Chromebooks can serve many purposes. They are also great additions to people’s lives on both professional and personal levels.
Work can be done at a high level, your entertainment value will increase thanks to the ability to take clear pictures and videos, and you can more easily browse the internet.
One thing that adds even more to the Chromebook bag of tricks is the ability to hook up to a television.
While most can operate a tablet, they may have trouble figuring out the hardware requirements and steps required to hook your Chromebook up to your TV. That is where this guide comes in.
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Why Is This Necessary?
The short answer is that it isn’t necessary to hook up your Chromebook to your TV.
However, the end results are quite cool. There are many nice perks that come with hooking your tablet up to your TV and they range from entertainment improvement to general ease of use.
Larger-than-life Streaming Capabilities
Maybe your tablet is all you have for streaming and you’re just looking for something more. Sure, your Chromebook’s picture quality is amazing, but the difference between a 10 to 15-inch screen and a 40 to 50-inch television can be substantial.
Also, the added bonus of better television sound or hooking the Chromebook’s sound to a television soundbar gives you movie theater-like sound to back up your binge-worthy shows.
Watch Sports, The Right Way
If a big game is streaming on an app that you have on your Chromebook but can’t access from the TV, then connecting your tablet is the way to go. Similar to shows and movies, sports are just better on a big screen with booming sound.
It’s like you are in the middle of the action with just one cable connection!
Another brilliant way to utilize your big-screen TV via Chromebook hookup is to blow up your family pictures to get a better look.
Instead of friends and family huddling around your tablet to see your vacation pics, why not blast them onto the big screen for some serious reminiscing?
You paid a lot for that experience and you should display it proudly on the biggest screen in the house.
Easier Viewing
For some, a tablet is more than enough. However, to ease eye strain, enlarging your home screen and the apps you use can help with your eyesight and allow you to use your Chromebook for longer periods of time.
Check Your Ports
The first thing you need to be sure of is that you have the correct HDMI port. The picture below shows that port that will allow you to directly attach an HDMI cable to your Chromebook for easy connectivity.
What If I Can’t Find an HDMI Port?
If your Chromebook doesn’t have an HDMI port, don’t panic. There are plenty of reasonably-priced adapters out there that will do the trick.
Such devices can be a bit clunky and cut off certain functionality while you’re connected to your TV, but they allow you to attach an HDMI cable with relative ease. This USB C to HDMI Adapter should do the trick.
Now What?
Now you’re ready to connect the HDMI cable to your TV so you can mirror your Chromebook to your big screen. Let’s walk you through the steps one-by-one:
1. Plug Your HDMI Cable Into Your Chromebook
If you need to purchase an adapter, make sure to plug the adapter into the correct port and then plug the HDMI cable into the adapter.
2. Plug the Other End of the HDMI Cable Into the Television
Most television sets will have multiple HDMI ports for several accessories (DVD Players, Video Game consoles, etc.) so be sure to note which port you connect your HDMI cable to. That will come in handy during the setup with your TV remote.
3. Turn On Your Chromebook
Once you have turned on your Chromebook, you can begin looking to see if the HDMI port is listed as connected. Once it is, you can begin searching for the correct input on your television.
4. Change the TV Input to the Correct HDMI
Depending on which HDMI port you hooked your cable to on the back (or side, in some cases) of your TV, you will use the TV remote to go to that input. For example, if you hooked it into ‘HDMI 1’ then that’s where you want to go with your remote.
5. You Should Now See Your Chromebook Screen On Your TV
Hopefully, you’re seeing your Chromebook background on your television now. If you can see that, hooray! If not, check a couple of different things before freaking out:
- All of your cables are plugged in tightly
- You are on the correct HDMI Input on your TV screen
- Both your TV and Chromebook are on
6. Turn on “Mirror Internal Imaging” in Your Chromebook Settings
Click the time in the bottom right-hand side of your screen to access your Settings. Once there, click the following sequence: Advanced > Device > Displays > Arrangement Section > Mirror Internal Display.
Once you’ve done this, your entire Chromebook screen should be visible on your TV. From there, you can open any app – YouTube, Netflix, etc. – and you’re off and running.
Final Thoughts
As someone who has had nothing but great experiences in connecting my Chromebook to my television, I can attest to the higher level of quality and entertainment value that this little trick gives the viewer.
Before I gave it a try I didn’t think I needed to go through the hassle of connecting one device to another. However, the setup is so simple that any person can quickly learn it to the point where you don’t even blink an eye when setup time comes.
It’s a little bit of extra work for a ton of other rewards.
