Screen casting or screen mirroring is used to project one device’s screen on another. Smartphones, TVs, and laptops all support screen mirroring. Earlier, Microsoft didn’t ship a native solution to cast Android screens to Windows, but that changed with Windows 8. It now supports Miracast, which makes it possible for other Windows PCs and Android devices to mirror their screen. Curious about casting your Android screen to your Windows PC? Let’s begin.
Table of Contents
Prerequisites
To mirror your Android phone’s screen to your Windows computer, you will need the following:
1. An Android phone that supports Miracast and offers a screencasting feature. Google dropped Miracast support when it launched Android 6.0 and began developing Chromecast. However, almost every Android OEM implements the feature with a custom Android skin under a different name. Some of them are:
Samsung – Smart View
Xiaomi – Cast
Oppo – Screencast
2. A Windows PC that supports the Miracast feature. Both Windows 10 and 11 (even Windows 8.1) support Miracast. So, no troubles here; as long as you have Wi-Fi on your system, you are good to go.
Enabling Wireless Display on Windows
Windows offers Wireless Display as an optional feature. Since it isn’t preinstalled, so you must enable it on your system first. After that, you can use the Wireless Display app to cast your Android screen on Windows 11. Here’s how:
1. Press the Windows key and type Optional Features. Click on the Open option.
2. In the Optional Setting window, locate the Add an optional feature option. Click on the View features button.
3. A new window will pop up. Scroll down the list of available optional features and find the Wireless Display feature. Click on the check box next to it and then click Next.
4. After that, click on the Install button. Wait for the installation to finish. Wireless Display will now appear in the Installed Features list.
Screen Cast Android to Windows
Before commencing the screencast from your Android device, you need to configure some settings.
1. Configuring the Projecting to This PC settings
1. Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app. Find the Projecting to this PC setting in the System section and click on it.
2. Click on the Ask to project to this PC option and select the Every time a connection is requested option from the list.
3. Next, click the Require PIN for pairing drop-down menu and choose First Time.
4. Lastly, disable the toggle below the This PC can be discovered for projection only when it’s plugged into a power source section.
Now, your Windows computer is ready to accept screencast requests from your Android phone.
2. Launching the Wireless Display App and Screencasting to Windows PC
Follow the steps below to screencast to Windows PC using the Wireless Display app:
1. Press the Windows key to open the Start menu on your PC. Type Wireless Display and press Enter. The Wireless Display app will launch.
2. Swipe down to open the Notification Panel on your Android phone. Find the Screencast option and tap on it. Allow the app to use the Location and Wi-Fi services.
3. Wait for the app to search for all nearby available devices. Tap on the name of your Windows PC in the search result.
4. Check the Wireless Display app on your Windows PC for a pairing code.
5. Input the pairing code in your Android phone and tap the Accept button.
6. Wait for a short while. Your phone screen will appear in the Wireless Display app.
While casting an Android screen to a Windows PC is possible, we wouldn’t call the experience “stellar”. There is no noticeable lag between your phone actions and how soon it is reflected on the Windows PC. However, you cannot interact with your Android phone via the Windows PC.
Your phone display has to stay awake all the time. If you lock or close it, the screen casting stops. We played a video on our Android phone using VLC and then clicked on a full-screen option designed for screen casting. It locked the video playback controls and automatically dimmed the screen without locking the phone. But this feature might be exclusive to VLC only.
You don’t need an internet connection to screencast the Android screen to Windows PC. It will work if you have a working Wi-Fi connection (even without internet). There is also a misconception that the screencast requires connecting both devices to the same Wi-Fi network. We connected both devices to different Wi-Fi sources, but it worked flawlessly.
Stop Screencast
After you finish the screencast session, you can close the Wireless Display app on your Windows PC to end the current session. Or, you can open the Notification Panel on your Android phone and tap the Close Cast button.
FAQs
1. How to Cast Android Screen If Windows PC or Phone doesn’t support Miracast?
Multiple options exist to mirror an Android screen to Windows PC, even if they don’t support Miracast. You can purchase a USB Type-C to HDMI cable and directly cast your mobile screen to PC. This method doesn’t need any mediating software.
The second method uses the USB cable and a third-party program like Scrcpy to cast the screen. You must enable USB debugging before using this method. There are paid app alternatives too, but they have a recurring cost.
Lastly, if your Windows PC doesn’t have Miracast support, you can buy a Miracast adapter. Even Microsoft sells one, and you can enable wireless Miracast support on your system. Its pricing is higher, but some cheaper alternatives are available on Amazon.
Screencasting Made Simpler
Microsoft fully embraced the Miracast protocol. While Google and Apple have proprietary wireless screencast options, Windows has Miracast built-in. If your Android phone OEM offers Miracast support, you can mirror its screen to the Windows PC. But it would be better if Microsoft introduced support for controlling the screencast.
