How to Connect Your Firestick to Your PC Monitor or Laptop
Last Updated on September 11, 2022 by Andrew White
A question I am often asked is, can I plug my fire stick into my pc or laptop? If you are looking for the answer to this question, then this article will give you the answers you need.
Can I Plug My Firestick Into a PC or Laptop?
The short answer is yes. You can plug your firestick or any other streaming device into your pc and it is easy to do. However, the method that I am going to show in this article is dependent upon three things:
1. Video Capture Device
You can’t just plug your firestick into an HDMI port on your pc or laptop and expect to be able to view it. For the majority of pc or laptop users, the HDMI ports on your pc or laptop are output only. This means that they are only capable of outputting video to connected devices such as your monitor, projector, or tv. And they do not facilitate incoming video feeds. Because we can’t use the HDMI port to input the video feed from your fire stick to your pc or laptop. You will need some sort of video capture device like this one.
Below you can find my recommendations for capture devices that you can order on Amazon.
The first one is the HDMI capture card supports max input resolution 4K @30Hz, max output resolution 1080P @30Hz with high-speed USB 2.0 technology. Click on the button below to check the price on Amazon.
The second one is TKHIN HDMI video capture card Type-C output. Click on the button below to check the price on Amazon.
2. Spare USB Port
You will need a spare USB port to plug the video capture device into.
3. OBS Studio Software
You will need a piece of software to be able to open and view the video feed on your pc or laptop from your fire stick. In this article, I’m using free software called OBS Studio. So if you haven’t already got it you can download it here for free.
Click the download button and follow any instructions on the screen to install OBS Studio.
How to Connect Firestick to a PC
Open OBS Studio. Next, plug your firestick into the HDMI port on your video capture device. And then plug the USB port from your capture device into any spare USB port on your pc or laptop. Your first stick will still need power, so make sure you connect the power supply to your fire stick.
Give your fire stick a few minutes to power up.
Then head back over to OBS Studio. There are a few steps to set up OBS to be able to view the video feed from the fire stick. So next we will go through it step-by-step:
First, we need to tell OBS to find your fire stick. At the bottom of the screen find the sources box and click on the plus button.
Choose Video Capture Device from the list.
Then Create/Select Source box will open. Give this source a name and as I’m connecting my firestick I’ll name it firestick and then click ok.
Now you will see the properties box. And if your capture device isn’t already selected in the device box.
Click the arrow button to find and select your capture device.
Now use the scroll bar to move down inside of this properties box. And click the box Use custom audio device and select ok.
Your fire stick should now be showing in the center window.
Next, we need to tell OBS where we want the sound output. Select Settings from the lower right of your screen.
Then select Audio from the menu.
At the side of the settings box find the advanced section. Click the arrow button in the monitoring device box. Find and select the monitor or headphones that you would like to hear the sound from click apply and then ok.
Next, we need to tell OBS where to grab the sound from. Across the bottom of the screen inside the audio mixer box. Click the cog icon. And then click Advanced Audio Properties.
Underneath Audio Monitoring section, click the arrow button located on the same row as your firestick. Select monitor and output then click close.
The final step is to put your firestick full screen on the monitor you want to display it on. Right-click on any grey part of the screen. From the menu highlight over Fullscreen Projector (Preview). Then choose the monitor you want to watch your firestick on.
And that’s it. You should now be able to view your firestick on your pc or laptop in full screen and with audio.
Don’t Forget to Use ExpressVPN on Your Firestick
If you are someone who streams content from apps like Redbox TV, Live Net TV, or from IPTV services like Sapphire Secure or outer Limits then I highly suggest you use ExpressVPN to be able to access full content everywhere you go. ExpressVPN is the fastest and most secure VPN available. Not only is it easy to install on any device, it comes with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee. Plus, if you’re not 100% satisfied, you can always get a refund. ExpressVPN is currently also offering a whopping 3 extra months free on their annual plan!
Follow the below steps to know how you can install ExpressVPN on your FireStick.
- First of all, go to your FireStick home screen.
- Now go to the search option and type ‘ExpressVPN‘
- Now the app will appear right in front of your screen.
- Click on the Get button to start the downloading process.
- Now visit the ExpressVPN website and place your order.
- Enter your Login ID and Password.
- After signing in click the Power icon to connect to a VPN server. That’s all. Your connection is now secure with the fastest and best VPN for FireStick.
Wrapping Up
In this post, we walk through the step-by-step processes to connect your firestick to your PC or laptop. I hope that this article has helped if it did and you found this post useful.
