Local network

Chromecast, AirPlay TV or printer does not show up on a Mac

Chromecast, AirPlay and AirPrint find devices with Bonjour messages on the local network. If the TV or printer is not in the list, the two devices often cannot see each other on this network.

Applies to: All current macOS versions. Local Network privacy settings are in macOS 15 Sequoia and later.Checked: 29 October 2026

Symptoms

  • Chrome's Cast menu says that no devices were found.
  • The TV is not in the Screen Mirroring list in Control Center.
  • The printer is not in System Settings > Printers & Scanners when you click Add Printer.
  • The same TV or printer works from a phone on another network, for example at home.
  • AirPlay or a cast tab stutters or freezes after some seconds.

Likely causes

  • The network keeps devices apart. Hotel, café, guest and many office networks use client isolation, also called AP isolation. Each device can reach the internet, but not the other devices. Bonjour messages do not pass, so nothing shows up.
  • The devices are on different networks. The TV can be on the guest network or on a different Wi-Fi name from the same router. Some routers do not pass Bonjour between them.
  • The TV or printer is asleep or off the network. Many TVs turn off Wi-Fi in standby. A printer can lose its Wi-Fi settings after a power cut.
  • Local Network access is off for an app. On macOS 15 and later, an app needs permission to find devices. See An app cannot find devices on the local network.
  • The Mac is on the device's own Wi-Fi. A printer's Wi-Fi Direct network (DIRECT-xx-…) or a camera's network has no internet by design. Only that one device is there.
  • The stream stutters on 2.4 GHz or a weak signal. A screen mirror needs steady airtime. 2.4 GHz, a weak signal, AirDrop scanning and big uploads on the same Wi-Fi can make it drop frames.

How to check

  1. Make sure that the Mac and the TV or printer use the same Wi-Fi name. Hold the Option key and click the Wi-Fi icon to see the Mac's network.

  2. Look for TVs and speakers that advertise Chromecast. Press Control-C to stop.

    dns-sd -B _googlecast._tcp

  3. Look for AirPlay receivers.

    dns-sd -B _airplay._tcp

  4. Look for printers.

    dns-sd -B _ipp._tcp

    Output A line with Add and a name is a device that the Mac can see. No lines after some seconds means that nothing answered.

  5. Show the devices that the Mac recently talked to. On an isolated network, you often see only the router.

    arp -a -n

    Output If many addresses show the same hardware address as the router, the network answers for every device itself. This can accompany client isolation, but ordinary routing also uses proxy ARP. It is not proof of blocked casting.

How to fix it

  1. At home, wake the TV or printer. Use the same Wi-Fi name as the Mac.

  2. On a hotel, café or guest network, client isolation is a setting of the network. You cannot turn it off. Use one of the next steps.

  3. Turn on the Personal Hotspot on your phone. Join it with the Mac and with the TV or Chromecast.

  4. Use the TV's own Wi-Fi Direct or screen-mirroring network, if it has one. For a printer, join its Wi-Fi Direct network, for example DIRECT-xx-HP …. There is no internet on that network. Go back to your Wi-Fi after you print.

  5. Connect the Mac to the TV with an HDMI cable or a USB-C to HDMI adapter.

  6. If the printer is on the network but not in the list, add it by its IP address. Choose Apple menu > System Settings > Printers & Scanners, click Add Printer, then click the IP button.

  7. If casting stutters, use your router’s 5 GHz network. Pause AirDrop and big uploads while casting. Read the Wi-Fi bands guide and AirDrop latency guide.

With Kilobat

  1. Kilobat checks a few seconds after you join a network. Health and the Wi-Fi menu report visible devices, possible isolation, or no casting devices seen.

  2. Run the same check in Terminal.

    kilobat local check

    Output It lists the TVs, AirPlay receivers and printers that answered. Proxy ARP is a possible sign of client isolation, but can also support ordinary routing. Kilobat never treats it as proof that casting is blocked. An empty sweep, a large subnet or a sign-in page alone cannot establish isolation.

  3. When the Mac joins a printer's or camera's own Wi-Fi, Kilobat says so and does not record an outage. Click Back to go to your usual Wi-Fi.

  4. During AirPlay or tab casting, Health shows possible causes of stutters. Buttons pause AirDrop and big background apps.

Questions

Can I turn off client isolation on hotel Wi-Fi?

No. It is a setting on the hotel's network equipment. Ask the front desk, or use your phone's hotspot or a cable.

Why does Kilobat say No casting devices seen and not that the network keeps devices apart?

An empty network can be a quiet home network or an isolated one. Kilobat does not guess. It says that a network may keep devices apart when proxy ARP is present, with the limitation explained.

Why is there no internet on the printer's Wi-Fi?

Wi-Fi Direct connects one device directly to the printer. The printer is the only other device on that network.

Sources

Checked on 29 October 2026.