Computers, Laptops & Tablets Apple How to Connect an iPad to a TV If you have the right adapters, it's easy to do by Daniel Nations Writer Daniel Nations has been a tech journalist since 1994. His work has appeared in Computer Currents, The Examiner, The Spruce, and other publications. our editorial process Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Daniel Nations Updated on March 16, 2021 Tweet Share Email The Wireless Connection The Wireless Connection Introduction All About Wireless What Does Wireless Really Mean? 802.11 Standards Explained The Range Of A Wireless Network Dual-Band Wireless Networking Explained How Bluetooth Works With Wireless Measure It: Wi-Fi Signal Strength What Is A Wi-Fi Hotspot? The Best Wi-Fi Channels For Your Network Access Your Router As An Administrator 5 Tips for Securing A Wireless Network How Many Devices Can Connect To One Wireless Router? How To Connect At Home How to Name Your Wireless Network How to Change Your Wireless Router's Admin Password Change the Wi-Fi Channel Number to Avoid Interference Build a Wireless Home Network Use Wireless Speakers In Home Theater Connect Your Echo & Alexa To Wi-Fi Connect Google Home to Wi-Fi Wirelessly Connect An iPad To Your TV Use a Free Firewall Program How To Connect On The Go How to Find Free Wi-Fi Locations Get 4G or 3G on Your Laptop Connect To Wi-Fi in Your Car Get Wireless Internet Access in a Hotel Use Your Android As A Wi-Fi Hotspot Set Up Personal Hotspot On Your iPhone Connect Nintendo Switch To Bluetooth Headphones Connect To A Wireless Network With Windows Access Your Computer Remotely How to Troubleshoot Wireless Issues 7 Reasons Wi-Fi Connections Drop Disable Automatic Wireless Connections on Windows How to Hack-proof Your Wireless Router How to Fix OS X Bluetooth Wireless Problems What to Do When Google Home Won't Connect To Wi-Fi How to Hide Your Wireless Network Can't Connect To The Internet? Try This What to Do When There's No Internet Connection The Future of Wireless 5G Changes Everything How 4G And 5G Are Different Why 5G Really Is Faster All About 5G Cell Towers 5G Challenges: Why It Isn't Rolling Out Faster Is 5G The High-Speed Replacement for Cable? When 5G Is Coming to the US The 12 Best 5G Phones Coming in 2019 In This Article Connect Your iPad and TV With Apple TV and AirPlay Connect the iPad Wirelessly Without Using Chromecast Connect the iPad to Your HDTV Through HDMI Use Composite or Component Cables Connect the iPad With a VGA Adapter Watch Live TV on Your iPad The iPad a great way to cut the cord and get rid of cable television, but what about watching on your TV? If you prefer watching on your widescreen TV, connect your iPad to your TV using a wired or wireless connection. You can also connect your headphones to any TV for a private viewing experience. Here are five ways to achieve your iPad television goals. Lifewire / Miguel Co Connect Your iPad and TV With Apple TV and AirPlay Apple TV is a great way to connect your iPad to your TV. Because it uses AirPlay, it is wireless. This means that you can keep your iPad in your lap and send the display to your TV. This is the best solution for games, where having a wire connecting the iPad to a TV is limiting. The apps installed on Apple TV provide a bonus. If you love Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Crackle, you don't need to connect your iPad to enjoy streaming video from these services. The apps run directly on the Apple TV. Apple TV also works great with the iPhone and iPod touch, allowing you to stream video through AirPlay or use your entertainment system's speakers to play music. Apple's 2017 model of Apple TV has a powerful processor, has access to the full version of the App Store, and can stream video in 4K. 1:24 How to Connect the iPad to Your TV Wirelessly or With Cables Apple TV connects to a television using standard HDMI cables and uses AirPlay to communicate with an iPad wirelessly. Even apps that don't support AirPlay work using display mirroring, which replicates the iPad screen on a TV. Read more about how to use AirPlay with your iPad Connect the iPad Wirelessly Without Using Chromecast If you don't want to go the Apple TV route but want to connect your iPad to your TV without any wires, Google Chromecast is an alternative solution. Rather than hooking up the Apple TV to a TV, you'll connect a Chromecast to a TV. Y2kcrazyjoker4 / CC by 4.0 It has a relatively easy setup process that uses the iPad to configure the Chromecast and hook it into a Wi-Fi network. When everything is set up and working, you can cast the iPad screen to your television—as long as the app supports Chromecast. That's the significant limiting factor compared to Apple TV's AirPlay, which works with almost every iPad app. How to Mirror Your iPhone or iPad Screen to Your TV So why use Chromecast? Streaming devices like Chromecast are cheaper than Apple TV. It also works with Android and iOS devices, so if you have an Android smartphone and an iPad, you can use Chromecast with both devices. Connect the iPad to Your HDTV Through HDMI The Apple Lightning Digital AV Adapter is the easiest and most straightforward way to connect an iPad to an HDTV. It works through an HDMI cable to send the iPad screen to the TV, so it works with any app that runs on an iPad. Apple If you're concerned about battery life, the adapter also allows you to connect a USB cable to your iPad. This provides power to the device and keeps the battery from running low while you binge on Seinfeld or How I Met Your Mother. You can also stream your movie collection from a PC to an iPad to an HDTV using Home Sharing. This is a great way to switch from DVD and Blu-ray to digital video without losing the ability to see it on your big-screen TV. The 8 Best HDMI Cables of 2021 The Lightning connector does not work with the original iPad, iPad 2, or iPad 3. You need a Digital AV Adapter with a 30-pin connector for these older iPad models. Connect the iPad Using Composite or Component Cables If your television doesn't support HDMI or you don't have enough HDMI outputs on your HDTV, connect the iPad to the TV with composite or component cables. Apple The component adapters separate the video into red, blue, and green, which gives a slightly better picture. However, component adapters are only available for the old 30-pin adapters. Composite adapters use a single yellow video cable and red and white sound cables, which are compatible with most televisions. The component and composite cables don't support Display Mirroring mode on the iPad, so these cables only work with apps like Netflix and YouTube that support video-out. These cables also fall short of 720p video, so the quality isn't as great as when using a digital AV adapter or Apple TV. This accessory may not be available for the newer Lightning connector, so you may need a Lightning-to-30-pin adapter. Connect the iPad With a VGA Adapter With an Apple Lightning-to-VGA adapter, you can hook up an iPad to a television equipped with a VGA input, a computer monitor, a projector, or another display device that supports VGA. This solution is excellent for monitors. Many newer monitors support multiple display sources. You could switch between using your monitor for your desktop and using it for your iPad. Apple The VGA adapter supports the Display Mirroring mode. However, it does not transfer sound, so you need to listen through either the iPad's built-in speakers or external speakers. If you watch through your television, the HDMI adapter or the component cables are the best solutions. If you use a computer monitor or want to use your iPad for large presentations with a projector, the VGA adapter may be the best solution. This solution is best when using a monitor to project a large screen for an audience, such as for presentations at work or school. Watch Live TV on Your iPad Several accessories allow you to watch live TV on an iPad, gaining access to your cable channels and your DVR from any room in the house or while away from home through your data connection. Find out how to watch TV on your iPad Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! 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