Sydney Butler / How-To Geek
Connecting an iPad to a TV can enhance your entertainment experience, allowing for bigger screen viewing of movies, games, or photos. All you need is the iPad, a TV with an HDMI input, a suitable cable, and an Apple adapter. The process can be carried out via a wired or wireless connection.
Connecting your iPad to your TV is a great way to enjoy your favorite content on a bigger screen. Whether you want to watch movies, view photos, or play games, getting everything set up is easier than you might think.
What You Need to Connect an iPad to a TV
Before you start, you’ll need a few things:
- An iPad
- A TV with an HDMI input (or VGA, DisplayPort, etc.)
- An HDMI cable or whichever cable is suitable for your display.
- An Apple Lightning Digital AV Adapter or a USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter (depending on your iPad model). Alternatively, you can use an MFi-certified third-party adapter for iPads with Lightning connectors or any USB-C compliant display adapter.
- For wireless connections, a Wi-Fi network and an Apple TV or compatible AirPlay 2 device are needed. Many modern TVs, such as those from Samsung, have AirPlay 2 built-in. Here I used a 55″ Samsung QLED.
This might seem like quite a long shopping list, but there’s a good chance you already have enough stuff lying around to hook up your iPad to your TV, especially for a wireless connection. Let’s go over the details, starting with the adapters and cables you might need.
Adapters and Cables Explained
Depending on your iPad model, you’ll need either a Lightning Digital AV Adapter or a USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter. The Lightning Digital AV Adapter is compatible with iPad models that use the Lightning port, while the USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter works with newer iPads with a USB-C port. These adapters allow you to connect your iPad to an HDMI cable, which will plug into your TV.
If you want to connect your iPad to a monitor or TV that doesn’t use HDMI, it will still work. For example, here I’ve used a USB to Displayport adapter to connect my iPad to my 32-inch monitor to take advantage of the new extended display mode in iOS 16.
Wired Connection: How to Connect iPad to TV Using HDMI
The easiest way to connect your iPad to a TV, monitor, or projector is to use a wired connection. While the way to do this is pretty self-explanatory, here are the basic steps:
- Connect the adapter to your iPad’s charging port.
- Plug one end of the video cable into the adapter’s port, unless it’s an integrated cable and adapter, that is.
- Connect the other end of the video cable to an available input on your TV.
- Turn on your TV and select the input to which your iPad is connected.
Your iPad screen should now be mirrored on your TV. If you don’t see a mirrored image, but rather a second display for your iPad, then you have one of the iPad that support the new extended display functionality. This lets you use the TV and iPad as a dual-display computer. If you have a mouse connected to your iPad, this seems to be the default behavior in our testing.
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Wireless Connection: How to Connect iPad to TV Wirelessly Using AirPlay
Connecting your iPad to your TV using a wireless connection can be faster and more convenient than using a wired adapter, but in my experience, it’s also far less reliable. So whether you should use wireless casting depends on what you need.
For sharing some photos with family when visiting, it’s fine. It’s even OK for most kinds of video, as long as you don’t mind reduced image quality and the occasional stutter. If you want to do anything real-time, such as play video games, you’re far better off using a wired connection.
If you want to send your iPad’s picture wirelessly, here’s how:
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- Ensure your iPad and Apple TV (or compatible AirPlay 2 device) are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
- Turn on your TV and select the input for your Apple TV or other AirPlay 2 device.
- If your TV itself has AirPlay, check the manual to see how to activate it.
- Swipe down from the top-right corner of your iPad to access the Control Center.
- Tap “Screen Mirroring,” and look for the target device.
At this point, you will see the available options in the screen mirroring menu. Select your Apple TV or AirPlay 2 device from the list. Your iPad screen will now be mirrored on your TV.
If this is your first time connecting to a particular TV, you’ll have to enter a passcode, which will be shown on the TV screen. You won’t have to do this again for that TV unless your settings are lost or reset.
RELATED: How to Use AirPlay (Screen Mirroring) on a Mac
Tips for Optimizing Your iPad-to-TV Viewing Experience
Now that you’ve got your iPad hooked up to a big screen, there are a few things you can do to make the experience better:
- Adjust your TV’s aspect ratio or picture settings to fit the iPad’s display better.
- Enable “Do Not Disturb” mode on your iPad to prevent notifications from interrupting your viewing experience.
- To avoid interruptions, keep your iPad charged, especially during long viewing sessions. You can buy adapters that offer USB charging and display output simultaneously for wired connections.
- If wireless casting isn’t working well, try moving the iPad closer to the router, or connect the TV to the router using an Ethernet cable. Powerline Ethernet is a good solution here.
That’s all you need to know to get your iPad’s picture running on your TV!
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