How to stream PC games and movies to your Xbox console with a free app

If you own a Windows 10 or 11 PC and an Xbox One or Series X / S console, you might not be aware that those devices have some interesting cross-functionality. You can output games from your Xbox to your Windows PC screen using Microsoft's Wireless Display app. You can control it from the console, and stream it on your PC, if you so choose.

This feature is only for wireless. You need to make sure that both the Windows PC and the Series X or S are on the same wi-fi network because the app uses Miracast to stream the content from your PC.

How to stream your PC to your Xbox One or Series X / S

You will need to download a free app for the Xbox to cast to a wireless display on any Windows 10 or 11 PC that can connect to the internet.

• Navigate on the console to the Microsoft Store (or simply click this link) and download the Wireless Display app to your Xbox.
• Once the app is installed on the console, open it up. It will display a message saying that your console is now ready to be connected to your PC. The app also mentions a very helpful hint to keep in mind: the controller can switch between gamepad and keyboard / mouse control modes by pressing the menu and view buttons (the two buttons beneath the backlit Xbox logo on the controller).

• Head over to your PC. Once you’re ready to stream some content, press the keyboard combo Windows + K. Alternatively, you can click Connect to a wireless display in the Display menu of the System settings. Either way, the next screen will show your console’s name.

• From here, you can choose to extend what’s on your PC monitor, duplicate it, or set the display on the Xbox as your second screen. For our purposes, we set it as a duplicate so that the Xbox display mirrored our PC monitor.

• Once you’re connected, you’ll see a small, movable taskbar located at the top of your PC monitor and your wirelessly connected TV. This lets you adjust the quality setting (accessible by clicking the gear icon) between gaming, working, or movie modes. During testing, it was tough to discern the difference in visual quality between the three. We found the gaming setting is best if you’re solely playing PC games, as it has the least noticeable latency while using a controller.

If you have better-sounding audio connected to your TV, you can switch the audio to output there instead of your PC.

• Tap the speaker icon on the Windows task bar.
• Select Digital Output [your Xbox’s name here]

Microsoft claims that you can't use the Wireless Display app to display protected content, so you won't be able to watch video from apps. We were able to watch anything we wanted through the browser. If you're having trouble getting your movie or TV shows to appear, we suggest you download them from the Microsoft Store on Xbox.