How to project to a TV or monitor from Windows 10 Mobile, using Miracast

Did you know that Windows 10 Mobile offers native support for the Miracast technology? What does this mean? Well… you can use your smartphone with Windows 10 Mobile to project a presentation, a game, a movie or anything you wish to just about any TV, display or projector that has support for Miracast or at least an HDMI input port. If your TV or monitor doesn\'t offer Miracast, you can purchase a Miracast dongle like the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter and use it to project wirelessly. Here\'s how to wirelessly project from a smartphone with Windows 10 Mobile and support for Miracast, to any display, using the Miracast technology: What do you need for the wireless projection? Before you move forward with this tutorial, double check that you have the following items available: A TV or monitor with built-in Miracast support or... A miracast dongle like the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter. The dongle needs to be plugged into a TV or monitor with both an HDMI port and a powered USB port. The TV/monitor should not be more than 7 meters or 23 feet away from your Windows 10 Mobile device. If the display doesn\'t have a powered USB port, you can use a USB smartphone charger and plug in your Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter into it, so that it gets the power it needs. Miracast, project, Windows 10 Mobile, TV, display, Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter A Miracast enabled smartphone with Windows 10 Mobile like: Lumia 950, Lumia 950 XL, Lumia 640, Lumia 640 XL, Lumia 930, Lumia 830, Lumia 730 and Lumia 1520. You must check its official hardware specifications to ensure that it has support for the Miracast technology. If you have everything on this list, then go ahead and follow these steps: Step 1: Connect to the Miracast-enabled display from your Windows 10 Mobile device On your smartphone with Windows 10 Mobile you need to connect to the Miracast display or the Miracast adapter, so that you can use it to project wirelessly. There are two ways to do this. The first method, which works on most smartphones is to open the Settings app and go to System. Miracast, project, Windows 10 Mobile, TV, display, Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter Then, tap on Display. Miracast, project, Windows 10 Mobile, TV, display, Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter Scroll down the list of display settings until you find a link that says: \"Connect to a wireless display\". Tap on it. Miracast, project, Windows 10 Mobile, TV, display, Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter Windows 10 Mobile starts searching for wireless display and audio devices. Once it detects your Miracast display or your Miracast adapter, click or tap on it. If you are using a Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter, it should detect a device named MicrosoftDisplayAdapter_EF. Click or tap on it and wait for Windows 10 Mobile to connect to it. Miracast, project, Windows 10 Mobile, TV, display, Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter When you are connected, you are notified of this fact and, depending on your smartphone, you may or may not get access to additional control options. But more on that in the next section of this tutorial. Miracast, project, Windows 10 Mobile, TV, display, Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter A second way to connect to the Miracast display or the Miracast adapter is to use the Continuum app on Windows 10 Mobile, if your smartphone offers support for it. At this time, the most common smartphones which offer this feature are Microsoft Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL. If you own a smartphone with this feature, go to the Apps list and start the Continuum app by tapping on its name. Miracast, project, Windows 10 Mobile, TV, display, Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter The Continuum app asks how you will connect. Choose Wireless adapter and tap Connect. Miracast, project, Windows 10 Mobile, TV, display, Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter Windows 10 Mobile starts searching for wireless display and audio devices. Once it detects your Miracast display or your Miracast adapter, click or tap on it. Click or tap on it and wait for Windows 10 Mobile to connect to it. When you are connected, you are notified of this fact and you get access to additional control options. Step 2: Project wirelessly to the TV or the display that you want to use This step differs from smartphone to smartphone. If your Windows 10 Mobile device doesn\'t have support for Continuum (examples of such smartphones are the Lumia 640 and the Lumia 650), then what you see on the smartphone\'s screen is mirrored to the external Miracast-enabled display. The screen will match the orientation so that portrait displays like the Start screen and many apps appear correctly, while landscape displays media apps like Movies & TV or Netflix , fill the screen. If your Windows 10 Mobile device has support for Continuum (examples of such smartphones are the Lumia 950 and the Lumia 950 XL), then the Miracast-enable display will turn into a glorified desktop, just like on your Windows 10 PC. You can also connect a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard to your Windows 10 Mobile and work on the Miracast-enabled display like on a computer. Miracast, project, Windows 10 Mobile, TV, display, Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter If you don\'t have a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard available, then, in the Continuum app, you are told how you can use your fingers to control what is shown on the Miracast-enabled display. You can move the cursor with your finger, like you do with a mouse, tap things to open or select and use two fingers to pan or scroll the image. Miracast, project, Windows 10 Mobile, TV, display, Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter If you want to customize how the image is displayed on the Miracast-enabled display, tap the three dots in the top-right corner of the Continuum app, to access different customisation settings. Miracast, project, Windows 10 Mobile, TV, display, Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter Don\'t hesitate to experiment until you get the hang of it. Interacting with the Miracast-enabled display is easy after a couple of minutes of experimentation. Step 3: Disconnect from the Miracast-enabled display When you are done projecting to the Miracast-enabled display, it is time to disconnect from it. If you are using the Continuum app in Windows 10 Mobile, then open it and tap the Disconnect button in the top-right corner of the app window. Miracast, project, Windows 10 Mobile, TV, display, Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter If you don\'t have the Continuum feature on your smartphone, then open the Settings app. Then, go to System and then to Display. Scroll down to the end of the list with display-related settings and tap \"Disconnect wireless display\". Miracast, project, Windows 10 Mobile, TV, display, Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter Windows 10 Mobile shows the Miracast-enabled that it is connected to. Tap Disconnect and you are disconnected in a couple of seconds. Miracast, project, Windows 10 Mobile, TV, display, Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter Conclusion As you can see, projecting wirelessly in Windows 10 Mobile using TVs or displays with Miracast support or Miracast dongles like the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter, is relatively easy. Now you no longer need to take your laptop with you in order to project a presentation or watch a movie. All you need is your Windows 10 Mobile smartphone and a Miracast-enabled display. If you have any questions or issue, don\'t hesitate to ask using the comments form below.