How to turn off screen mirroring to Apple TV

[DaveWT]

Today I wanted to put some photos I have on my iMac (with Monterey) up onto our TV via our Apple TV. On the iMac I turned on screen mirroring to the Apple TV and the desktop of the iMac was shown on the TV properly with the two photos open on the desktop. I turned off the TV when satisfied and later returned to the iMac to do something else but had no sound. I realized the iMac was probably still mirroring to the Apple TV but couldn't see how to turn off mirroring from the iMac. Hours later the Apple TV was still on (whereas normally it times out after a while and shuts off.). I tried an internet search on how to turn off mirroring in Monterey but I found no Apple support documents that applied. I did find some YouTube videos that might have helped but with no sound on the iMac, they wouldn't be much help. Eventually I just restarted the iMac which returned the sound and let the Apple TV shut itself off. What have I missed in the Control Panel settings for screen mirroring?

 

[chas_m]

The Control Centre on your Mac’s menubar (which is presumably how you turned on screen mirroring) offers to turn off Airplay.

 

[DaveWT]

Thanks Chas,

I will go back and try this again and see if I can see what you have shown me,,,

 

[DaveWT]

No I am not seeing anything like you showed. I should mention I am on Monterey 12.1 I am not seeing that AirPlay icon you showed in my own menu bar.



Maybe I need reminding how to add that here. Instead, I clicked on the Control Panel icon in the menu bar (1) and then on the screen mirroring button (2).



I then selected "Entertainment Room and my iMac screen was then playing on the TV and sound was no longer coming from my iMac.



At this point my iMac showed the Entertainment Room as busy by the rotating thingy on the left.



Still no sign of that AirPlay icon in my menu bar and Display Preferences didn't offer any solution either.

This time however I did discover that if I go back to the Apple TV box and put it to sleep, it at least returns control (i.e. sound) back to the iMac, even if I can't wrestle control back from the iMac end itself.

I will spend more time trying to re-educate myself on how to get that AirPlay icon up in my menu bar.

 

[DaveWT]

All the articles I have found on getting the AirPlay icon into the menu bar seem to be from outdated articles. They send me to System Preferences > Displays to check on a box that no longer exists there. One YouTube video sent me to /System/Library/CoreServices/Menu Extras to find a Display item there that doesn't exist there on my iMac.

 

[chas_m]

Here’s how to add the AirPlay menu bar item:

how do i add airplay icon to menu bar? - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

 

[DaveWT]

Thanks for responding, Chas, but I had already been to that page (and many more web sites that didn't fit my situation.

Here is what I see...




No check box to "show mirroring options in the menu bar", And pulling down on that "Add Display" thingy lets me start mirroring but not end it.