How to Check for Miracast support on Windows Computer

Check for Miracast support – What is Miracast

Before we check for Miracast support, we need to understand what it is. Miracast is a protocol that provides video content streaming capability between Wi-Fi devices without a need for Wi-Fi network. Meaning, you can stream video content from your laptop that supports Miracast transmitting to a TV that supports Miracast receiving without a need to connect to any other Wi-Fi devices like a router. More can be found about Miracast format on Wikipedia and Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Miracast on Wi-Fi Alliance.

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Prerequisites to Miracast streaming from your computer

1. Graphics Card driver should be at least WDDM 1.3 (Not all WDDM 1.3 Drivers support Miracast – Manufacturer dependent)
2. Wi-Fi Network Card should be at least NDIS 6.3 (Not all NDIS 6.3 Drivers Support Miracast – Manufacturer dependent)
3. You should have at least Windows 8.1 installed (this is when WDDM 1.3 was introduced with Miracast)

Checking for Miracast Prerequisites

Check for Miracast support on your computer – CMD NETSH

One command line can show you what hardware (Graphics card or Wi-Fi network card) supports Miracast as well as all the other properties of your Wi-Fi cards. Open Command Line CMD and execute:

netsh wlan show driver

You will see long list of your Wi-Fi network card capabilities. You need to find the line:

Wireless Display Supported: Yes (Graphics Driver: Yes, Wi-Fi Driver: Yes)

Here you can see what hardware does or does not support Miracast.
If you want to show only the above line, you can execute in CMD:

netsh wlan show driver | findstr "Wireless Display Supported"

Windows versions may vary as well as the exact string of this line, so change it based on the first command. If some hardware is not supported you can try to update the drivers to the latest version. If you already have – you can try to upgrade your hardware to one that supports Miracast. Unless you are on a laptop and your graphics card is not supported – I did not find a solution for that yet.

Check for Miracast support on your computer – DxDiag

1. Run “DxDiag.exe”.
2. On the bottom right, click [Save All Information…] => Save “DxDiag.txt” to Desktop or anywhere you like.
3. Open “DxDiag.txt”.
4. Under “System Information” find “Miracast”. If there is a support – you will see the line:

Miracast: Available, with HDCP

The difference from NETSH method – if there is no support, you will not see the exact hardware.

Check WDDM version of Graphics Card Driver

Open the “DxDiag.txt” that you saved from “DxDiag.exe” and find the “Display Devices” section. You will need to find similar line:

Driver Model: WDDM 2.0

Or you can press [CTRL]+[F] to search for “WDDM” or “Driver Model” to jump right to this line.

Check NDIS Version of Wi-Fi Driver

Run “powershell.exe” and execute this line:

Get-NetAdapter | Select Name, NdisVersion

Example output:

Name       NdisVersion
----       -----------
Wi-Fi      6.40
Ethernet 5 6.1

This means that Wi-Fi Driver is NDIS 6.4 and Ethernet Driver is NDIS 6.1 (which has no interest to us, since Miracast works over Wi-Fi).

Miracast Receiving Device

If your TV / Screen supports Miracast then you are good to go. If not, you will need to use a device that can receive Miracast signal from your computer and connect it to HDMI port of the TV / Screen. Good options are Microsoft Wireless Display Adapters. Currently there are two versions – the older SD version and the newer 4k. Plug it into HDMI port for visual and USB for power. Most of TVs have USB that you can use an if not you will have to use external USB power supply.

How to Mirror Screen or Stream over Miracast

After all your setup is made, press [WIN]+[P] – “Project” menu will pop up. Choose “Connect to a wireless display”. After you connect to a display, you can use one of the casting options of the “Project” menu.

Remember: this technology uses Wi-Fi, so do not go too far from the Miracast receiver. Optimal would be 7-10 meters, but it depends on your physical environment (walls, etc.), Wi-Fi network card and the Miracast receiver.