Recently a friend of mine sent me a link to a YouTube video that showed how to mirror the screen of an iOS or Android device on my Nintendo Switch.
This is awesome because now if I want to show my friends and family photos or videos on my iPhone I don’t have to pass the mobile phone around.
I can simply put my Nintendo Switch in tablet or TV mode, and mirror my photos, videos, apps, and games from my iPhone to the Switch for everyone to see.
Thanks to my friend I discovered I could mirror my phone’s screen on my Nintendo Switch. But it got me thinking if the opposite is possible.
Can you wirelessly mirror the Nintendo Switch screen to a TV, mobile phone, laptop, or tablet? Unfortunately wirelessly mirroring the Nintendo Switch screen to another device is currently not possible. This is because the Switch doesn’t have screen mirroring technology built into it and there are no apps you can download from the Nintendo eShop to allow you to mirror the console’s screen.
Now that you know the Nintendo Switch cannot mirror content to another device’s screen, I am guessing you’re asking what are your options if you would like to play your Nintendo Switch games on a different or larger screen than that of the Switch?
To answer you quickly, you’ll need to use cables for you to be able to play the Switch on another screen.
Read on to find out more on how to do that.
Connect your Nintendo Switch to a TV
In this situation, you’ll not be mirroring the screen of the Nintendo Switch but using the console’s TV output capability that allows you to game on a big screen.
Here is how to connect your Nintendo Switch to your TV.
1: Start by docking your Nintendo Switch. To do this, open the back cover of the Switch’s dock and connect its AC Adapter to the port labeled AC ADAPTER, then plug the other end of the adapter into a power source.
Close the back cover then slide the Nintendo Switch into the dock from the top down. For the Switch and the dock to establish a proper connection the console must plug into the connector at the bottom of the dock.
When the Nintendo Switch is docked the console’s screen will be in sleep mode.
2: Take the HDMI cable the Nintendo Switch comes with and at the back of the Switch dock plug it into the HDMI OUT port, and close the back cover.
3: Plug the other end of the HDMI cable into the TV’s HDMI port which can be found either at the back or side of your TV.
4: Press the tiny release button at the back of the Joy-Cons and push the controllers up to detach them from the Nintendo Switch while it is still docked.
5: Press the Power Button on your Nintendo Switch to turn it on.
6: Also power on your TV and choose HDMI input in your TV’s settings and you should be able to see the Nintendo Switch display on your screen. You can then proceed to select your favorite Nintendo Switch game and start playing it on 1,920 x 1,080 resolution.
Connect the Nintendo Switch to a PC monitor
If you would rather use a PC monitor to display your Nintendo Switch below are steps to link the console to the PC monitor.
If you have a new monitor, it most likely has an HDMI port, so you can use the Nintendo Switch HDMI cable to connect the Switch to the PC monitor.
If you have an older monitor you’ll have to buy an HDMI to DVI cable.
To connect your Nintendo Switch to the PC monitor do the following:
1: Dock your Nintendo Switch as detailed in the instructions on how to connect your Nintendo Switch to a TV.
2: Open the dock’s back cover and connect the Nintendo Switch HDMI cable into the HDMI OUT port.
If you have the old monitor connect the HDMI to DVI cable you purchased, to the HDMI OUT port, then close the back cover.
3: Connect the other end of the Switch HDMI cable or the HDMI to DVI cable to the monitors HDMI IN, or DVI ports respectively.
4: Power on your monitor and your Nintendo Switch’s display should show on the PC monitor.
If you can’t see images from your Nintendo Switch, confirm if the monitor is set to the correct HDMI input channel.
Also, check if the cable connection between the Nintendo Switch and the monitor is firmly installed.
Conclusion
While it is disappointing that you cannot mirror the Nintendo Switch screen there are ways you can use a different screen with your Switch.
To do this you can connect the Nintendo Switch to a TV or PC monitor and you can play Nintendo Switch games on a bigger and higher resolution screen than the 6.2-inch LCD 1280 x 720 Switch screen.
Gaming on a big screen will give a more thrilling Nintendo Switch user experience.
Connecting your Switch to a TV or PC monitor is simple if you follow the steps we have detailed above.
Before I forget if you would like to know how to mirror the screen of your iOS or Android device on your Switch here is a link to a YouTube video that will show you how to do that.