LG
OLED65G16LA
Test score
We use cookies to allow us and selected partners to improve your experience and our advertising. By continuing to browse you consent to our use of cookies. You can understand more and change your cookies preferences here.
When you click on a retailer link on our site, we may earn affiliate commission to help fund our not-for-profit mission.Find out more.
A laptop with plenty of hard drive space is perfect for storing all your photos, videos and music. But when it comes to watching videos and looking back at your photos, you can't beat a big, high-resolution TV screen.
Built-in wi-fi is almost ubiquitous in modern TVs, and connecting a laptop to one is really easy as a result. Even if your TV isn't as smart as the latest sets, the wealth of connections on laptops means there are usually plenty of options for connecting your laptop with a cable.
As well as displaying anything on your hard drive, once a laptop is connected your TV effectively becomes a monitor. You could browse the internet, play games and use any software on your laptop on a bigger screen.
In this guide we'll take you through the process of getting your Windows laptop or Apple MacBook connected with your TV.
Looking for a new computer? We reveal the best laptops for your money
Miracast is a piece of software included in Windows 8.1, 10 and 11 which allows your laptop screen to be displayed on a compatible TV screen. It's a process called screen mirroring. You'll use your laptop's trackpad and keyboard as normal, but your TV will be the display.
For Miracast to work you'll need a compatible TV. To check, head into the network settings on your TV and look for a screen mirroring option. If you see screen mirroring this usually means the TV supports Miracast, but it's possible the TV uses its own proprietary screen mirroring software, in which case it will explain how this works on screen or in the manual.
Once screen mirroring is on, you can start connecting your laptop to your TV.
Your TV should now display what's on your laptop screen. You can choose whether you want the TV to duplicate the screen (mirroring), or extend the display if you want to carry on using your laptop screen as well.
Discover our favourite Windows laptops in our guide to the best Windows 10 and 11 laptops
The process is slightly different if you're using this older version of Windows.
You should now see your laptop screen mirrored on your TV screen. You can also choose to extend the display onto your TV if you want to carry on using your laptop screen, too.
If your TV doesn't support Miracast or screen mirroring, you can link it to your laptop with a Google Chromecast, such as the latest Google Chromecast with Google TV.
You'll need to have the free Google Chrome browser installed on your computer for this to work.
You can read more about Chromecast in our guide to the best streaming devices.
Tech tips you can trust - get our free Tech newsletter for advice, news, deals and stuff the manuals don’t tell you
Apple uses AirPlay to link devices together to stream media from MacBooks, such as the latest Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch.
To get your MacBook screen to display on your TV wirelessly, you'll also need an Apple TV.
Apple TVs aren't cheap (the latest model is £149), but you can achieve the same result with a £30 Chromecast. The connection process is the same as with a Windows laptop.
If your TV doesn't support wireless screen mirroring, you can still connect your laptop or MacBook the old-fashioned way.
How you do it will depend on the ports on your TV and laptop. Ideally, you should use an HDMI cable. This transmits both video and sound, which is handy if you're watching a video or want to listen to music through your TV.
Some older laptops don't have HDMI outputs. If yours doesn't, look for a VGA port instead. Unfortunately, VGA only transmits video, and newer TVs don't have VGA inputs.