How to Stream Video From Your Mac to Your iPhone The Super Easy Way

This guide will show you step by step how to stream video from your Mac to your iPhone or iPad, using software already installed on your devices.

More accurately, you can stream audio and video from your Mac to your iPhone/iPad – without having to install anything. Here’s how –

Enable File Sharing in macOS

The first thing you’ll need to do is make sure you have File Sharing enabled on your Mac – which is simple enough. Click the Apple button from your Menu Bar and select System Preferences… from the list of options. Then in the System Preferences, select Sharing

Make sure there’s a check in the box labelled File Sharing and then confirm the ‘circle’ next to File Sharing: On has turned green.

That’s it! Your Mac is ready to stream content to your iPhone or iPad.

Stream Video Your Mac to your iPhone or iPad

1. On your iPhone or iPad, open the Files app. Though it should be installed by default, if you’ve removed it you can install it from the App Store.



2. Tap the “Circle with three dots in it” button (see screenshot below) located in the upper-right corner of the Files home screen.



3. Select Connect to Server from the list of options.



4. Here you’ll need to enter the IP address of your Mac – which can be found in the next step.



5. Back on your Mac, hold down the option key and click the WiFi icon in your Menu Bar. Instead of just displaying the WiFi On/Off toggle and your network name, it will display a whole bunch of info about your connection. Locate the IP Address: line and make note of the address.



6. Enter that address into the Files app Server field and then tap the Connect link.



7. Now make sure to select the Registered User option, and then enter your Mac username and password in the spaces provided. Tap Next to continue.



8. After a moment, the files and folders on your Mac will appear.



9. Navigate to a video file and select it. Important Note: you’ll only be able to stream the audio and video formats that the iPhone/iPad supports. For video, that’s M4V, MP4, MOV and some AVI files. For audio, you should be able to play MP3, AAC, AC3, WAV and ALAC.



10. Tap the Play button.



11. Ta-da! You can now watch videos stored on your Mac, on your iPhone or iPad!