Casting and mirroring are two different ways to put content on a TV. With Google Cast direct playback, your phone or computer tells a compatible receiver which video to play. The receiver then fetches and plays that video, while the sender acts as a remote control. Your screen is not being copied to the TV.
Mirroring, which Google calls tab or screen projection in Chrome, works differently: the sender supplies the browser tab or the entire display image. Use the Cast button in a supported app or player when you want independent TV playback; use projection when the content has no direct Cast option.
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What happens when you use the Cast button
In a Cast-enabled app or web player, tapping the Cast button starts a handoff rather than a screen recording. You choose a receiver, such as a Chromecast, a Google TV Streamer (4K), or a television with Google Cast built in. The app sends playback instructions and the media address to that receiver. The receiver obtains the stream from the internet and decodes it for the TV.
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This separation explains why casting a video does not mirror your desktop, notifications, browser tabs or mouse pointer. Only the selected media session is sent to the receiver. The exact controls and supported features depend on the app or site.
How mirroring or projection is different
Projecting a Chrome tab
Chrome can project the contents of one browser tab to a compatible receiver. The TV shows what that tab renders: a web page, an embedded player, a presentation or another browser-based experience. Scrolling, navigating to a new page and changing the tab’s visible content changes what appears on the TV.
Tab projection is useful when a site does not provide a Cast button or when you need to show interactive web content. It is still a projection of the sender’s browser, not receiver-side direct playback. The computer must keep the tab available for the projection to continue.
Projecting the entire computer screen
Chrome also offers a separate option to cast the screen. This sends the desktop image, so windows, menus, notifications and cursor movements can appear on the television. It can display software that has no Cast integration, but it also exposes everything visible on the selected display.
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Google notes that audio behavior can differ when casting a screen: sound may continue to play through the computer. If you need the tab’s audio on the TV, Google’s Chrome guidance suggests casting the tab instead of the whole screen, subject to the site and device’s compatibility.
Direct playback versus projection
| Reader’s choice | What appears on the TV | What the sender does | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cast button in a supported app or player | The selected media plays on the receiver | Selects media and controls playback | First choice when the service supports Google Cast |
| Cast a Chrome tab | The browser tab is projected | Keeps the computer and tab available during projection | Web content without a direct Cast control |
| Cast the computer screen | The computer display is projected | Supplies the screen image; audio behavior can vary | Applications or content outside direct media casting |
Google’s documented comparison lists tab projection as limited to 720p with stereo sound, while direct playback supports 1080p and 5.1 audio. Those are Google-published mode specifications, not a guarantee for every receiver, service, video, network or operating system. A particular app may impose a lower resolution, a different audio format or its own device restrictions.
Why direct playback is usually the better video path
Your computer is not doing the decoding work
In a projection session, the sender renders the tab or desktop and continually transmits that visual output. Direct playback lets the receiver obtain and decode the stream itself. Google says this can reduce the computer’s load compared with projecting a tab or screen.
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Because direct playback sends a selected media session instead of the display, opening email, changing windows or browsing a different site on the sender does not replace the video on the TV. This is the practical reason you can use a phone as a remote without turning it into a permanent video source.
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Playback can outlast the sender’s display session
Google says direct playback from Cast-enabled sites can continue when a computer is shut down or its lid is closed. The receiver has its own playback session. You should still expect the session to stop if the service requires a live account connection, the receiver loses network access or the app ends the session.
What you need for the documented Google Cast workflow
- A Cast-enabled app or video player for direct playback. Google lists YouTube, Netflix and YouTube Music as examples, but the supported catalog and features can change.
- A compatible receiver: a Chromecast, Google TV Streamer (4K), or a television with Google Cast built in.
- The sender and receiver on the same Wi-Fi network for the documented app workflow.
- A current app or browser that exposes the Cast control for the service you are using.
- On supported iOS and macOS versions, permission for the app or browser to access the local network so it can discover receivers.
A television that already includes Google Cast does not necessarily need a separate streaming device. Conversely, a TV without Cast support needs a compatible receiver for this particular workflow. Check current model, software and regional compatibility because support differs by product and service.
How to cast a video without mirroring
From a phone or tablet app
- Connect the phone or tablet and the receiver to the same Wi-Fi network.
- Open a Cast-enabled video app and start or select the video you want to watch.
- Tap the app’s Cast button. It may be in the player, the app toolbar or a device-selection menu; its location is controlled by the app.
- Choose the receiver from the list of available devices.
- Use the app’s controls to pause, seek, change volume or disconnect. You can leave the app or perform other tasks while the receiver continues playing.
If no receiver appears, do not switch immediately to screen mirroring. First verify Wi-Fi membership, local-network permission and whether the app actually supports Cast. A service can support playback on a TV while omitting Cast on a particular platform or account configuration.
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From a computer’s Cast-enabled website
- Put the computer and receiver on the same Wi-Fi network.
- Open the supported video site in a compatible browser and locate its Cast control in the player or page.
- Select the receiver, then start playback if the site has not already done so.
- Keep using the computer as needed; the receiver handles the direct-playback session.
The button supplied by the site is the important distinction. Selecting a receiver through that player is direct playback; opening Chrome’s menu and choosing a tab or screen is projection.
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When tab projection is the fallback
- In Chrome, open the tab containing the content.
- Open the browser menu and choose the Cast option.
- Choose the receiver, then select the tab rather than the entire screen.
- Leave the tab available while it is being projected. Stop casting from Chrome when finished.
This fallback can show web content that lacks a direct Cast button, but the computer remains the source of the projected image. It may have the 720p and stereo limitations documented by Google, and playback quality depends on the tab, computer and network.
Why a receiver can keep playing after you use the sender
Direct playback uses a control relationship rather than a frame-by-frame display relationship. The sender identifies the media and issues commands; the receiver maintains the stream and renders it. That is why changing the sender’s screen does not change the TV’s picture, while pressing pause or seeking in the app does.
The distinction also explains why a dead phone does not always end playback immediately. Google documents continued Cast playback when a phone or tablet runs out of battery, although service authentication, network loss or receiver errors can still terminate a session.
Troubleshooting: choose the failure that matches what you see
The Cast button is missing
- Confirm that the specific app, player or site supports Google Cast. A browser page can be playable without offering direct Cast.
- Update the app or browser if the service requires a newer version.
- Use Chrome tab projection as a fallback for compatible web content.
No receiver appears
- Confirm that both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, not one on a guest network or cellular data.
- On iOS or macOS, allow local-network access when the operating system asks for it. Without that permission, discovery can fail even when internet access works.
- Check that the receiver is powered on, connected and supported by the app.
The TV shows the wrong thing
If the TV displays your windows, desktop or browser changes, you selected screen or tab projection rather than the app’s direct Cast control. Stop the projection and start the session from the video player’s Cast button.
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Audio stays on the computer
Whole-screen projection can leave audio on the computer, as Google notes in its Chrome instructions. Try tab projection when the site supports it, or use the service’s direct Cast button for receiver-side playback.
Playback stops when the computer closes
That behavior indicates projection or a service-specific session rather than the independent direct-playback path. Start again from a Cast-enabled player. Google documents that direct playback from supported sites can continue when the computer is shut down or its lid is closed, but this is not a promise for every site or receiver.
Which method should you choose?
- Choose direct playback when the app or player has a Cast button and you want the best separation between TV playback and your private computer activity.
- Choose tab projection when the content is in a browser and has no direct Cast control, especially when you need the tab’s audio on the TV.
- Choose screen projection when you must show an application, presentation or other desktop content that cannot be sent through a media player.
Direct playback is not a disguised form of mirroring. It is a receiver-controlled media session, with the phone or computer acting as a remote. Projection is the appropriate fallback for unsupported or interactive content, but it necessarily keeps the sender responsible for supplying the picture.
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Scope of these distinctions
The explanation above follows Google’s documented Cast and Chrome workflows. Other casting standards, television platforms and applications can implement their own discovery, streaming and mirroring behavior. Google’s support pages accessed October 13, 2026 do not state publication dates, so device menus and requirements may change as operating systems and apps are updated. The 720p, stereo, 1080p and 5.1 figures are mode specifications in Google’s comparison, not population statistics or universal guarantees.
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