How To Screen Mirror On Roku TV (And What To Do If It Isn't Working)

There are a handful of must-have streaming services and cheap ways to get them these days, with Roku devices among them. Through Roku Sticks and Roku TVs, you can watch all of your favorite movies and TV shows with a mere few button presses. What you may not know is that there's more to Roku devices than is commonly advertised. Not only can you customize them in different ways just for you, but you can easily utilize screen mirroring — not be confused with casting, another smart TV feature — which makes it so that you can project your phone, laptop, or tablet screen onto your Roku system.

Thankfully, for those hoping to give Roku screen mirroring a try, the process is pretty simple. As with any technical process, issues could arise when trying to screen mirror on a Roku device. Here are some common problems that can come up and how to resolve them.

In order to mirror there are a few things you'll need to do. Luckily the process is fairly easy.

• First and foremost, you want to make sure that screen mirroring is enabled on both the Roku and device you intend to mirror with and that both devices are on the same WiFi network. 
• You then use your device to request a connection to your Roku, which is through the Smart View menu on an Android device and the Connect menu on Windows 10 and 11 devices. 
• As for iOS devices, you can connect through AirPlay, selecting your Roku device through the AirPlay video or AirPlay audio icons. 
• Once your device connects to the Roku, go through the additional steps on the Roku display and your connection should be all set up.

If screen mirroring your phone, computer, or tablet to your Roku device isn't working, there are a few steps to try out to make it happen. The most important however, is to go into the settings of both your devices to ensure that screen mirroring is enabled. 

If a connection can't be made, screen mirroring won't be established. One issue might be because both devices aren't on the same WiFi network. However, if they're both open to screen mirroring and on the same network but still won't mirror, you can try disconnecting and reconnecting to the WiFi and restarting both devices.

In the event these relatively simple fixes don't work, you can try more involved ones. Going into your Roku's settings, make sure that screen mirroring is set to "Prompt" or "Always Allow" instead of "Never Allow." You might want to try giving your WiFi router and modem a restart in case the issue is on your Internet's end. There's also the matter of your given device being incapable of screen mirroring. Some older phones, laptops, and tablets might not support it. It's best to research your device online or refer to the manufacturer directly. If all else fails, contacting Roku Support should get you on the right track.

Technology can be finicky, and cause more than a few headaches. Though they can be a bit touchy, Roku's screen mirroring capability are incredibly useful. If you try to use it and encounter issues along the way, hopefully, these solutions are able to rectify them in short order.