Two directions of wireless casting

  1. Phone or tablet to PC, use the built in "Wireless Display" feature (called "Projecting to this PC" in Windows 11). The PC acts as the receiver, and the phone pushes its screen over Miracast.
  2. PC to TV or projector, the PC is the sender. Press Win + K to open Wireless Display and cast the screen to a TV, TV box, or wireless dongle that supports Miracast.

Wired HDMI is the most stable choice for picture quality and latency, and its troubleshooting is covered in External monitor not detected. Wireless is convenient but depends on the network and hardware, which is fine for a quick demo.

PC receives phone screen (Projecting to this PC)

  • Open Settings, go to System, then Projecting to this PC.
  • Set "Projecting to this PC" to "Available everywhere" or "Available everywhere on secure networks".
  • It is safer to require a PIN for pairing so nobody connects by accident.
  • On the phone side, Android usually exposes this under Settings, Connection or More connections, Wireless display or Multi screen, where it finds this PC. iPhone uses AirPlay, which Windows does not receive natively, so you need a third party receiver app on the PC.

PC to TV or projector (Win+K)

  • Make sure the PC and the TV or box are on the same Wi-Fi, and 5GHz is better when available.
  • Press Win + K, pick the target device, and follow the prompts to connect.
  • After connecting, choose Duplicate, Extend, or Second screen only in the projection mode. Meetings often use Extend, and watching a video often uses Duplicate.

Miracast not available or will not connect

If your PC lacks Miracast entirely, third party apps such as AirDroid or Scrcpy can mirror a phone over the local network, and a wireless HDMI dongle plugged into the TV adds Miracast like casting to older TVs that have no built in support.

  1. Check support first. Press Win + R, type dxdiag, press Enter, save the info as a text file, open it, and search for Miracast. "Available, with HDCP" means it is supported. "Not Available" means the network or display driver, or the hardware, does not support it, so update drivers or switch to HDMI and a third party mirroring tool such as AirDroid or Scrcpy for phones. Details on reading your specs are in Check PC config model serial.
  2. Network and display drivers, open Device Manager and update "Network adapters" and "Display adapters". Old drivers are a common cause of Miracast failure, and the thinking is the same as the driver steps in USB drive not recognized.
  3. Missing Wireless Display feature, Windows 11 Home and Pro include it by default. If it is missing, go to Settings, Apps, Optional features and confirm "Wireless Display" is installed.
  4. Wi-Fi problems, casting depends on Wi-Fi, so fix the network first. Bluetooth interference can be reduced by turning Bluetooth off temporarily, see Windows Bluetooth fails to connect.
  5. Policy, if the receiving policy of Projecting to this PC was turned off by group policy, it cannot receive. The method is in Registry editor group policy.
  6. Graphics or system, some discrete GPU direct modes or old integrated graphics do not support it. Update drivers or switch back to hybrid output. Deeper network issues can follow the DNS and reset steps in Browser cannot open web pages.

FAQ

Why does iPhone not show my PC in screen mirroring? iPhone uses AirPlay, which Windows does not receive natively. You need a third party receiver app on the PC, while Android phones work through Miracast directly.

Miracast shows "Not Available" in dxdiag? That means the network or display driver, or the hardware, lacks support. Update both drivers first, and if it still fails, use HDMI or a wireless dongle instead.

The TV is found but the connection drops? This is usually Wi-Fi interference or bandwidth. Use 5GHz, move closer to the router, and stop large downloads during casting.

Can I cast to a projector without Wi-Fi? Most projectors need Wi-Fi or a dongle for wireless. If there is no network, a direct HDMI cable is the reliable choice.

Further reading

  • Casting stutter is usually Wi-Fi bandwidth or interference. Move closer to the router, use 5GHz, and stop background downloads.
  • Virtual desktops and casting can coexist on multiple screens, see Windows virtual desktops multi desktop.
  • The night light and scaling of an external monitor also affect the cast picture. Clarity is covered in Screen text blurry resolution.