Roku streaming sticks and boxes are clever little devices that can get all kinds of streaming content up on your TV screen—and if you invest in an actual Roku TV, then you get all the software goodness built right in, no extra hardware required.
Besides everything that comes on board Roku devices, you can also quickly connect to them from a laptop or desktop computer. You can simply mirror your screen, or get content like photos, music, and movies up on the larger display.
You just need to make sure your Roku device and your computer are on the same wifi network, and that your Roku hardware is running the latest Roku software, and you should be good to go using the instructions below.
Connecting Windows to Roku
Connecting to a Roku from the Windows Action Center.
Credit: Lifehacker
When it comes to Windows, “screen mirroring” is the term Roku uses for the connection—you can set this up from the Settings screen on your Roku by choosing System then Screen mirroring. There are two options here: Pick Screen mirroring mode to choose whether computers can automatically connect, never connect, or connect with a prompt approval on screen each time.
Under Screen mirroring devices you can better manage this configuration, controlling the devices you’ve previously allowed to connect or blocked from connecting. You might want to allow your trusted Windows laptop to connect to your Roku, for example, and then block all other connections—just in case your neighbors get confused and try to connect to your TV, perhaps.
With that done, you can head to Windows. Click the volume and wifi icons down in the bottom right-hand corner, or press Win+A, to bring up the Action Center. Next, choose Cast (you may have to scroll through the settings to find it), and then select your Roku device. If you’ve enabled prompts in screen mirroring on the Roku, you’ll get the option to Always allow, Allow, Block, or Always block your Windows computer.
By default, your Windows display will be mirrored on the Roku. If you go back into the Action Center and choose Project, you can use the Roku as your main screen or as a second screen. It works well for showing off photos and websites, but video and audio feeds won’t be quite as smooth as they are with an app running natively on the Roku app (though they’ll still work fine).
As far as casting video and audio goes, you can do this from Google Chrome on Windows, but support is limited to YouTube and YouTube Music (so you can’t do this with Netflix or Spotify, for instance). With either YouTube or YouTube Music loaded in a Chrome tab, click the three dots (top right) then Cast, save and share and Cast, and you’ll be able to send the video or audio directly to your Roku.
Connecting macOS to Roku
Connecting to a Roku from the macOS Control Center.
Credit: Lifehacker
When it comes to connecting a Mac to a Roku device, Apple’s own AirPlay standard is the one you’ll be using. To configure this on your Roku, open the main Settings screen, then choose Apple AirPlay and HomeKit. From here you can turn AirPlay on or off, and decide what level of approval you want to set for new devices.
To set the approval level, choose Require Code. You’ll then be met with three options to choose between: First Time Only (new Mac connections require a one-off PIN code), Every Time (new and old Mac connections require a one-off PIN code), and Use Password Instead (every Mac connection needs a password to be entered, which you can specify in the input box below).
Connecting from your Mac is then as simple as clicking on the Control Center button on the menu bar (the two toggle switches). Click Screen Mirroring, and you should see your Roku listed if it’s on the same wifi network. Select the Roku, enter the PIN or password, and you’ll see a copy of your Mac display on the bigger screen. Go back to the Screen Mirroring dialog and you can choose whether your Mac display is mirrored or extended.
With AirPlay, you can also beam content straight from individual apps, like Apple Music or the TV app on macOS. Click the AirPlay icon inside these apps (it’s the upward arrow pointing to either a rectangle or a concentric series of rings), and you can choose your Roku to send videos or audio across directly. Many other Mac apps, including the Spotify desktop app, support AirPlay too.
Finally, you can use the Google Chrome casting trick from Windows on macOS as well—again, it’s limited to YouTube and YouTube Music (at least based on the testing I’ve done with other streaming services). Get something loaded up in a Chrome tab, click the three dots (top right), then choose Cast, save and share and Cast. You can then choose your Roku to receive the audio or video feed.
