How to cast your laptop to Chromecast

To cast your laptop screen to a Chromecast device, open Chrome on your computer, click the three-dot menu in the top right, select Cast, choose your Chromecast device from the list, and then select whether you want to cast your entire screen or just a single tab. The connection happens over your home Wi-Fi network, and your laptop and Chromecast must be on the same network. Once connected, your laptop screen appears on the TV or display where your Chromecast is plugged in.

The process takes about 30 seconds from start to finish. You can stop casting at any time by clicking the Cast icon again and selecting Stop casting. Your laptop continues to work normally while casting — you can open new windows, adjust volume, or pause what's on screen without interrupting the connection.

Key Takeaways

  • You need Google Chrome browser on your laptop and a Chromecast device already set up and connected to your Wi-Fi network.
  • The Cast option lives in Chrome's three-dot menu and shows only Chromecast devices that are on the same network as your laptop.
  • You can cast your entire screen, a single Chrome tab, or a single window — choose the option that fits what you're doing.
  • Casting uses your Wi-Fi connection, so a weak signal may cause stuttering or disconnection, but moving your laptop closer to the router usually fixes it.

What you need before you start

Your laptop must have Google Chrome installed — the Cast feature does not work in Edge, Firefox, or Safari. If you do not have Chrome, read it from google.com/chrome. The Chromecast device itself must already be plugged into a TV or monitor and set up on your home Wi-Fi network. If you have not done that yet, follow the setup instructions that came with your Chromecast or use the Google Home app on a phone to complete the initial setup.

Both your laptop and your Chromecast must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network. If your home has a guest network separate from your main network, make sure both devices are on the main network, not the guest network. You can check which network your laptop is on by looking at the Wi-Fi icon in your system tray (Windows) or menu bar (Mac).

Step-by-step: casting your entire screen

Open Google Chrome on your laptop. In the top right corner, click the three vertical dots (the menu button). A dropdown menu appears. Look for the word Cast — it usually appears near the middle of the menu. Click it.

A small window titled "Cast" opens on the right side of your screen. It shows a list of available Chromecast devices on your network. Click the name of the Chromecast device you want to use. Below the device name, you will see three options: Cast screen, Cast tab, and sometimes Cast window. Click Cast screen to send your entire laptop display to the TV.

Your laptop screen now appears on the TV. A blue banner with a Cast icon appears at the top of your Chrome window to show that casting is active. You can now use your laptop normally — open files, browse the web, or play videos, and everything shows on the TV in real time. The audio from your laptop plays through your TV's speakers.

Step-by-step: casting a single tab or window

If you only want to share one Chrome tab or window instead of your entire screen, the process is the same until the final step. Open Chrome, click the three-dot menu, click Cast, and select your Chromecast device. This time, instead of clicking Cast screen, click Cast tab or Cast window.

Cast tab sends only the content of one Chrome tab to the TV. This is useful if you are watching a video or presenting a website but want to keep other browser windows or applications hidden. Cast window sends one specific process window — for example, a Word document or Zoom call — without showing anything else on your laptop. Choose whichever matches what you are trying to show.

When you cast a tab or window, only that content appears on the TV. You can minimize the window, open other applications, or switch to a different tab on your laptop, and the TV continues to show only the content you selected. This gives you privacy while still sharing what matters.

Troubleshooting a weak or dropped connection

If your screen stutters, freezes, or disconnects during casting, the most common cause is a weak Wi-Fi signal between your laptop and the Chromecast device. Move your laptop closer to your Wi-Fi router or to the Chromecast device itself. Even moving a few feet can improve the signal. If that is not possible, check whether other devices in your home are using a lot of bandwidth — streaming video on another device, for example, can slow down your casting.

If the Cast option does not appear in Chrome's menu at all, make sure your laptop and Chromecast are on the same Wi-Fi network. Some routers have separate 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands; older Chromecast models work only on 2.4 GHz, so check your router settings or your Chromecast's documentation. If you recently restarted your Chromecast, wait 30 seconds for it to fully boot before trying to cast again.

If casting starts but then stops after a few seconds, restart both your laptop and your Chromecast. Unplug the Chromecast for 10 seconds, plug it back in, and wait for it to fully restart. Then try casting again. If the problem continues, restart your Wi-Fi router as well — unplug it for 10 seconds and plug it back in.

Stopping the cast and disconnecting

To stop casting, click the Cast icon (it appears in the top right of Chrome when casting is active) and select Stop casting. Your laptop screen no longer appears on the TV, but the Chromecast device remains on and ready to use. You can cast again at any time without unplugging anything.

If you want to turn off the Chromecast device entirely, use your TV remote to switch to a different input, or unplug the Chromecast. The device does not need to be unplugged between casting sessions — it can stay plugged in and connected to Wi-Fi indefinitely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I cast from a Mac laptop the same way as a Windows laptop?

Yes. The process is identical on both Mac and Windows. Open Chrome, click the three-dot menu, select Cast, choose your device, and pick whether to cast your screen, tab, or window. The only difference is where you find the menu button — on a Mac it is still in the top right corner of the Chrome window.

What if my Chromecast does not show up in the Cast list?

Make sure your Chromecast is plugged in and turned on, and that it is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your laptop. Check your router to see which devices are connected. If your Chromecast is on a different network (like a guest network), move it to the same network as your laptop. Restart your Chromecast by unplugging it for 10 seconds, then try casting again.

Does casting use a lot of internet bandwidth?

Casting uses your local Wi-Fi network, not your internet connection, so it does not count against your internet data limit. However, if you are streaming video or audio through the cast, that content still needs to load from the internet. The casting itself is just sending the screen image from your laptop to the Chromecast device.

Can I cast while my laptop is locked or asleep?

No. Your laptop must be awake and unlocked for casting to work. If your laptop goes to sleep, the cast stops. You can adjust your laptop's sleep settings to prevent it from sleeping while you are casting — on Windows, go to Settings > System > Power & sleep, and on Mac, go to System Preferences > Energy Saver.

Can I cast audio only without showing my screen?

Not directly through the screen cast feature. However, if you are playing music or a podcast in Chrome, you can cast just that tab, which will show the webpage but not your entire screen. For audio-only casting from other applications, you would need to use a different method or cast the entire screen and then minimize other windows.