Comparisons · Connection routes, the two projection methods and the conditions for using an existing network, as published in Microsoft's Understanding Windows 10 Wireless Projection (read 2026-09-21)

Before casting a screen wirelessly: sending and receiving are different features

Putting a PC's screen on a TV, and making that PC a destination for something else, get described in similar words and are different features. On the sending side, Windows manages two methods behind one interface: a direct Miracast link, and sending over the Wi-Fi network the machine is already on. Which one is used is decided by Windows, not by you. This guide was written on 2026-09-21 from Microsoft's page and covers how the two differ, when the network route is chosen, and what to check before buying anything. No connection was tested on hardware here.

Published 2026-09-21 · Updated 2026-09-21 · FaultNote editorial policy

Before casting a screen wirelessly: sending and receiving are different features overview: 1. Three ways to start it, two ways it actually works, 2. How the two methods differ, 3. When the network route is chosen, 4. What to settle before buying anything — An overview of this guide’s steps and checks, not a screenshot of the app.

Who this guide is for and what to prepare

People who want to put a PC screen on a TV or projector without a cable
People whose device list is empty and who want the candidate reasons
People deciding whether a wireless receiver is worth buying

What you need

Separate the two ends clearly: the sending PC, and the receiver (TV, projector, adapter, or another PC)
Look for a Miracast statement on the product page for the receiving end
Check whether both ends are on the same network

1. Three ways to start it, two ways it actually works

Microsoft’s page lists the entry points. A connection to a wireless receiver can be made in several ways: Through the Action Center. is followed by In the Action Center (Figure 1), click the Connect Quick Action ., then Using a hotkey. Select the Windows logo key+ K (Figure 2)., then With the Device Picker UI . So: the Action Center, the keyboard shortcut, and the device picker inside an app that supports casting.

What matters is what sits behind them: Windows 10 supports and manages two different methods for creating a wireless projection stream. Both methods are handled behind the scenes by Windows and leverage the exact same UI shown above.

So when a connection fails, examining the part you can see does not necessarily reach the cause. The two things worth separating are the method on the sending side and the support on the receiving side.

2. How the two methods differ

The first is Miracast. The page lists as benefits a simple connection experience for finding and connecting to receivers, interoperability from implementing the Miracast standard, a native RTSP stack requiring no additional software, support for UIBC, PIN-based pairing, and persistent profiles that remember receivers connected to before.

UIBC comes with a condition worth quoting: which allows inputs from the Miracast receiver (touch, stylus, mouse, keyboard and gamepad) to control the Miracast sender, if---and only if---the user explicitly allows this.

Protected content gets one conditional line: Support for the projection of Protected Content (if HDCP keys are present).

The second method sends over the Wi-Fi network the machine is already on. The page explains the reasoning: It has been observed that in 90% of cases, when a User starts a Wireless Projection stream, the device they are using is already connected to an existing Wi-Fi network, either in a home or a business. That observation is given as the reason the local-network route was added in the Windows 10 Creators Update.

Scroll horizontally to see the full table →

2. How the two methods differ
Method	Benefits Microsoft lists	What it means for a reader
Miracast (a direct wireless link)	Finding and connecting to receivers, interoperability from the standard, a native RTSP stack needing no extra software, UIBC, PIN pairing, remembered connection profiles	If the receiving end supports Miracast, this route does not depend on how the network is arranged
Over the existing Wi-Fi network	Uses a connection that already exists so projection can start sooner, the PC does not manage two simultaneous connections, a stable stream, and no driver or hardware changes required	Both ends have to be on the same network. It is described as working with older wireless hardware too

3. When the network route is chosen

You do not choose. The page states: Windows automatically detects when a receiver supports this functionality and will send the video stream over the existing network path when applicable.

But there is a condition: Windows will only choose to project over an existing connection if the connection is trusted, either over an Ethernet or a secure Wi-Fi network.

Those two sentences carry practical consequences. If the receiver does not support it, this route is not used. If the connection is not treated as trusted — an unsecured Wi-Fi network, for instance — it is not chosen either. What exactly counts as trusted is not defined further on the page, and nothing was tested here, so this guide gives no criterion of its own.

One limit on the source itself: it is a Windows 10 document, and the page showed a last-updated date of 18 March 2021. It says nothing about behaviour in later versions.

4. What to settle before buying anything

Breaking I want to cast wirelessly into parts decides what to check.

What this guide does not cover is making a PC the receiving end. That uses a different mechanism, and the source read here is entirely about the sending side, so this guide says nothing about configuring a receiver.

Scroll horizontally to see the full table →

4. What to settle before buying anything
What you want to do	What to check	What gets missed
Put a PC screen on a TV	Whether the TV's own page states Miracast support	Without it, the question becomes whether to add a receiver, which is a different purchase
Buy a wireless receiver	Whether the product states Miracast support	Microsoft mentions interoperability with both its own and third-party receivers; this site recommends no product
Make an unstable connection stable	Whether both ends are on the same network, and whether that connection is secured	The existing-network route is stated to be chosen only on a trusted connection
Control the PC from the receiving end	UIBC support, and the permission step	It is stated to apply if and only if the user explicitly allows it
Project protected content	Whether HDCP keys are present	The support is stated conditionally; no specific combination was tested here

Limitations and requirements

No wireless projection was tested on hardware for this guide. The conditions quoted are from Microsoft's published document.
The source is a Windows 10 document and the page showed a last-updated date of 18 March 2021. It says nothing about later versions.
This guide is about the sending side. Using Windows as the receiving end is out of scope.
No receiver or adapter is recommended. No product was tested here.

Frequently asked questions

Is there more than one way this works?

Microsoft's page states that Windows supports and manages two different methods for creating a wireless projection stream, that both are handled behind the scenes, and that they use the same interface. One is Miracast; the other sends over the existing Wi-Fi network.

Can I choose which method is used?

No user choice is described. The page states that Windows automatically detects when a receiver supports the functionality and will send the video stream over the existing network path when applicable.

Both ends are on the same Wi-Fi, but the network route does not seem to be used.

The page states that Windows will only choose the existing connection if it is trusted, either over Ethernet or a secure Wi-Fi network. It does not define the test further, and nothing was verified here.

Can I control the PC from the display end?

The page describes UIBC as allowing touch, stylus, mouse, keyboard and gamepad input from the receiver to control the sender, if and only if the user explicitly allows it.

I want to make this PC the destination instead.

That is outside this guide. The source read here is about the sending side and does not cover receiver configuration, so this site says nothing about it.

Sources and verification date

Sources checked: 2026-09-21. These sources support the specifications, procedures or prices discussed here. Check each source for applicable conditions and current information.

Microsoft: Understanding Windows 10 Wireless Projection (page shows last updated 2021-03-18). States the three connection entry points (Action Center, Windows logo key plus K, device picker); that Windows supports and manages two projection methods behind the same interface; the Miracast benefits, including UIBC applying if and only if the user explicitly allows it, protected content support if HDCP keys are present, PIN pairing and persistent profiles; the observation that in 90% of cases the sending device is already on a Wi-Fi network and the addition of the existing-network route in the Windows 10 Creators Update, with its benefits; that Windows will only project over an existing connection if it is trusted, either over Ethernet or a secure Wi-Fi network; and that Windows automatically detects receiver support and uses the existing network path when applicable. Read 2026-09-21 ↗

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