A 15-year-old once hacked NASA. Jonathan James caused NASA to initiate 21 days of operational shutdown, costing about 41,000 dollars to investigate the computer systems and fix the problem. With that in mind, casting your computer screen onto your TV should not be as hard as hacking into NASA. It’s even easier when you use Google Chromecast. In this blog, we will be helping you learn how to cast a Google Chrome tab or an entire desktop to your television with Google Chromecast.

What You’ll Need

            There are a few items that you will need before casting your computer onto your TV. An essential item is a Chromecast. Whether it is a regular Chromecast, a Chromecast Ultra, or a TV with a Chromecast built-in, you can’t do anything without this. Also, it would help if you had a TV with an HDMI slot to connect the Chromecast.

Next, you need a computer and Wi-Fi network with the minimum system requirements. Chromecast is available on all computer operating systems such as Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, and Chrome OS. However, there are specific requirements needed to cast your screen effectively. For example, Windows recommends a 2nd-generation Core i5 (2GHz+) with Windows 7 for the best performance. Yet, they require Core i3 or equivalent and Windows Vista. Each operating system has different recommendations and requirements to work effectively and can be found here

The third item on the list is a recent version of Google Chrome installed on your computer or laptop. You will need version 72 or higher to cast your screen on your TV. It is crucial to update your browser for the latest security updates and watch your favorite movies.

Lastly, you need to connect your computer and Chromecast device to the same Wi-Fi network. Chromecast and Chromecast audio devices can only input one Wi-Fi simultaneously. If you changed your Wi-Fi network recently, you might need to set up a factory reset on your devices. You need to install the Google Home app to take off the previous Wi-Fi network to connect your Chromecast and Wi-Fi correctly.

Casting a Tab

    To cast a tab from your browser, you need to open Chrome. After, look at the top right and click More  Cast. When you have done this, you need to choose the Chromecast device that you want to use. In some cases, your Chromecast will automatically cast the content from your computer on your TV. After you finished, click Cast    Stop casting to the right of the address bar.

Casting Your Computer Screen

            The best part about casting your computer screen is that you can display your entire screen using Chrome on Mac, Windows, and Chromebooks. Also, a plus of using Windows computers is that you can hear audio on your TV. To get started, open up Chrome on your computer. At the top right, click on More   Cast. Afterward, look at the top next to “Cast to” and click the down arrow. There is a statement saying Cast desktop. Click on it. The last step is to choose the Chromecast device where you want to watch on.  

            You can also cast music and videos from your computer with similar steps. Instead of clicking Cast desktop, you would click on cast file. Select a file and choose the Chromecast device where you want the file to play.

Conclusion

            When you follow these steps, you can watch YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming platforms with your Google Chromecast. You can also work on assignments on your TV. There are so many other casting devices and methods to choose from when casting your computer screen to your TV. Google Chromecast is not the only option. However, you need to make sure that your computer is updated and working correctly with any casting device.          

If you need assistance upgrading your computer or laptop, National Computer Repair can help. We have many years of assisting our clients with software and hardware issues. For more information, you can visit our website.  Contact us today so you can start casting your