With record numbers of people their cancelling cable television subscriptions it’s increasing making sense to simply connect your laptop to your TV and watching movies and TV programs this way. So read on for all you need to know about connecting your MacBook to your TV!
You will now have to find out which video port you have on your Mac, so that you can get the right cable/dongle. Unless the computer is very old it will have either a HDMI port, a USB-type C port, a Thunderbolt port or a MiniDisplay port. Check out the illustrations below to see which one your Mac has and to find out what cable you’ll need.
Retina MacBook Pro
The Retina MacBook Pros have a HDMI port which is located on the right-hand side of the computer, as per the picture above. If your Mac has a HDMI port you will need a HDMI cable, which are common and can be purchased either at any electronics store or via Amazon below.
The Retina MacBook only has one port, the USB-type C port on the left-hand side of the computer. This port functions as video-out, so you will need a HDMI to USB-C adaptor as well as a USB cable to connect a Retina MacBook to your TV. The adaptor can be purchased below via Amazon or direct from Apple.
MacBook Air or non-retina MacBook Pro
If you have a MacBook Air or a non-retina MacBook Pro made after 2008 then the computer will have either a Thunderbolt port or a Mini DisplayPort, as seen in the picture above. For both of these ports the adaptor from Amazon to the right can be used along with a standard HDMI cable.
Once you have obtained a HDMI cable and adaptor all you need to do is plug it into your TV and select the correct input on the TV for the port that it is plugged into. By default your display should show up on the TV screen, and you can go into the display part of the system preferences to toggle mirroring and change the arrangement of the TV screen and your MacBook screen (see below).
