How to Cast to Roku From a Phone or Computer

I cast to two Rokus at home. One is a Roku Streaming Stick 4K behind an old panel. The other is a TCL 4-Series Roku TV (43S435) in the office. Most nights it's YouTube and Netflix from an iPhone 14, plus a Spotify session on the stick. My honest take: the setup is identical on the stick and the TV, because you cast to Roku OS, not to the television. The one thing that trips people up is expecting it to act like a Chromecast. It doesn't.

That's worth knowing before you start. Roku has no Google Cast receiver. So "casting to Roku" only works inside apps that support it, like YouTube. You can't cast a random Chrome tab the way you would to a Chromecast. The 30-second test below points you at the right path.

The 30-second test

Answer one question first. What are you casting from? Your answer picks the method, because Roku treats each source differently.

1. 1Casting one show from an app like YouTube or Netflix? Tap its Cast icon — Method 1. This is real casting and the sharpest quality.
2. 2Casting from a Windows PC or Android phone? Only a website's own Cast button works — otherwise you mirror — Method 2.
3. 3On an iPhone, iPad, or Mac? Apple's version of casting is AirPlay — Method 3.
4. 4Sending your own photos, home videos, or music? Use Play on Roku — Method 4.
5. 5Roku not showing up, or remote lost? Go to Fix 5.

Method 1: Cast a single app to your Roku

This is casting in the true sense, and the one most people want. It sends one app's video, streamed from the internet, so the picture stays crisp and your phone stays free. Nothing to set up on the Roku, no account to link. The app does the work, on a stick or a TV alike.

1. 1Join your phone and Roku to the same Wi-Fi. Casting hunts for the Roku over your network, so both must sit on it. Bands don't matter — your phone on 5GHz and the Roku on 2.4GHz of one router is fine. A guest network or a second router breaks it.
2. 2Install the app on both ends. The channel goes on the Roku; the matching app goes on your phone. YouTube and Netflix both cast to Roku, and many other streaming apps do too. Open the app and start the video you want.
3. 3Tap the Cast icon. Look for a small screen with three curved Wi-Fi lines in one corner, usually at the top of the player. Tap it and the app scans, then lists your Roku by its name, like “Living Room.”
4. 4Pick your Roku. Choose it from the list. The channel launches on the TV and streams from the internet, not through your phone. Now the phone is just the remote — scrub, pause, or lock it, and playback keeps going.

Roku spells out these steps on its official casting support page. When it won't work: an app with no Cast icon can't cast, and this route won't send your home screen, a photo album, or a browser tab. For your own files, jump to Method 4.

Method 2: Cast from a Windows PC or Android phone

Here's where people get stuck. A Roku is not a Chromecast, and it has no Google Cast receiver. So Chrome's "Cast…" option won't list your Roku, because that feature only talks to Google Cast devices. Knowing that saves a lot of wasted clicking.

What does work from a computer: the Cast button built into a website's own player. Open YouTube.com in any browser, start a video, and click the Cast icon in the controls. It finds your Roku over Wi-Fi. A few streaming sites do the same. It's per-site, not a browser-wide trick.

For anything else — a slideshow, a work document, a site with no Cast button — you need screen mirroring, which copies your whole display. Android and Windows both cast their screen to Roku over Miracast. Our full guide to screen mirroring on Roku walks through both, on a stick or a TV.

Method 3: Cast from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac

Apple devices don't use the Cast icon. Their version of casting is AirPlay, and most Rokus support it. You can AirPlay one video from an app, or mirror the whole screen, both from Control Center.

1. 1On the Roku, press Home and open Settings > Apple AirPlay and HomeKit. Set AirPlay to On. No such menu? Your model is too old for AirPlay — cast an app instead.
2. 2To send one video, tap the AirPlay icon inside an app like Apple TV or Photos, then pick your Roku. To send everything, open Control Center and tap Screen Mirroring.
3. 3The first time, a 4-digit code shows on the TV. Type it into your device once. Set Require Code to First time only to skip it after that.

AirPlay 2 needs Roku OS 9.4 or higher, and a few models want Roku OS 10.0. Roku Select and Plus Series TVs support it on any OS version. It's the same on a stick or a TV, because you're setting up Roku OS, not the panel. Roku lists the device requirements in its AirPlay support article. For the deep version, see our full guide to AirPlay on Roku. If it won't connect, our fix for AirPlay not working on Roku walks the symptoms in order.

Method 4: Cast your own photos, videos, and music

App casting only sends apps, not your camera roll. To put your own files on the TV, use Play on Roku, built into the free Roku mobile app. It streams your personal photos, home videos, and songs from your phone, with no cables and no full-screen mirroring.

1. 1Install the free Roku app (made by Roku) and connect it to your Roku on the same Wi-Fi.
2. 2Open its media controls, choose photos, videos, or music, and let the app reach your phone's library.
3. 3Pick a file and it plays on the Roku. Swipe an album to build a quick slideshow, all streamed from your phone.

Play on Roku handles set file types: JPG and PNG photos, MP4, MOV, and M4V video, and MP3 and M4A music. Anything outside that list won't play. For your own media in depth, see our guide to screen sharing on a Roku TV.

Fix 5: When your Roku won't appear or the remote is gone

App casting needs no remote. But AirPlay and Play on Roku both start on the TV, and that's where a lost remote stops you. Work through these by symptom — most are a network or a settings issue, not broken hardware.

1. 1Roku isn't in the cast or AirPlay list: the two devices are on different networks. Put both on the same Wi-Fi. A guest network or a phone VPN hides the Roku.
2. 2The app has no Cast icon: casting is app by app, so that app simply can't cast. Mirror it (Method 2) or use AirPlay (Method 3) instead.
3. 3AirPlay menu is missing: the model is too old. Cast a supported app from Method 1, which works on every Roku.
4. 4It connects then drops: weak Wi-Fi. Move closer to the router or switch both to the 5GHz band.

No remote to accept a prompt or open Settings? If your Roku lives inside a TCL, the free online TCL remote finder identifies your exact set and routes you to the way to control it from your phone without the original clicker — no account. App casting itself (Method 1) needs no remote at all, so if that's all you're after, you're already set.

A phone remote app needs the Roku already on Wi-Fi. If the set is offline, get it connected first with our guide to connecting a TCL TV to Wi-Fi without a remote, then start casting.

Which Roku devices cast and AirPlay

Because "Roku" covers both plug-in players and built-in Roku TVs, support is best read by device. App casting works on every current Roku. AirPlay is the one that's model-gated. Match your Roku to its row, then confirm the model under Settings > System > About.

My rule of thumb: cast an app whenever you can, since it's the sharpest and simplest path. Reach for AirPlay or Play on Roku when you're on Apple or sending your own files. Save mirroring for the odd browser tab or slideshow that has no Cast button.

Frequently Asked Questions