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Apr 13, 2023

Screencast vs. Screen Mirroring: What’s the Difference?

Should you mirror, or do you need to cast? The media and the hardware you have

Should you mirror, or do you need to cast? The media and the hardware you have is often what makes the decision for you.

If you watch movies with your family, make presentations to your team, or collaborate with any group of people, chances are you’ll need to share your screen. Typically, you’d do this by mirroring or casting your screen.

Although these technologies have a common focus, they are pretty different. So what's the difference between screen casting and screen mirroring?

Screen casting involves sharing your device's screen—phone, tablet, or computer—over a wired or wireless network connection, like Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

With screencasting, you can transmit specific content—like your ideas, a video, or a presentation—or apps to another smart device, such as a television or a projector. After casting, the receiving device will manage or control what you have cast.

As a result, you’ll be able to use the sending device for other functions asides from what is being cast. For instance, if you’re transmitting a presentation and you receive a message, you can reply and even engage in a conversation. Meanwhile, anyone accessing the receiving device can pause, play, or rewind the presentation.

Screen casting is ideal for remote collaborations, where you want to view content or collaborate with many people. It typically requires the following:

The process of casting your screen may vary depending on your devices, but it usually involves the following:

While screen casting is beneficial, it also has downsides. Here are some benefits and downsides of casting your screen:

Screen mirroring, also known as display mirroring or wireless display on Windows 11, allows you to mirror (duplicate) your device's entire screen to another device using a peer-to-peer connection. Essentially, the two devices connect via a direct wireless connection created by in-built wireless display technology, such as Miracast and AirPlay.

When you mirror your screen, you transmit presentations, ideas, multimedia content, and everything displayed on your device to another smart device. However, only the sending device can manage or control the content, unlike screen casting. Also, you’ll be unable to use the sending device while transmitting data to perform other functions, like replying to messages.

Screen mirroring is ideal for situations where you simply want to display content with a group of people. It typically requires the following:

Like screencasting, the steps for mirroring your screen vary based on your device. But you’ll typically need to do the following:

Like screen casting, mirroring your screen has benefits and downsides:

Both screencasting and screen mirroring have benefits, as they are built for different scenarios and user preferences. Whether to cast or mirror your screen depends on your unique needs and the context in which you’ll share your screen.

Ada is a communications graduate who writes and edits tech, cybersecurity, and crypto articles. She's written several tech pieces on websites like MEXC Blog and MakeUseOf. And when she's not working, she'll likely be burrowed into a book.