Can t find chromecast on laptop

If you own a Chromecast, there are times when you may discover that Google Home can't find it on your network.

This problem takes different forms:

• When first setting up your Chromecast, you can't connect to the device from your mobile phone.
• Even after you've set up a Chromecast device properly, you may not see the Chromecast device show up in your Google Home app.
• There may be times when only some devices can't find your Chromecast, while other devices can.

If your Google Home app can't connect to Chromecast, then your Google Home itself won't be able to make the connection.

Use the following steps to troubleshoot the issues and get both your Home app and the Google Home device connected to Chromecast again.

When you set up a Chromecast, you need to connect to the Chromecast to set up the device on your home Wi-Fi network. Once connected, devices must connect to the Chromecast by connecting to the home Wi-Fi network first.

Connection problems can occur at every step of that process, and for different reasons.

If you can't make the connection between your Google Home device and your Chromecast device, there are a few things you can try to get things working again.

1. Follow the steps to set up your new Chromecast device. If your Google Home app can't find the Chromecast device, make sure the Chromecast device is powered up and plugged into the HDMI port on your TV. Also make sure your TV is turned on and set to the correct HDMI port.

   You'll know you've selected the correct HDMI port when you see the Chromecast home screen and background on your TV screen.

2. If your Google Home still can't find Chromecast during setup, make sure your mobile device is connected to the same Wi-Fi network you intend to connect your Chromecast device to.

   A common mistake that occurs during Chromecast setup is not enabling Wi-Fi on the mobile device where Google Home is installed. Once connected to Wi-Fi, your mobile device should detect the Chromecast device and launch the setup wizard where you'll select your home Wi-Fi network and password.

3. If both the Chromecast and your mobile device are having Wi-Fi connection issues, you could have problems with your Wi-Fi network or router. Troubleshoot when you have no wireless connection before moving on to the next steps.

4. If your mobile device still can't connect to the Chromecast, make sure your device supports a 5 GHz Wi-Fi connection. This is required for Google Home to find Chromecast. If your device doesn't support it, install Google Home on a different mobile device and try the setup again.

5. Make sure your Google Home app can connect to the network. To do this, connect your Android device to Wi-Fi. If you're using an iPhone, ensure it's connected to Wi-Fi. Once your device is connected, make sure your Google Home app can connect to the Wi-Fi network.

6. If you've previously had your Chromecast working properly, but Google Home still can't find the Chromecast, make sure your Chromecast is still connected to your Wi-Fi network. You can verify this by checking the Chromecast screen on your TV. You should see your Wi-Fi network name and current type displayed on the screen. If you don't see this, hard reset your Chromecast.

7. Finally, if your Google Home app and your Chromecast are both connecting to Wi-Fi, and you can cast video from the Google Home app to Chromecast, then the problem might be with your Google Home Wi-Fi connection itself. Walk through the troubleshooting steps for when Google Home won't connect to Wi-Fi.

Once you've re-established the connection between your Google Home and Chromecast, make sure to update your Chromecast. This will reduce the chances of future connection problems.

Thanks for letting us know!

Tell us why!

Chromecast is one of the popular components of TVs nowadays. It is manufactured by Google and is used to play media from our other devices like Android phones to our TVs wirelessly. And it is not just casting the screen of a device; it is all about running a miniature version of the app on the TV using that Chromecast and then play that media in a full-featured player that can even be controlled by the device you are playing it from. This makes it a really good option to work in the living room where the whole family or the group are consuming digital content together.

However, this is not the exact way how Windows computers work with it. If you have a computer running Windows, it can only play content on other displays with a Chromecast attached only using Google Chrome. But people use it to Mirror their display on the big screen as well. But many times, even this functionality does not work as the Chromecast does not show up on the Windows computer. We will talk more about this today.

How to cast display from Windows PC to Chromecast

For this, you have to do nothing much. Just click on the Action Center icon on the right bottom part of the screen on the taskbar to reveal the taskbar or just hit the WINKEY + A button combination on the keyboard.

Now click on Expand located on the top portion of the quick toggles. Finally, click on Connect.

Now, you can just see your Chromecast showing up there in the list. Click on it to start projecting your screen via the Chromecast on the bigger display.

Chromecast not showing up on computer

First of all, make sure that your Windows computer and the Chromecast are connected to the same WiFi network and are turned on properly.

Now, we will start troubleshooting it.

1. Turn on Network Sharing

Use the Cortana search box and type in Network Status. And from the list of results, click on Network Status to open the appropriate page.

Now, click on Network and Sharing Centre. You will find it in the bottom right part.

Then, click on Change advanced sharing settings.

Now, for your current profile, make sure that Network Discovery and File and Printer Sharing is turned on.

Click on Save Changes.

2. Update network card driver

You will have to update your network card drivers.

This can be done by going into the Device Manager and updating driver for Network Adapters.

Reboot your computer for the changes to take effect.

3. Reset Stream Permissions

This is going to be a bit long.

Here, type in Windows Media Player in the Cortana search box. Then click on the appropriate entry to open the Windows Media Player.

Now, click on Stream and then click on Allow Internet access to home media…

In the next step, you will get a small mini window, inside it, click on Allow Internet access to home media.

You will get a message saying, “You have successfully allowed Internet access to home media”. There, click on OK.

Then, click on Stream again and then click on Turn on media streaming…

In the windows that you see, click on Turn on media streaming and click on OK.

Now, in the list of your Devices, make sure that you are viewing them on the Local Network and click on Allow All.

Click on OK. Again, click on Stream and make sure that the option labeled as Automatically allow devices to play my media is ticked. CloseWindows Media Player.

If you need more suggestions, you can check our guide on fixing Media Streaming not working.

Let us know if your issue is fixed or not.