For most people who connect their laptop to their TV, it can be a little bit difficult, but there is no need for it to be. Perhaps the most difficult part you will face is figuring out what kind of connection you need from your laptop to your TV, and then connecting the two in the correct way. You can connect a laptop to a TV either via cable or wirelessly, and it’s pretty simple. Read on to find out how you can connect your laptop to your TV with very little effort.
How To Connect Your Laptop To Your TV
Connect your Laptop to your TV using an HDMI cable
Step 1
Find out the input docks for your TV; if they’re somewhat trapezoidal, then they are HDMI ports. Some docks may be named “HDMI”.
Step 2
Check the video output dock on your laptop. If it’s HDMI as well, the docks match.
Step 3
Insert the HDMI cable into the HDMI dock on your laptop, and then connect the cable into your TV.
Step 4
Look for the ‘Display Options’ icon on the function keys of your computer; it usually appears as a pair of screens side by side. Press and hold the “Fn” key on your notebook and press the relevant “F” key at the same time. This way, you can switch from the display of your computer to the TV or use both at the same time.
Connect your Laptop to your TV using DVI ports
Step 1
Plug the DVI cable into the DVI dock on the television. DVI docks are generally white and much larger than HDMI docks.
Step 2
Plug in the other end of the DVI cable into your computer’s DVI dock.
Step 3
Insert a 3.5 mm audio wire into your laptop’s computer’s earphone jack dock.
Step 4
Plug in the other end of the 3.5mm audio wire into y our television’s audio input dock; this is generally marked “Mic” or “Audio In” and is seen next to the DVI dock.
Step 5
Look for the ‘Display Options’ icon on the function keys of your computer; it usually appears as a pair of screens side by side. Press and hold the “Fn” key on your notebook and press the relevant “F” key at the same time. This way, you can switch from the display of your computer to the TV or use both at the same time.
Connect a laptop to a TV using Display Port, Mini Display Port, or Mini-HDMI
Step 1
Find out the entry docks for your TV and laptop. If they are not identical, you will need an adapter for the output dock of your computer, which transfers the signal to an HDMI cable. Mini-HDMI docks look like minimized HDMI docks. Display Port Docks look different – slightly higher and less wide – and Mini Display Ports look like minimized Display Port Docks. Adapters for all three docks can be easily purchased in stores.
Step 2
Connect the HDMI cable to your TV.
Step 3
Plug in the adapter to the HDMI wire.
Step 4
Connect the other end of the adapter into your laptop computer’s video output dock.
Step 5
Look for the ‘Display Options’ icon on the function keys of your computer; it usually appears as a pair of screens side by side. Press and hold the “Fn” key on your notebook and press the relevant “F” key at the same time. This way, you can switch from the display of your computer to the TV or use both at the same time.
Connect your Laptop to your TV: HDMI Laptop to DVI TV or DVI Laptop to HDMI TV
Step 1
Plug in the DVI cable into the DVI dock.
Step 2
Now plug the DVI to HDMI adapter into the DVI wire, and insert the other end into the HDMI dock.
Step 3
Plug in a 3.5mm audio jack into the headphone dock of the laptop, and insert the other end into the “Mic” or “Audio In” on the television.
Step 5
Look for the ‘Display Options’ icon on the function keys of your computer; it usually appears as a pair of screens side by side. Press and hold the “Fn” key on your notebook and press the relevant “F” key at the same time. This way, you can switch from the display of your computer to the TV or use both at the same time.
Connect a Laptop to a TV Wirelessly
As a result of advances in new wireless technologies, you can now connect your laptop to your TV without wires. Below are some ways you can make this possible.
Chromecast ($35)
Since its extremely popular launch in July 2013, Chromecast has become the unofficial king of cheap wireless streaming devices. For the uninitiated: The HDMI-bound dongle uses a type of third-party application accessed from your PC, Mac, Android or iOS gadgets to stream files onto your TV. With Chromecast, you can display everything that is played on a PC or Mac via the Chrome browser. It’s a very useful way to simply transfer just about any digital content to the big screen at low cost.
Apple TV ($99)
If you own a 2011 or later MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, or Mac Mini, you can connect your Apple desktop or notebook display wirelessly to your TV with a 1080p Apple TV. Apple TV is an independent streaming gadget that costs about $99. Since few of the latest Mac laptops support AirPlay mirroring, it’s not very popular.
