Use AirPlay on your Mac
Show whatever’s on your Mac mini on the big screen using AirPlay screen mirroring—or use AirPlay to send content to your Mac from an iPhone, iPad, or even another Mac. To mirror the Mac mini screen on your TV screen or to use the HDTV as a second display, connect your HDTV to Apple TV and make sure the Apple TV is on the same Wi-Fi network as your Mac mini. You can also play web videos directly on your HDTV without showing what’s on your desktop—handy when you want to play a movie but keep your work private.
![A Mac mini with its content mirrored on a large HDTV using an Apple TV.](https://help.apple.com/assets/60BDB5E39A4D7B1DFE5790D3/60BDB864AE6C78450A424ED4/en_US/097f9a205209f913afa51897a49873dc.png)
Mirror your desktop using Screen Mirroring. Click the Control Center icon in the menu bar, click Screen Mirroring
, then choose your Apple TV. When AirPlay is active, the icon turns blue.
Note: If your Mac supports AirPlay screen mirroring, you see an AirPlay status icon in the menu bar of your Mac when an Apple TV is on the same network as your Mac. See Use AirPlay to stream video or mirror your device’s screen.
In some cases, you can use an AirPlay display even if you’re not on the same Wi-Fi network as Apple TV (called peer-to-peer AirPlay). To use peer-to-peer AirPlay, you need an Apple TV (3rd generation rev A, model A1469 or later) with tvOS 7.0 or later.
Send content to your Mac from other devices. Watch videos, listen to music, and more on your Mac while they’re being played on your other devices. Mirror your iPhone or iPad on your Mac or extend its display by using your Mac as a secondary display for apps that support it, such as Keynote and Photos. Use your Mac as an AirPlay 2 speaker to stream music or podcasts to your Mac, or use it as a secondary speaker for multiroom audio. Your Mac works with any Apple device, and it’s even easier to connect if the devices share the same Apple ID.
Play web videos without showing your desktop. When you find a web video with an AirPlay icon , click the icon, then select your Apple TV.
Tip: If the image doesn’t fit your HDTV screen when you mirror the screen, adjust the desktop size for the best picture. Click the AirPlay icon in the video, then choose an option under “Match Desktop Size To.”
Apple TV is sold separately at apple.com, your local Apple Store, or other resellers.
Learn more. To learn more about AirPlay, see Use AirPlay to stream what’s on your Mac to an HDTV in the macOS User Guide. To learn more about using a second display with your Mac mini, see Connect a display to Mac mini. To troubleshoot, see the Apple Support article If screen mirroring or streaming isn’t working on your AirPlay-compatible device.