Full Guide to Use Miracast to Stream Your Windows 7/8 Screen on TV

In this article, you will learn how to use Miracast for screen streaming, 3 pretty useful tips, as well as a smart tool for mobile screen streaming.

James Davis

Sep 01, 2023 • Filed to: Mirror Phone Solutions • Proven solutions

Windows 8.1 comes with Miracast included in it, making it easy to mirror the computer to a TV. If you have upgraded from an older Windows version then you need to look for drivers that support Miracast. Here are some of the hardware requirements that you need to get Windows 7/8 projecting to your TV

Part 1: Hardware Reuqirement to Use Miracast

As mentioned above, PCs that come with Windows 8.1 are ready to project their screens wirelessly to a TV that also supports Miracast.  If you are have upgraded from Windows 7 to 8, check that your hardware is ready to work with Miracast by following these steps:

1.    Go to the right edge of your Windows PC and swipe to the left; tap on “Devices”.

2.    Click or tap on “Project”. If your PC supports Miracast, you should now see the option “Add a wireless display”.

3.    If the option is available, then this means your hardware is ready to project the computer screen to any other wireless display, including a TV. If the option is not there, it means your hardware is not ready for this function.

For Windows 7, you will have to get the drivers for Miracast to work. You must have the most recent Windows updates before you use Miracast.

NOTE: Miracast on Windows 7 is very sensitive about WiFi stacking, so if you have been using other wireless hardware/devices, you may have to uninstall them so you do not have problems with Miracast.

Hardware for your TV

There are TVs that will support Miracast directly, but if this is not the case then you need to get a Miracast adapter or Dongle. This will be plugged into the HDMI port of your TV, and will communicate wirelessly with your Windows PC.

Part 2: How to Set Up Miracast to Stream Screen

Windows 8 is able to automatically scan the presence of a wireless TV adapter, depending on several factors. However, this is the basic procedure that you use to set up Mirascan to work between your computer and TV.

1.    When working with Miracast Windows 8.1, you simply turn on the display and turn the input into Miracast Adapter. There are adapters that will boot up on their own, when you press their power button, while others will need you to switch the TV input manually. Once the adapter is booted, you will get a screen showing you that the TV is ready for you to connect your Windows computer.

set up miracast to stream screen

2.    Tap on Project, and then tap on the “Add wireless display” option, which is found at the bottom of the list. You will immediately access the Control Panel, and a pop-up window will show you the progress as the computer scans for wireless devices.

3.    After a short wait, you will now see the name of the wireless TV, or that of the adapter that you are using. Simply click on this name, and you will be asked for a PIN number for a secure connection; sometimes the connection will not need a PIN. When a PIN is required, it is prominently displayed on the TV screen.

4.    After a while, your computer screen will be mirrored on the TV screen. When using Miracast and Windows 8.1, you can turn the screen into an extended monitor, which can be very useful when you are making presentations on a huge TV screen; in this case, you will be tapping on the TV screen rather than the computer screen as you make your presentation.

Part 3: 3 Tips to Use Miracast to Stream from Windows PC on TV

Here are some tips that you can use when you are streaming Windows 7 Miracast to your TV screen

1)    There are times when your screen may have what is called Overscan. Today, TVs are being set to overscan their HDMI input ports. This will lead to the image seeming to be too large, or zoomed-in. In order to set this right, go to your TVs options, and then select the dot-by-dot basis of scanning, instead of the stretch and zoom setting. There are Miracast adaptors that come with apps that make the adapter change from overscan to dot-by-dot, automatically.

2)    There are times when your display will not seem to be connecting to your Miracast Windows 8.1 computer. In this case, you should try to restart your computer and also the display. Should the problem persist, then you may have to uninstall the display and install it again. This can be done in the settings of the computer, where you install all the drivers for the display and then install them again.

3)    One problem that is usually associated with Miracast is that it has many bugs and is slow at times. Although Miracast works on WiFi Direct, and the two devices do not have to be on the same WiFi network, it would be best that they are. Miracast is very sensitive to WiFi stacking and therefore the presence of many devices running on different WiFi networks may cause a problem. Simply removing the devices will improve the way Miracast streams your screen to your TV.

Part 4: Best Way to Mirror your Phone Screen to a Computer

Wondershare Dr.Fone is a tool to mirror your mobile device screen to a big-screen computer. It's fully compatible with both iOS and Android devices. After your phone screen is displayed on the PC, you can use a keyboard and mouse to control the phone like a pro. You can also record the phone screen and save the recorded video file on the computer quickly. It allows you to transfer files between your Android and computer with a drag and drop.

Try It Free

Miracast is becoming the standard for streaming Computer screens to TVs. This has proven useful in meetings and presentations have done before a large crowd. It is also a novel way of viewing your computer screen. In Windows 8.1, the screen can even be used as a secondary display and all controls and actions done on the TV. There may be some issues affecting the software, but it is still being developed and will soon be the standard for streaming computers to TVs.

James Davis

James Davis

staff Editor

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