Windows 11 includes a built-in feature called “Projecting to this PC,” which leverages the Miracast wireless display standard to turn your computer into a wireless monitor for other devices. When enabled, anyone on your local network (or even nearby, depending on your settings) can attempt to cast their smartphone, tablet, or another Windows PC screen directly onto your monitor.
While useful in collaborative environments or boardrooms, leaving your PC acting as a Miracast receiver in a public space, university dorm, or busy office can lead to severe security and privacy issues. Unauthorized users can spam your machine with connection requests, disrupting your workflow, or maliciously attempt to project inappropriate content onto your screen. If you never intend to use your PC monitor as a wireless display for another device, you should completely disable the “Projecting to this PC” feature to secure your system.
Why Disable ‘Projecting to this PC’?
There are several critical reasons to turn off the Miracast receiver functionality:
- Connection Spam: Bad actors in close proximity can repeatedly attempt to pair with your PC, causing disruptive pop-up notifications that interrupt your work.
- Resource Overhead: Listening for incoming Miracast connections requires the Wi-Fi adapter and background services to remain active, consuming unnecessary battery on laptops.
- Attack Surface Reduction: Disabling unnecessary wireless listening services is a fundamental principle of system hardening, preventing potential exploits targeting the Miracast protocol.
How to Turn Off ‘Projecting to this PC’ in Windows 11
You can easily disable your PC’s discoverability as a wireless display directly through the Windows Settings app.
- Open the Windows Settings app by pressing Windows Key + I on your keyboard.
- In the left-hand navigation pane, select System.
- Scroll down the main window and click on Projecting to this PC.
- Look for the first drop-down menu titled “Some Windows and Android devices can project to this PC when you say it’s OK.”
- Click the drop-down menu and change the setting to Always Off (Recommended).
- (Optional) If you want to be absolutely certain the feature cannot be enabled by another user account on the same PC, you can remove the optional feature entirely. Navigate to Settings > Apps > Optional features.
- Search for Wireless Display in the list of installed features.
- Click on it and select Uninstall.
Once disabled (or uninstalled), your Windows 11 PC will immediately stop broadcasting its availability as a Miracast receiver, ensuring that no nearby devices can attempt to project to your screen.