How to Link My Mac to My TV

MacBook Air computers on display.

All Macs use either a Thunderbolt jack or a Mini DisplayPort jack, as of 2011, a to connect to an external monitor such as a television. These jacks use the same size interface and fit the same adapters that convert Mac interfaces to those present on most televisions. Common television interfaces include High Definition Multimedia Interface, S-video, RCA and VGA.

Instructions

1. Examine the ports on your television; HDMI ports are rectangular in shape and contain 19 pins; S-video ports are circular and contain four pins; RCA ports are circular, contain a single pin and are color coded either white, red or yellow; and VGA ports are trapezoidal and contain 15 pins. Purchase an adapter that includes a Thunderbolt / MiniDisplay Port jack at one end and a jack that fits a port on your television at the other. Also purchase a cable that fits the type of jack on your television.

2. Turn on your Mac and wait until it boots. Plug the the cable into the adapter. Connect the cable to your television, then plug the adapter into your Mac. Your Mac screen will go blank momentarily. This is normal. Wait until your Mac screen returns to normal. Turn on your television.

3. Select the input for the appropriate jack on your television. To do this, press the button labeled "input" either on your television or your remote control. Some televisions label this button "source." This opens a menu screen that gives you a number of options. Select the option associated with the jack you're using to connect the Mac. For example, if you're using an HDMI cable, select the HDMI option.

4. Click the Apple icon in the upper left-hand corner of your Mac's screen. Choose "System Preferences" from the menu. This opens your System Preferences window. Choose "Displays" from this window. This opens another window with the option "Arrangement" located between the options "Display" and "Color." Click Arrangement and click the box labeled "Mirror Displays." Your television monitor now displays whatever is on your Mac screen.

Tips & Warnings

• To display only certain content from your Mac on your television, uncheck the Mirror Displays box, click the window you want to display on your television and drag it off of your Mac's desktop until it appears on your television.