

In some cases, getting your Mac screen display on the TV is only half the battle — the other half is making sure it actually looks and sounds right. Thankfully, there are a couple of things you can change on any TV to improve the viewing experience. First, placing your television where there is no direct sunlight can help reduce glare, which will make it easier to view your Mac's streamed content. If you have no other location options, you can manually adjust the brightness to have a better view of the projected screen. Here's how to do this on your Mac:

1. On your Mac, click the Apple icon.

2. Select System Settings.

3. In the left sidebar, click Display.

4. Select your preferred resolution.

In the Display section, you can also select to use your screen as either a main display or a mirror. Additionally, if you want to take advantage of your TV's snazzy sound system, you can also change where you want your audio to play.

Quina Baterna/SlashGear

1. On your Mac, click the Apple icon.

2. Select System Settings.

3. In the left sidebar, click Sound.

4. Click Output > your TV name.

Alternatively, you can also choose to use an external speaker set-up, if you think that would be more enjoyable. If you don't know how to choose the right speaker setup for you, you can check out our team's ranking for every major surround sound brand based on customer reviews.