Everything You Need to Know About Chromecast for Mac
You’ve found a hilarious video online. The kind of video that still has you laughing when you think about it again a few hours later. You want to grace your friends with this video so, you ask them all to huddle around your MacBook.
Why don’t you cast the video to your television instead of making everyone cram around? Before, this was impossible, but now it’s easy with Chromecast for Mac.
All you need to get started is a Chromecast kit, a television, your Mac, and an internet connection. Check out this simple setup guide to learn how to connect your device.
What’s Chromecast?
Before we get into how to Chromecast from Mac, let’s talk about what Chromecast is. It’s a device that lets you display videos from apps such as Netflix and YouTube from your computer to your TV screen. Videos aren’t all that’s it’s used for, however.
You can also let your friends listen to a killer new song in better audio quality or show them a slideshow of pictures you took while you were on vacation.
Connecting the Chromecast
To get started using Chromecast, you’ll have to pick up a kit. You’ll also need an internet connection, your computer, and your television. If you haven’t already downloaded the Chrome web browser to your computer, you’ll have to do so before using the device.
Once you have all that done, you can begin the steps to set up Chromecast and get to streaming.
Step 1
Alright, step one is to open your Chromecast kit and find the dongle. Plug the dongle into the HDMI port on the back of your television. Next, you’ll find a type-A USB. Grab it and plug it into the USB port on the back of your TV.
Plug the other end of it into your Chromecast. Not every single TV has a USB port. If yours doesn’t, don’t worry. You’ll still be able to use your device.
In your kit, there will be a traditional plug that can go into your outlet. Plug it in and connect the other end of it to your Chromecast. Turn on your television and switch it to the correct HDMI source.
Step 2
The easy part is over. Time to start the software setup. You’ll need to make sure your computer is hooked up to Wi-Fi and open your Chrome browser.
Step 3
Congratulations! It’s almost time for you to use your device. As soon as you get everything set up, your Chromecast app will ask you to download the Chromecast browser extension.
Go ahead and click “Get Cast Extension” followed by the “add” button. You’ll get a confirmation popup and the extension will appear on your toolbar in your browser.
Step 4
Now that the extension is on your toolbar, all you have to do to start casting is to click on it. You’ll know it’s active when it turns blue.
If your TV is on the right input, you’ll see your browser displayed on the big screen. You can now type in the URL of any website and stream the contents for everyone to see.
Netflix and YouTube
There are some websites that are a little special. They’ll allow you to display their contents on your television screen without having to go through the trouble of casting your entire browser. These sites are convenient because you’ll be able to use your computer for other things while you stream your videos and music.
YouTube and Netflix are a few sites that have this awesome function. Go to the site in your web browser and click on whatever video you want to play.
At the bottom of the video, you’ll see a little cast icon. When you click on it, you’ll be asked what device you want to stream your video to. As soon as you tell it to cast to your TV, the video will start.
Photos
Again, videos aren’t the only thing that you can display on your TV using Chromecast. You can also show off your photo album. Open Photos, click on the memories tab, and choose the one that you want to display.
Launch your browser and click on the cast tool. Choose sources and select “Cast Desktop”. Go back to your desktop and pull up the photos app again. Double click on the memory you selected and click play in the bottom corner.
What will You Be Able to Stream?
There are a million and one apps you can use your Chromecast for. You already know about YouTube and Netflix. You can also use popular apps such as BBC iPlayer, Hulu Plus, Pandora, HBO GO, Vevo, and Google Play Music.
As far as system requirements go, Chromecast does work best with the newest OS. Meaning, that you’ll need a newer model with the latest software installed.
If you have an older Mac, that doesn’t mean that Chromecast is out of your reach, however. As long as your computer is at least from 2011 and you have OS X 10.9 installed, you should be good to go.
If you do meet the system requirements and are still running into performance trouble, you might have to delete a few files to clear up RAM.
Enjoying Chromecast for Mac
It’s hard to play a video for multiple friends or show off your vacation photos if you have a bunch of people huddled around your laptop. Make your life easier by using Chromecast for Mac.
All you need to get started is the kit, your television, a stable internet connection, and your computer. The future is now.
Want to stay up to date on the latest news? Visit the video section of our blog and stream them right to your TV using your Chromecast.
