How to connect a laptop to a TV

Connecting a laptop to a TV is usually needed for several purposes, such as watching movies, showing presentation slides, to playing games to make it look bigger.

By showing the laptop screen display to the television, the display will become larger and more comfortable to view.

Especially if you want to watch a movie, of course, it will feel more real when watching it.

But if you’ve never done it, then most likely you don’t understand how to connect a laptop to a TV.

There are several ways that you can do, such as using an HDMI cable, VGA cable, to without using a cable. Read more below.

1. With HDMI Cable

The first way that most people do and the one I recommend the most is to use an HDMI cable.

By using an HDMI cable, you not only display the laptop screen to the TV, but also connect the sound from the laptop to the TV speakers.

So that way, you will feel more comfortable when connecting your laptop to the TV using an HDMI cable, especially if the TV has a high-quality screen and speakers.

Currently, all LCD or LED TV products, whether Smart TV or Android TV, must be equipped with an HDMI port.

To do this, of course you must have an HDMI cable first.

You can buy it at the nearest computer store with a wide selection of quality and cable lengths.

We recommend using an HDMI cable with high enough quality, so that the resulting sound can be maximized.

In addition, do not use an HDMI cable that is too long, as long as it meets the distance between the laptop and the TV, it is very sufficient.

Because if you use a cable that is too long, especially with poor quality, then the data transfer from the laptop to the TV will be slower which can cause the display between the laptop and TV to be a bit delayed .

Once you have the HDMI cable, here’s how to do it:

1. Turn on your laptop and TV first.
2. Connect the HDMI cable to the laptop and to the TV.
3. On the TV, select the HDMI option.
4. Then on your laptop, press the Fnkey + the projector icon , usually on the Function key .
5. Select Extend, if you want to use 2 screens (laptop and TV).
6. Select Duplicate, if you want to display the same display on the laptop and TV.

If you use it to watch movies let alone show presentations, it’s better to use the Extend option .

That way you can display presentation slides on the TV screen and arrange them through your laptop screen.

But if you use it to play games, it’s better to choose the Duplicate option .

That way the screen display on the TV will use the VGA Card on your laptop.

Because if you choose Extend, it is very likely that the game display on the TV will break or even lag .

With VGA Cable

Then what if the TV does not have a port for an HDMI cable? Relax, you can use another type of cable, namely VGA.

If your TV does not have an HDMI port but already has a VGA port, then you can use a VGA cable to connect your laptop to the TV.

But unfortunately, the VGA cable can only display the image display on the laptop to the TV and cannot transmit sound from the laptop to the TV.

If you want to use a VGA cable to connect your laptop to the TV, of course you must have the VGA cable first.

You can buy a VGA cable at a computer store. Make sure you buy a male to male VGA cable .

Here’s how to connect a laptop to a TV with a VGA cable:

1. Turn on your TV and laptop.
2. Connect the VGA cable to the port on the TV and the one on the laptop.
3. Usually the picture will automatically appear on the TV.
4. But if not, then you need to select the VGA option on your TV first.

After you have successfully done this, now the display on your laptop will appear on the TV.

But remember, only picture display, not including sound.

So you can add external speakers to produce better sound.

Using Chromecast

Yes, you can do it without using an HDMI or VGA cable, by using a device called Chromecast.

Chromecast is a device made by Google that you can use to cast your laptop screen to your TV.

Currently, how to connect a laptop to a TV using Chromecast is considered the most modern and not complicated.

Chromecast can even be used on various operating systems, from Windows and Mac on laptops, to Android and iOS OS for smartphones.

So in other words, you can also connect your cellphone to a TV using this tool.

You can buy Chromecast at the online shop or at the nearest computer store.

Once you have the tool, here’s how to connect your laptop to your TV with Chromecast.

1. Insert one side of the Chromecast into the TV’s HDMI port and the other into the TV’s USB port.
2. Select the HDMI option on your TV.
3. Open the laptop then open the Google Chrome application.
4. Click the three dots in the upper right corner and select Cast.
5. Wait for the TV set to appear in the window.
6. Select the TV then select the Cast Desktopoption opsi

By selecting the Cast Desktop option , all the displays on your laptop screen will be displayed on the TV screen.

You can also choose several other options such as Cast file to display files, Cast video and others.

If you want to try showing your cellphone screen to your TV using Chromecast, you can download the Chromecast app first on the Play Store or App Store.

Apart from Chromecast, there are also several other similar devices that you can use, such as AnyCast and MiraCast.

Connecting Laptop to Tube TV

Even though you are still using a tube TV, you can also connect a laptop to the tube TV.

But to do this you need a special tool, namely an HDMI Converter.

This tool is needed because the tube TV certainly does not have a VGA port and an HDMI port, only an AV RCA port.

So you can use the HDMI Converter tool to connect an HDMI cable from a laptop to an AV RCA cable to a tube TV.

You can get these tools at computer stores or online shops.

Make sure you buy the device that comes with an AV RCA cable and an HDMI cable.

Here’s how to connect a laptop to a tube TV:

1. Prepare the HDMI Converter, HDMI cable, and AV RCA cable.
2. Connect the AV RCA cable to the HDMI Converter and to the TV.
3. Also connect the HDMI cable from the laptop to the HDMI Converter.
4. After everything is connected, turn on the HDMI Converter.
5. On the television go to AV options.
6. Wait until the laptop screen display appears on the TV.

You can also adjust the screen size through the Control Panel on your laptop.

How to Connect your MacBook to a TV

For those of you laptop users from the Apple brand, namely MacBook or Mac computers, you can connect your laptop to your TV without using a cable.

You can easily connect your MacBook to a TV very easily as long as the TV device supports AirPlay or AirPlay 2 features.

Some TV devices that already support this feature include Apple TV 4K, Apple TV, and several types from other brands such as Samsung, LG, and Sony.

Here’s how to connect a MacBook laptop to a TV:

1. Turn on your Apple TV and open the AirPlaymenu then select the Everyone option .
2. Also turn on the AirPlay feature on your MacBook.
3. Open the main menu on Apple, then select System Preferences > Display > Display tab.
4. Then select the AirPlay Displayoption then turn on the feature and check the Show mirroring options in the menu bar when available option .
5. Click the AirPlayoption in the upper right corner of your MacBook laptop screen.
6. Choose your TV name.
7. Wait until the process of connecting the MacBook laptop to the TV is complete, which is indicated by the appearance of the laptop screen on the TV.

How to Connect ChromeBook to TV

Finally, if you are using a ChromeBook laptop with the Chrome OS operating system, you can very easily connect the laptop to the TV.

Especially if your TV already supports the Chromecast feature by default.

But if you haven’t, then you must first have a Chromecast tool to be able to do it.

Not only that, you can also connect your ChromeBook to your Android TV by installing the Chromecast app on your Android TV.

The above is a way to connect a TV to a laptop in several ways, but the way I most recommend is to use an HDMI cable.