Q: I've tried everything but the AirPlay icon won't pop up on my Mac! What can I do?

When you say that you have tried everything, that really doesn't tell us what you have tried or what you might have missed. (If you really have tried everything, there is nothing else to try, right?)

It would help if you started by telling us what model Mac & Apple TV you have, & then the steps you have taken to try to get AirPlay to work.

Do you see "Show mirroring options in the menu bar when available" in the Displays preferences on your Mac & is it checked? Do you see the AirPlay icon in the menu bar of your Mac?

What if anything do you see when you click on that icon? Assuming something is shown, what happens when you click on it?

Please remember that we can't see what you are doing or the results you get, so if you don't tell us about that we can't help you very much.

Is your Apple TV powered up & on the same network as your Mac?

Your Mac is too old, mirroring requires a model from 2011 or later.

vazandrew wrote:

 

Your Mac is too old, mirroring requires a model from 2011 or later.

Are you sure about that? From the help section of Use AirPlay to see your Mac screen on an HDTV - Apple Support

If you don't see an AirPlay icon  AirPlay icon in the menu bar:

 

• Make sure that "Show mirroring options in the menu bar when available" is selected in Displays preferences. If you don't see this checkbox, your Mac doesn't meet the system requirements.

Mitch said the checkbox does appear on his Mac & that it is checked.

Yes I am.

From the support article you linked to

Minimum requirements if your Mac and Apple TV are on the same network:

• Apple TV (2nd generation or later) with the latest Apple TV software
• Any of these Mac computers with OS X Mountain Lion v10.8 or later:
  • iMac (Mid 2011 or later)
  • Mac mini (Mid 2011 or later)
  • MacBook Air (Mid 2011 or later)
  • MacBook Pro (Early 2011 or later)
  • Mac Pro (Late 2013 or later)

Point taken, but that makes me wonder why Mitch is seeing the option in his iMac's display preferences, contrary to what the help info in the KB article says.

There is still a checkbox, but it has a different purpose.

Mirroring uses the processor introduced in the 2011 model for video encoding.