The Unwanted Broadcast
macOS allows you to mirror your iPhone or iPad screen directly to your Mac’s display using AirPlay. To facilitate this, your Mac essentially broadcasts a continuous, invisible signal declaring itself as an available “AirPlay Receiver” on your local Wi-Fi network. While incredibly useful for presentations, it poses a significant annoyance (and minor security risk) in shared environments like college dorms, busy offices, or public cafes. Anyone on the same network pulling up their AirPlay menu will see your specific Mac listed as a target. If they accidentally click it, they will suddenly prompt a full-screen notification on your computer, interrupting your work and attempting to hijack your display.
Shutting Down the Receiver
To maintain your privacy, declutter the network for other users, and disable the AirPlay Receiver feature completely in macOS, you must turn off the specific sharing service.
Click the Apple logo in the extreme top-left corner of your screen and select System Settings from the dropdown menu. In the left-hand navigation sidebar, scroll down and click on General. On the right-hand panel, click on AirDrop & Handoff. Look down the list of options for the toggle switch explicitly named AirPlay Receiver. Click this toggle switch so it turns from green to grey (Off). You may be prompted to enter your administrator password or use Touch ID to confirm this system-level change. Once disabled, your Mac will immediately stop broadcasting its availability. It will completely disappear from the AirPlay menus of all other Apple devices on the network, ensuring you cannot receive unsolicited screen-sharing requests.