How to Send Video to Roku from Laptop

Roku devices are primarily intended for streaming and give the users access to a huge amount of content at any time they choose. As such, the streaming devices, in general, have become an integral part of many households. Roku devices are among the most popular choices out there.

That being said, it is not unknown that Roku devices can do more than simply stream movies and TV shows. You can play music, browse the internet, and even mirror your phone or tablet’s screen. Here’s how to mirror your device’s screen on your smart TV using Roku.

Why Do It in the First Place?

You may be used to watching everything on your smartphone, tablet, or laptop and that’s perfectly fine. Now, however, when you have Roku, you can watch everything on your TV. Whatever the streaming service, you can find it on your device. Need a movie? Not a problem. Looking for the new episode of your favorite TV show? Roku’s got you covered.

So, why would you ever want to mirror a screen on your TV when you now have Roku? Well, yes, Roku is truly a fantastic device that gives you a wide variety of fantastic streaming opportunities. However, these streamers aren’t all-powerful and they work based on apps – if there is an app for something on the Roku device, you’ll be able to see it on the TV.

However, what about the situations where we aren’t talking strictly about movies and TV shows? What if you want to, say, cast your vacation photos to your TV screen? Maybe you’d like to cast a word document or a PDF file to the big screen? Maybe you even want to host a conference or a lesson by using your portable Roku streaming device.

So, clearly, there are good reasons why you’d want to be able to mirror a screen using Roku.

Casting the Laptop Screen

Most likely, if your aim is to use Roku for more professional purposes, we’re talking about casting the screen from your laptop onto the smart TV, through the Roku.

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Before moving onto anything else, here’s a disclaimer: the screen mirroring protocol isn’t Roku’s strongest suit. Yes, a screen-mirroring option does, indeed, exist in Roku’s Settings, but it may not work on your PC for whatever reason.

First of all, go to your Roku’s Home screen, using the Roku Remote. Next, go to the Settings menu and select the System option. Navigate to Screen mirroring, open it, and select Enable screen mirroring. That’s pretty much all you need to do on your Roku device.

Now, pick a screen-mirroring app that you want to use on your laptop or phone and try mirroring the screen on your smart TV. Some laptops may be able to mirror their screens using the integrated software that they came with, so browse around the web to see what solutions are at your disposal.

Bear in mind, however, that this solution may not work, as screen-mirroring really isn’t the best part on a Roku device.

Casting an Android Screen

Setting up your Roku device for screen-mirroring works the same for all devices. So, do the same thing outlined above in order to set the Roku up for Android screen-mirroring.

Before proceeding, make sure that your Android is 4.4.2, or a newer version. Go to Settings and tap About to find this info.

To screen-mirror on an Android device, navigate to Settings and hit Display. From this menu, go to Cast Screen and locate the Menu button in the top-right part of the screen. Tap Menu and check the Enable Wireless Display checkbox. If this doesn’t work, go back to Cast Screen and tap on the Roku device to connect.

Keep in mind that the method is slightly different on some phones, but you should get the hang of it quickly.

Casting an iOS Screen

After you’ve properly set up everything as in the examples outlined above, go to the App Store and download the Roku app. The Roku app should start looking for the receiver immediately and you’ll be prompted to tap the device to connect to it, once it is found.

Now, find the Photos+ option inside the app and tap it to begin mirroring. Options include Music, Photos, Videos, and Screensaver. Now, tap the media type, find the desired file, and confirm by tapping Play on Roku.

Screen Mirroring on Roku

As you can see, you can mirror your phone/tablet/computer screen on Roku devices. However, bear in mind that the screen-mirroring simply won’t work on some devices. In any case, it is a neat option to have and it’s pretty much straightforward to set up.

Have you tried mirroring your screen through a Roku device? Has it worked out for you? What issues have you noted? Feel free to join the discussion in the comments below and don’t refrain from asking any questions that you may have.