How to AirPlay From iPhone to Mac
Your Mac can act as an AirPlay display for your iPhone, which is handy for showing photos on a bigger screen, presenting, or recording a demo. It needs one setting turned on first, and that setting is not where most people look.
Step 1: make your Mac discoverable
- On the Mac, open System Settings › General › AirDrop & Handoff.
- Turn on AirPlay Receiver.
- Under Allow AirPlay for, pick Current User if it is your own iPhone, or Anyone on the same network if not.
Step 2: mirror from the iPhone
- Swipe down from the top-right of the iPhone to open Control Centre.
- Tap Screen Mirroring.
- Choose your Mac from the list.
- If a code appears on the Mac, type it on the iPhone.
To stop, open Control Centre again and tap Stop Mirroring.
Audio, video, or the whole screen
Screen Mirroring sends everything. If you only want sound, use the AirPlay icon inside the Music or Podcasts app instead and pick your Mac there. Video apps like Photos and TV have their own AirPlay button that streams just the video, which is usually higher quality than mirroring.
When your Mac does not show up
- Both devices need the same Wi-Fi network and Bluetooth turned on.
- AirPlay Receiver needs macOS Monterey or later, and some older Macs do not support it at all.
- If the iPhone is on a different Apple Account, set Allow AirPlay for to Anyone on the same network.
- Personal Hotspot on the iPhone will stop it working; turn that off.
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