Having issues getting AirPlay to work? If so, you are not alone! Quite a few of our readers report Airplay issues with MacBook and other Macs!
Several users tell us that they are able to use Airplay on their iPhones but face challenges when it comes to using this feature on their MacBooks, Macs, and iMacs.
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You can see the AirPlay icon on your Mac but do not have the Airplay option to choose in order to connect to your Apple TV or other Apple devices. Others cannot locate the Airplay icon on their MacBooks and Macs.
More often than not, verifying your Mac settings related to firewall preferences and Display Settings can help solve this problem.
Contents
- 2 Fix Your Airplay Issues with MacBook and Macs
- 4 Reader Tips
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Change Mac App Icons
How-To AirPlay from Your Mac
- On your Mac, open the app that you want to stream video from
- Click the AirPlay icon from the video playback controls
- Choose your Apple TV
- If you don’t see your Apple TV, make sure that your Mac is connected to the same WiFi network as your Apple TV
To stop streaming video, tap the AirPlay icon in the video playback controls, and choose to Turn Off AirPlay.
Fix Your Airplay Issues with MacBook and Macs
- Confirm that your Mac supports AirPlay
- Go to the Apple menu and choose System Preferences
- Select Displays
- Look for a drop-down for AirPlay Display and a checkbox for “Show mirroring options in the menu bar when available”
- If this option isn’t there, it’s likely your Mac does not support AirPlay
- First, make sure your Apple TV is not in Sleep Mode. If so, wake up your Apple TV with the remote or on an iDevice using the Apple TV Remote App
- Make sure that your Apple TV or AirPlay device is near your Mac. Try moving closer
- Update iTunes to the latest version or reinstall iTunes
- Turn Bluetooth On for your Mac and Apple TV (or other AirPlay device, if possible)
- Check for any software updates for your Mac or your Apple TV/AirPlay device
- AirPlay devices MUST connect to the same WiFi network as your Mac
- Try connecting your Apple TV directly to your router with an Ethernet cable instead of using WiFi
- On your Mac, turn off WiFi, wait 30 seconds, and then turn it back on
- Quit any apps on your Mac that you aren’t using or that normally require a lot of RAM
- Tap on the AirPlay icon in the menu bar and under the option Match Desktop Size To, choose your Apple TV
- AirPlay connections get lost or interrupted normally in the following situations:
- Lock your device, put it to sleep, or switch to a different app
- Restart your Apple TV and/or your Mac
- Restart or Update your Route
Look at Your Mac’s Firewall Settings
- Step – 1 Click on Apple Menu > System Preferences and choose Security and Privacy
- If needed, tap the lock icon and enter an administrator’s name and password to unlock these settings
- Step – 2 On the next screen, Click on the FireWall Tab and Choose Firewall Options. Enter your System Credentials if needed
- Step – 3 On the next Screen, untick Block All Incoming Connections
- Set the setting to allow incoming connections
- Checkmark “Automatically allow downloaded signed software to receive incoming connections”
- Step- 4 Please make sure that you have enabled the right setting on your Display settings to show the Airplay icon on your Mac.
- Click on Apple Menu > System Preferences > Displays > and choose to show the Mirroring option as shown in the image below.
- Once you have set it up, the Airplay icon shows up on the top of your Mac when available and you can toggle between the available options as shown below
- AirPlay Behavior Options
- There are a few options available for customizing the way AirPlay Mirroring behaves
- You can find them in the Displays section of the System Preferences app (or by clicking “Open Displays Preferences…” from the menubar icon)
- When you have enabled the AIRPLAY set-up with your Apple TV, you can choose the additional display Options as shown in the image below
Please do remember that if you are having issues with Airplay and Apple TV using your Mac, both the devices need to be connected to the same network.
Please make sure to check the list of all supported Airplay devices by Apple if you are having issues connecting to devices.
Switch AirPlay Mirroring Options on Your Mac
- Select the AirPlay icon on the right side of your Mac’s menubar
- Choose one of these AirPlay options
- Use Mirror Built-In Display to mirror your Mac’s native resolution on your TV
- Try Mirror Apple TV to resize your Mac’s screen resolution to match the screen resolution of your TV
- Select Use as Separate Display to extend your Mac’s desktop and use your TV as an additional display
- If an AirPlay passcode appears on your TV screen, enter the passcode on your Mac
- To stop mirroring or using your TV as a separate display, click the AirPlay icon in the menu bar
- Select Turn AirPlay Off
Reader Tips
- Finally tried rebooting the Modem and Router and that fixed my Airplay problems for me
- On an iPad, iPhone or iPod, open Settings > General > Language & Region > iPhone Language and change to a different language. Once the language is changed, see if AirPlay works. If so, switch back to your normal language
- On your Apple TV make sure there aren’t any restrictions set-up. If so, turn them off and try again
Obsessed with tech since the early arrival of A/UX on Apple, Sudz (SK) is responsible for the editorial direction of AppleToolBox. He is based out of Los Angeles, CA.
Sudz specializes in covering all things macOS, having reviewed dozens of OS X and macOS developments over the years.
In a former life, Sudz worked helping Fortune 100 companies with their technology and business transformation aspirations.