Applies to Windows 8, Windows RT

Tips for solving problems with Play To

Here are a few things to consider if you encounter a problem playing your photos, videos and music using Play To.

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Is your Play To device turned on and connected?

Check that your device is turned on.

If your Play To device isn't listed with your other devices on the Devices page, it might not be connected to the network. To check the Devices page, swipe in from the right edge of the screen (or if you're using a mouse, point to the top-right corner of the screen and move the mouse pointer down), tap or click Settings, tap or click Change PC Settings, then tap or click Devices.

To fix problems with connecting your device to a network, see the information that came with your device.

Is sharing turned on?

In order to connect to and choose a Play To device on your PC, you need to have sharing turned on for your network. For more information, see Turning sharing on or off.

Are you using a compatible Play To device?

On trusted home networks, Windows automatically detects suitable Play To devices, such as TVs and network-connected speakers. If your device isn't listed on the Devices page, it might not be compatible with Windows.

To check if your connected device is compatible, swipe in from the right edge of the screen (or if you're using a mouse, point to the top-right corner of the screen and move the mouse pointer down), tap or click Settings, tap or click Change PC Settings, then tap or click Devices.

Devices that have a "Not Windows certified" label on them aren't compatible with Play To from video, photo and music apps. However, you can use those devices with Play To from the Music Tools, Picture Tools or Video Tools tabs in File Explorer.

For more info about devices that work with Play To, see Find devices that work with Play To.

Are you trying to play content that's protected by copyrights?

Films and TV shows that you rent or stream from providers such as NetFlix, Amazon or Hulu won’t work with Play To because of Digital Rights Management (DRM) copyright protection. You can stream content such as the videos you make, your pictures and most music. For example, you can probably play songs that you bought from an online store but not songs that you've rented through a subscription service. You can also play music, video and pictures from HTML5 websites in Internet Explorer 10.