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d31fva Author

Level 1

6 points

Can't mirror Macbook with Apple TV

I recently purchased an Apple TV 4th Gen and I am using a Macbook Pro Retina late 2013 running Mavericks OS X 10.9.5. I want to mirror my Macbook with Apple TV so that I have a much bigger screen to work with. When I select Apple TV from the Airplay Display option, the icon in the menu bar briefly goes blue then immediately goes black again without ever showing anything on the Apple TV. However, if I use iTunes on my Macbook, I can play videos from the through the Apple TV. I can get audio fine, either through iTunes or even just Safari. I just select Apple TV when I click on the speaker menu icon while holding the option key. But visuals just won't work. Can anyone suggest how I get mirroring to work please? My Apple TV is fully up to date with the latest software, as is my router. I had previously installed Reflector 2 but I have removed this and hunted down any residual files from it too. The Trash is empty and I have restarted Macbook, Apple TV, and router multiple times. For what it's worth, the audio occasionally cuts out, so I assume this is either wifi connectivity (2.4 Ghz, SNR~45 according to Wifi Diagnostics Utilities) or lack of processing power (2.4GHz Intel i5, 8GB 1600 MHz DDR3). Help much appreciated. My reason for buying the Apple TV was so I could do this type of mirroring without having to connect with a cable, so I am disappointed to say the least so far.

Posted on Nov 18, 2017 1:32 PM

Best reply

i_rina

Community Specialist

Posted on Nov 19, 2017 1:35 PM

Hi, d31fva,

Thanks for visiting the Apple Support Communities. From your post, I understand that you are having trouble using Apple TV to mirror your Mac display on your HDTV. Specifically, the menu option to activate it keeps apeparing/disappearing. I'm happy to help!

Based on what you've described, I would recommend first using Use AirPlay to display video from your Mac on an HDTV - Apple Support to verify your Mac, TV, and Apple TV meet the requirements for AirPlay, and then the following steps (also from the article) to troubleshoot:

Get help

If you don't see the AirPlay icon in your menu bar, make sure that your Apple TV is awake and meets the system requirements.

If you don't see your Apple TV in the AirPlay menu, make sure that your Mac and Apple TV meet the system requirements. Also check your firewall settings:

Choose Apple menu () > System Preferences, then click Security & Privacy.

Click the lock icon, then enter an administrator name and password.

From the Firewall tab, click Firewall Options.

Make sure that “Block all incoming connections” is not selected, and “Automatically allow signed software to receive incoming connections” is selected.

If AirPlay stutters or disconnects by itself:

Your wireless network might be too busy or have too much wireless interference to maintain the AirPlay connection. Learn how to troubleshoot Wi-Fi connectivity issues.

Try making more memory available by quitting one or more apps or installing more RAM. You can use the Memory tab in Activity Monitor to help determine whether your Mac needs more memory.

If your desktop doesn't look good on your HDTV, your HDTV might be using picture-quality enhancements that aren't best for computer images. Check your HDTV manual for information about how to adjust your HDTV settings for use with a computer. Your HDTV might offer a more suitable viewing mode, such as computer mode or game mode. Also try adjusting HDTV settings such as sharpness, detail enhancement, and noise reduction.