How to beam YouTube to the big screen using El Capitan

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Get YouTube up on the big screen.
Get YouTube up on the big screen.
Photo: Rego Korosi/Flickr

Ever wish you could watch all those great Key & Peele or Inside Amy Schumer clips from YouTube on the big television in the living room?

Sometimes the small screen on your MacBook just isn’t large enough to contain all that hilarity. It’s times like these that you’ll want to send video to that massive HDTV, and El Capitan makes it even easier with a new AirPlay feature.

Here’s how to beam your favorite clips to your favorite screen.

AirPlay has let you send video from your Mac to your Apple TV since 2010, and it’s just gotten better and better.

This will send your entire screen to your Apple TV.
This will send your entire screen to your Apple TV.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Before El Capitan, you could share your entire Mac screen to your Apple TV with ease (and you still can), either from the System Preferences pane for Displays (above), or via the menu bar item that you can enable in System Preferences. Either click on the AirPlay Display drop-down menu in System Preferences, or click on the menu bar item to send your entire Mac display, including sounds, to any AppleTV you want.

Your Mac will let you know where the video is playing.
Your Mac will let you know where the video is playing.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre

Now, however, El Capitan lets you send YouTube videos right from within Safari (Chrome users are out of luck). Navigate to any YouTube video you want to watch, and then look in the lower right hand corner of the video window itself. You’ll see a new option just to the left of the Full Screen icon: AirPlay.

Turn AirPlay off here.
Turn AirPlay off here.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Click that AirPlay icon and you’ll send just the video to your Apple TV, instead of your entire Mac screen–handy if you don’t want everyone seeing what’s on your Desktop. You’ll get a message on your Mac that the video is playing via AirPlay.

When you’re done watching whatever funny video you found on YouTube, click the AirPlay icon again, select Turn off AirPlay, and you’ll go back to watching on the small screen.

 

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