Connecting a laptop to your TV gives you the ability to enjoy an expanded screen size to make certain tasks easier. Rather than trying to share photos or videos with others on your laptop, connecting through a TV makes it easy for everyone to get a closer look. It can even make browsing the Web a little more fun, too.
Believe it or not, connecting a laptop to a TV is actually quite simple. What it really boils down to is the type of output(s) you have on your laptop and the type of inputs that are available on your television. From there, it is as easy as grabbing the right cable and connecting them both.
Learn How to Connect Your Laptop to Your TV Now
If you don’t know how to find or identify what type of inputs/outputs you have to determine what cable you need, don’t worry about it. Just take a look below and follow along, as you are going to learn how to do everything from determining your connection type to finding the right cable and getting everything connected successfully!
#1 – Determine the Connect Type on Your TV/Laptop
In order to get things connected properly, you need to find out what connection your laptop and TV have. Take a look at the most common connection types below:
HDMI
All HDTV’s will have an HDMI connection, but your laptop may not. Thankfully, you can purchase an adapter that will allow you to connect to the HDMI connection (if you wish to go this route). The great thing about this connection type is that audio will be passed through to the TV, which is great for video.
Mini-Display to HDMI
You will find that Apple laptops (such as the Mac Book) will have a Mini-Display port. You can purchase a Mini-Display to HDMI adapter (plus an HDMI cable) to connect to your HDTV. Of course, audio will pass through this connection type as well.
DVI
DVI (known as Digital Video Interface) is a common connection that most laptops and HDTV’s have. While this connection type will work great for your display, audio will not be passed through. You will need a separate cable if you wish to pass audio from your laptop to your TV.
VGA
VGA (or Video Graphics Array) is one of the most common connection types on both laptops and HDTV’s. Just like the DVI connection, audio is not passed through, so you will need a separate audio cable if you want to get audio from your laptop to your TV.
S-Video
An S-Video cable works best if you are hooking your laptop up to an older model television that is not an HDTV. Just like DVI and VGA connections, audio does not pass through this connection. Only use this connection type if your laptop has it AND you’re connecting to an older tube TV.
#2 – Purchase the Cable That Matches Your Connection
After assessing both your laptop and your TV, you need to go out and purchase the right cable for the job. If your laptop and TV have different connection types, don’t worry – there are plenty of adapters available to assist you.
For example, if your laptop only has a VGA output and your TV has a DVI input, you can purchase a DVI cable and a VGA to DVI adapter. All you have to know before you shop is your laptop connection type and TV connection type. It’s that simple.
#3 – Connect Cable to TV and Laptop
Once you pick up the supplies that you need, you will be ready to connect your laptop to your TV. Before you connect anything, make sure that both your TV and laptop are both off. Once everything is connected, you will want to power up your TV first, followed by your laptop. This will avoid any possible communication errors between your laptop and TV.
#4 – Select the Proper Input on Your TV
After powering up your laptop and TV, you will want to find the proper input on your TV and make the switch. For example, if your laptop is plugged into an HDMI input, select the correct HDMI input on your TV. Your laptop should also have a switch that will allow you to swap screens from your laptop to your TV (please see your owners manual for more instructions on this switch).
If everything was correctly connected, you should be able to see your laptop screen on your TV (and will also be able to hear any audio that may pass through from your laptop as well).
#5 – Enjoy Your New Laptop/TV Connection
If you’ve got this far, you have completed all of the necessary steps to successfully connect your laptop to your TV! Now you can finally enjoy a larger screen size and the freedom to watch movies, browse the Web or look at photos without being limited to a smaller screen. Enjoy the new setup!
