With AirPlay, you can mirror your iPhone or iPad’s screen on your Mac or your Apple TV. But what if you have a Windows PC? We’ll show you a free tool that makes this easy.
RELATED: How to Mirror your Mac, iPhone, or iPad Screen on Your Apple TV
LonelyScreen is a free, easy-to-use AirPlay receiver you install on your PC. You can send anything from your iPhone or iPad to your Windows computer screen just like an Apple TV, and you don’t have to install anything on your iOS device.
To start, simply download LonelyScreen and install it on your Windows computer.
If you’re running Windows Firewall, you might get a notification while installing LonelyScreen indicating Windows Firewall has blocked some features. Specify on which types of networks you want to allow LonelyScreen to communicate. Note that public networks are not recommended because they are not very secure.
LonelyScreen runs automatically once installed so at the same time you see the above Windows Security Alert dialog box, you will also see a notification about your firewall blocking LonelyScreen on the main LonelyScreen window. Click the “Fix It (Administrator)” button.
The User Account Control dialog box displays. Click “Yes” to allow LonelyScreen to receive information.
Once LonelyScreen is running and has been unblocked in your firewall, the main screen displays. The receiver name is “LonelyScreen” by default. This name will display on your iOS device as an AirPlay receiver to which you can mirror information.
To change the receiver name, move your mouse over the name and click on it.
Enter a new name for the receiver and click “Save”.
Now, you’ll set up your iOS device to send information to your PC. To do this, LonelyScreen must be running and connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your iOS device. LonelyScreen can be minimized, but don’t exit the program.
Swipe up from the bottom of your iOS device to access the Control Center.
When an AirPlay receiver is active and your iOS device can see it, AirPlay is available on the Control Center. Tap on it.
“LonelyScreen”, or whatever new name you assigned to the LonelyScreen receiver, displays on the AirPlay screen. Tap on it to select it.
To start mirroring your iOS device on your PC, tap the “Mirroring” slider button that displays.
The Mirroring slider button turns green indicating your iOS device’s screen will be mirrored to your PC. Tap “Done”.
You are returned to the Control Center. Notice that the name of the LonelyScreen AirPlay receiver now displays on the Control Center. Tap the down arrow at the top to close the Control Center.
Now, whatever you do on your iOS device displays in the LonelyScreen AirPlay Receiver window, including music and videos. You can enlarge the LonelyScreen window to make the content from your iOS device larger on your PC’s screen.
To stop mirroring to your iOS device to your PC, close LonelyScreen by clicking the gear button in the upper-right corner of the LonelyScreen window. Your PC will not be visible on in the AirPlay settings on your iOS devices anymore.
As we mentioned earlier, you can mirror your iOS device or Mac to your TV using Apple TV. But if you don’t have an Apple TV, you can also mirror anything from your computer to your TV using a Google Chromecast. You can also read more about AirPlay and other wireless display standards here.
