The TV you own decides how this works. If it is a smart TV, Roku or Fire TV device with a screen mirroring mode, switch that mode on, press Windows + K on your Windows 10 PC and click the TV’s name in the Connect panel. If you are not sure the PC can cast, the ten-second test below settles it; if the TV only has HDMI ports, a cable is the dependable fallback.
Test whether your PC can cast first
Windows 10 casts wirelessly with Miracast, a standard that sends your screen straight from the PC’s Wi-Fi hardware to a receiver built into the TV or plugged into it. Both ends have to support it. Most failed casting attempts come down to a PC without Miracast support, so spend ten seconds on this before you hunt through TV menus.
- Press Windows + K.
- If a Connect panel opens and starts searching for or listing devices, your PC supports Miracast. Microsoft gives this same test on its wireless display setup page, which is written for Windows 11 but uses the same Windows + K panel.
- If Windows instead says the PC doesn’t support Miracast, wireless casting with Windows + K will not work on this machine. Skip ahead to the cable and adapter section, or cast a browser tab to a Chromecast.
Two backup checks show up in third-party guides if you want a second opinion. Press Windows + R, type dxdiag, click Save All Information, then open the saved text file and search it for “Miracast”. Or open Command Prompt and run netsh wlan show drivers, then look for a “Wireless Display Supported” line. The exact wording in both can vary by driver, so treat the Windows + K test as the deciding one.
Laptops usually pass. Desktop PCs are the common failure, because many connect by Ethernet and have no Wi-Fi card at all, and Microsoft lists Wi-Fi capability as a requirement for wireless displays.
Which route fits your TV
Find your setup in the table and jump to the section it points to.
| What you have | Best route | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Smart TV with a Screen Mirroring, Miracast or Wireless Display input | Windows + K | Built into Windows 10; the PC also needs Miracast support |
| Roku player or Roku TV | Windows + K | Allow screen mirroring on the Roku first |
| Amazon Fire TV stick or Fire TV | Windows + K | Turn on Display Mirroring on the Fire TV first |
| Chromecast, Google TV Streamer or a TV with Google Cast built in | Cast from Chrome | These do not receive Miracast, so Windows + K will not find them |
| Older TV with HDMI ports only | HDMI cable, or a Miracast adapter in an HDMI port | A cable has no wireless lag at all |
| Desktop PC with no Wi-Fi adapter | HDMI cable | Miracast needs Wi-Fi hardware in the PC |
Roku owners will find the Roku-side menus in casting Windows 10 to a Roku player, and the Fire TV switch is covered in turning on display mirroring on a Fire TV stick.
Cast with Windows + K
Do the TV side first. A TV that is not waiting for a connection simply will not appear in the list on the PC.
- Turn on the TV. Open its input or source menu and choose the screen mirroring option. Microsoft notes the name varies by brand: look for Screen Mirroring, Miracast or Wireless Display. On some older TVs you have to switch the Wireless Display feature on in the settings before the input appears.
- Connect the PC to the same Wi-Fi network as the TV. Miracast creates its own direct link, so some TVs connect even when the networks differ, but Microsoft’s instructions call for the same network and it avoids a lot of discovery problems.
- On the PC, press Windows + K. The Connect panel opens on the right side of the screen and lists the wireless displays it finds.
- Click your TV’s name.
Pick your TV in the Connect panel. - Watch the TV. Many models ask you to allow the connection with the remote, and some show a PIN that you type on the PC. Follow any other prompts on screen.
- After a few seconds your desktop appears on the TV. By default Windows mirrors the screen, so the TV shows exactly what the PC shows.
Windows + K is the quickest way in, and Microsoft’s Windows 10 steps use it. Third-party guides also describe a Connect tile in Action Center (Windows + A) and a link under Settings > System > Display for connecting to a wireless display. Both open the same panel if your build has them.
Sound normally moves to the TV with the picture. If it keeps coming from the PC speakers, click the speaker icon in the taskbar and choose the TV as the output device.
Choose what the TV shows with Windows + P
Once the TV is connected, press Windows + P to change how Windows uses it. Windows lists four modes in the Project panel:
| Mode | What it does | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| PC screen only | Shows everything on the PC and nothing on the TV | Pausing a presentation without ending the connection |
| Duplicate | Shows the same thing on both screens | Photos, slideshows, showing a room what you are doing |
| Extend | Treats the TV as a second monitor you can drag windows onto | Playing a video on the TV while you keep working on the laptop |
| Second screen only | Turns off the PC screen and uses only the TV | Watching a film with the laptop lid open but dark |
Extend works like any two-monitor setup, so the arranging and taskbar tips in using two screens on Windows 10 apply here too. If the edges of the desktop are cut off on the TV, or text looks soft, the fixes in fitting a PC screen to a TV in Windows 10 cover the TV’s picture size settings and the Windows resolution.
End the cast and keep Windows 10 in mind
To stop, press Windows + K again, which is how Microsoft says to stop projecting, and click Disconnect under your TV. Many builds also show a small bar at the top of the screen while you are casting with a Disconnect button on it. Switching the TV to another input also drops the connection, though Windows may take a moment to notice.
Casting works the same on PCs that no longer get updates, but Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025. Only PCs enrolled in consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) keep receiving security fixes, through October 12, 2027, according to Microsoft’s end-of-support notice. The Windows 10 casting steps on Microsoft’s screen mirroring page are still published.
When the TV never appears in the list
Work down this list in order. The first items take seconds; the driver updates take longer.
- The TV left mirroring mode. Many TVs drop out of the mirroring input after a minute or two of waiting. Open it again, then press Windows + K and let the PC search once more.
- Wi-Fi is off on the PC. Even a laptop plugged into Ethernet needs its Wi-Fi switched on for Miracast. Check the network icon in the taskbar.
- Different networks. Put the PC and TV on the same Wi-Fi network, including the same band if your router shows separate network names.
- A VPN or strict firewall. Disconnect a VPN for a moment and try again, since it can get in the way of finding local devices. Turn it back on afterward.
- Old drivers. Miracast depends on both the graphics driver and the Wi-Fi driver. Update the graphics side with updating a graphics driver in Windows 10 and the Wi-Fi side with updating a network adapter driver, then restart.
- Everything looks right but nothing connects. Restart both the PC and the TV, as Microsoft suggests for connections that keep failing, and check for a TV firmware update.
- Windows says the PC doesn’t support Miracast. No setting changes that. Use an HDMI cable, or cast from Chrome to a Google Cast device.
If the remote is lost and you can’t reach the TV’s input menu, the TV maker’s phone app can usually act as a remote. Some of those apps, and some router screens, ask you to pick the TV by its network address, which finding your TV’s IP address without a remote shows how to look up. Windows + K finds the TV on its own, so you never type an IP address for Miracast.
If the picture lags or drops out
Wireless mirroring always adds a short delay, because the PC has to compress the screen and send it over the air. That is fine for slides, photos and most video, and frustrating for games or anything where timing matters. A few changes help:
- Move the PC and the TV closer to the Wi-Fi router if you can, as Microsoft suggests, or at least bring the PC nearer the TV.
- Pause large downloads and cut down on other devices streaming on the same network.
- Choose Extend and play video full screen on the TV instead of mirroring a busy desktop.
- For gaming or video calls where lip sync matters, use an HDMI cable.
Cast a Chrome tab to a Chromecast or Google TV
Chromecast devices, the Google TV Streamer and TVs with Google Cast built in use Google’s own casting system, not Miracast. Windows + K will never list them. Chrome can reach them instead, as long as the PC and the streaming device are on the same Wi-Fi network. These steps follow Google’s Chrome casting help page:
- Open Chrome on the PC and go to the tab you want on the TV.
- Click the three-dot menu at the top right, then choose Cast, save, and share > Cast.
- Pick your Chromecast or TV from the list. If the device is already playing something, your tab replaces it.
- To send the whole desktop instead of one tab, click Sources in the cast window and choose Cast screen before picking the device.
- To stop, click the Cast icon to the right of the address bar and choose Stop casting.
Google warns that sound may stay on the computer when you cast the whole screen. If you want audio on the TV, cast a tab. A Chromecast that is not online yet needs its own Wi-Fi setup first; connecting a Chromecast to Wi-Fi walks through that.
Use a cable or a wireless display adapter instead
An HDMI cable is the answer for a TV with no smart features, a desktop with no Wi-Fi, and anything where delay matters. Plug the cable into the PC and the TV, select that HDMI input with the TV remote, and press Windows + P to pick a mode. If the TV shows “no signal” or the sound stays on the PC, switching to HDMI on Windows 10 covers the input and audio settings.
If you want to stay wireless with a TV that lacks Miracast, a Miracast adapter adds it. Microsoft describes its own Wireless Display Adapter this way:
- Plug the HDMI end into the TV.
- Plug the USB end into a USB port on the TV that supplies power, or into a USB power adapter.
- Switch the TV to that HDMI input. The adapter shows its name on screen when it is ready.
- On the PC, press Windows + K and choose the adapter from the list.
The adapter solves a TV problem, not a PC problem: the PC still has to pass the Windows + K test above.
Casting and TV questions
Why does Windows say my PC doesn’t support Miracast?
The Wi-Fi hardware or its driver does not offer Miracast, or the PC has no Wi-Fi at all. Updating the Wi-Fi and graphics drivers fixes it occasionally on laptops. If the message stays, an HDMI cable or Chrome casting to a Google Cast device are the options left.
Can a desktop PC cast to a TV wirelessly?
Only if it has a Wi-Fi adapter that supports Miracast, and many desktops do not. Run the Windows + K test. A Miracast adapter on the TV does not help a desktop that fails it.
Is Windows + K the same as the Cast option in Chrome?
No. Windows + K mirrors or extends your whole Windows desktop to a Miracast receiver. Chrome’s Cast sends a tab, a file or your screen to a Google Cast device. They reach different kinds of TVs and devices.
Can I keep working on the PC while the TV plays something?
Yes. Press Windows + P and choose Extend, then drag the video window onto the TV. The PC screen stays free for other work.
Why does the TV ask me to approve the PC every time?
That is a TV setting, not a Windows one. Many TVs ask on each new connection by default, and some let you change that in their screen mirroring settings so a known PC connects without the prompt. On a Roku, for example, the choice is under Settings > System > Screen mirroring > Screen mirroring mode, where Roku’s screen mirroring help lists Prompt, Always allow and Never allow.
Next step: press Windows + K now, even before you touch the TV. Whatever that panel shows tells you which section of this page you need.
Kermit Matthews runs Live2Tech from just outside Philadelphia. He is an IT specialist with over 20 years of experience, from a university help desk to small-business IT, IT management and his own consulting practice, and has written tech guides full time since 2020. Steps are checked against the current software on a real device or the maker’s official documentation. More about Kermit.