How to Use AirPlay with an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV

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AirPlay makes it easy to stream wirelessly from all of your Apple devices

Written by Megaera Lorenz, PhD

Last Updated: September 11, 2024 Fact Checked

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iPhone & iPad

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Mirroring from Mac

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Mirroring to Mac

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Apple TV

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Video

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Tips

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Warnings

This wikiHow teaches you how to use AirPlay on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV to stream audio and video to or from an AirPlay-enabled device. AirPlay is a mirroring service that allows you to broadcast your Apple device’s screen to an Apple TV or other AirPlay compatible TV. It also allows you to play audio through AirPlay-compatible speakers such as the HomePod.

Using AirPlay on iOS or Mac

If you're using an app that has an AirPlay or casting icon, click or tap the icon and select an AirPlay device.
On your iPhone or iPad, open the Control Center and select Screen Mirroring to cast everything on your screen.
On a Mac, click the screen mirroring icon in the menu bar to mirror your entire screen to an AirPlay-enabled device.

Section 1 of 4:

iPhone & iPad

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Your iPhone or iPad must be connected to the Wi-Fi network to which your AirPlay item (e.g., Apple TV) is connected.^{[1]
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Turn on the AirPlay item you want to use. For example, if you want to use AirPlay to stream audio to speakers, turn on those speakers.
- If you’re having trouble connecting, move your iPhone or iPad closer to the device.
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3
Open the video or song you want to share. Some apps have AirPlay buttons built in that allow you to easily use AirPlay to stream from the app. If you see an icon of a rectangle with a triangle at the bottom, tap it and see if your AirPlay device appears. If it does, select it to start streaming or sharing.
- If you just want to mirror your screen without opening a specific app, skip this step.
If you're using an iPhone X or later, or an iPad with iPadOS 12 or later, swipe down from the upper-right corner of the home screen. On iPhone 8 and earlier, or on iPads running iPadOS 11 or earlier, swipe up from the bottom of the home screen instead.
It looks like an icon of two overlapping rectangles. If you want to use AirPlay for audio only, skip this step. Otherwise, wait until you see the desired AirPlay item, and then select it from the list to start using AirPlay.
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Tap the Audio tile in Control Center to stream audio. If you want to play music through AirPlay, tap this tile at the top-right corner of the Control Center, tap the AirPlay icon (it looks like a triangle with three curved lines), and then select the speaker or speakers.
- You can also stream audio from within an app that has AirPlay capabilities. For instance, in Apple Music, start playing a song, then tap on the song to expand a menu with more options. Tap the AirPlay icon at the bottom center of the screen and select your speakers or other device.

Section 2 of 4:

Mirroring from Mac

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Your Mac must be on the same Wi-Fi network as the item you want to connect to via AirPlay.
For example, if you want to use AirPlay to stream audio to speakers, turn on those speakers. Make sure they’re close to your Mac.
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Enable the screen-mirroring icon in your Mac’s menu bar. Mirroring your Mac's screen allows you to project anything on the screen to an AirPlay-enabled device, including streaming videos and photos. Even if you don't want to do this right now, it's a good idea to make sure this option is available to you when you need it.
- First, if you see an icon in the menu bar near the top-right corner of your screen that looks like two overlapping rectangles, you're all set up to mirror and can proceed to the next step.
- If not, click the
  Apple menu and select System Settings (or System Preferences in earlier versions of macOS).
- Click Control Center in the left-hand menu bar.
- Next to Screen Mirroring, select Always Show in Menu Bar.
- In some older versions of macOS, enable this setting by going to Apple menu > System Preferences > Displays and selecting Show mirroring options in the menu bar.
4
Open the video or song you want to use with AirPlay. For example, if you want to use AirPlay to play a movie from a streaming service, open that service's app or website and select the video. If you just want to mirror your screen, you can skip this step.
- Some Mac apps, including Apple Music, have a built-in AirPlay button that allows you to use AirPlay from within the app. In the case of Apple Music, click the triangle icon with three curved lines near the top-right corner to open a list of AirPlay-enabled speakers, and then click the speakers to start streaming.
- If you're watching a streaming video in a web browser, you can often click an icon that looks like a rectangle with a triangle at the bottom to play it through AirPlay. You may have to hover your mouse over the video or click it once to bring up the controls to find it.
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Click the mirroring icon to mirror your screen. It's that new overlapping rectangle icon you added to the Menu bar. When you see the desired AirPlay-enabled item in the list, select it to start mirroring right away. The icon for the device you selected will turn blue.
- Depending on the device you’re mirroring to, you may see a few different display options in the menu, such as Use As Separate Display or Mirror Built-in Retina Display. Select the one that works best for you.
- Some devices, like the Apple TV, might display a 4-digit code for you to enter on your Mac before you can start mirroring.^{[2]
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- To stop mirroring, click the Screen Mirroring icon again in the menu bar, and then click the icon for your selected AirPlay device. The device icon will turn gray once mirroring is turned off.
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Use AirPlay to play audio through speakers. If you want to use a separate AirPlay speaker to play music or other sounds through your Mac, here's how:
- Click the
  Apple icon and select System Settings (or System Preferences for earlier versions of macOS).
- Click Sound.
- Select your AirPlay speaker under "Output."
- If you want to switch back to your Mac's onboard speakers, select the speaker in the list that says “Built-in” in the Type column. It will have a name like “MacBook Air Speakers”.

Section 3 of 4:

Mirroring to Mac

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If you want to stream to your Mac from other AirPlay enabled devices, you’ll need to enable AirPlay in your Mac’s settings. Start by opening the
Apple Menu in the top left corner of your screen and selecting System Settings.^{[3]
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It’s in the menu bar on the left side of the System Settings window.
This is in the main General window. Click it to open a new menu.
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Toggle on AirPlay Receiver. The toggle will turn blue once this setting is enabled. You can now cast from other devices to your Mac.
- If you have multiple user accounts on your Mac, use the menu next to Allow AirPlay for to determine which users can connect to your Mac with AirPlay. Options include Current User, Anyone on the Same Network, and Everyone.
- You can also choose to require a password to connect with AirPlay.

Section 4 of 4:

Apple TV

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Select the Settings app icon, which resembles a grey box with gears on it, from your Apple TV's Home Screen.^{[4]
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You'll find this on the Settings page.
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Select AirPlay. It's at the top of the AirPlay and Homekit menu. Select it to toggle AirPlay on or off.
- From this menu, you can also select Allow Access and set who can use AirPlay to stream content to your Apple TV. You can choose to require a password if you like.

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Tips

To connect one device to another via AirPlay, both devices must be using the same Wi-Fi network.

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Lots of modern Smart TVs and other devices are AirPlay compatible, even if they aren’t manufactured by Apple. You may need to enable AirPlay in your device’s settings.

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Warnings

Not all speakers support AirPlay. Check your speaker's specifications to see whether or not you can connect your Apple item to it via AirPlay.

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