How to Enable or Disable Projecting to This PC in Windows 11

Prerequisites for Wireless Display

Before you start, your hardware must support Wi-Fi Direct and Miracast. Most modern computers do, but older hardware might not. The wireless adapter and the graphics driver both play a part, so an out-of-date driver can also make Miracast show up as unsupported. You also need the Wireless Display feature installed as an Optional Feature in Windows.

How to check if your PC supports Miracast

The quickest way to check Miracast support is the DirectX Diagnostic Tool. It works the same on Windows 11 Home and Pro.

1. Press Win+R, type dxdiag, and hit Enter. The DirectX Diagnostic Tool opens.
2. Click Save All Information, save the text file somewhere you can find it, and open it.
3. Search the file for Miracast. If the line starts with Available, your PC is ready. If it says the feature is not supported, update your Wi-Fi📶 and graphics drivers and run the check again.

How to Enable or Disable Projecting to this PC

Follow these steps to manage your projection settings. Note: this process requires admin privileges to modify system-wide display settings. If you are signed in with a standard account, Windows asks for an administrator password when you install the feature.

1. 1. Open Settings by pressing Win+I. The Settings⚙️ window opens with the list of categories on the left.

2. 2. Click System on the left sidebar. The System settings page opens on the right.

3. 3. Scroll down the System page and select Projecting to this PC. If the page tells you to add the optional Wireless Display feature, or the options are greyed out, see the troubleshooting section further down before you continue.

4. 4. Choose your preferred connection mode from the dropdown menu. Always Off disables projecting to this PC completely. The other choices let other devices find and project to this PC, either only on secure networks or everywhere. The change applies as soon as you pick it, and you can come back and switch it at any time. You may also see options for how often to ask for permission and whether to require a PIN for pairing. These are handy if the PC sits in a shared space.

Troubleshooting Connection Issues

Projecting to this PC greyed out usually happens when Windows is missing the optional component needed for wireless displays. You can fix this by opening Settings, going to Apps, selecting Optional features, and installing the Wireless Display feature. Once it is installed, the screen sharing option becomes available to click, and you can project to this PC after choosing a mode other than Always Off.

If the Projecting to this PC option is greyed out, you likely need to install the Wireless Display feature. Follow these steps:

1. Go to Settings › Apps › Optional features.
2. Click View features and search for Wireless Display.
3. Tick the box next to it, then click Next and Install. Wait for the installation to finish.
4. Restart your🔄 computer, then open Settings › System › Projecting to this PC again. The dropdown should now be usable.

To remove the feature later, go back to Optional features, find Wireless Display in the installed list, and uninstall it. If you only want to stop others from projecting, setting the mode to Always Off is enough.

If you experience lag while projecting, make sure both devices are on the same 5GHz Wi-Fi network to improve bandwidth.

Summary

Projecting to this PC is a built-in Windows feature that lets you display your phone or another computer’s screen wirelessly on your monitor using Miracast (a wireless technology that sends video and audio between devices). It works well for showing photos, videos, and presentations on a larger screen without dealing with HDMI cables or adapters.

Projecting to this PC is a powerful way to share screens wirelessly using Miracast. By ensuring your hardware supports the Wireless Display feature and configuring your network settings, you can easily mirror devices. Remember to keep your settings on ‘Always Off’ when not in use to maintain your system’s security. For more details, visit the official Microsoft support page.