When it comes to watching your favorite movies and series, you can use Amazon Fire TV Stick, which is one of the best options available in the market.

The best thing is it’s highly portable, you can drop that in your pocket and go to your favorite place. You can use Amazon Fire TV Stick to stream shows on any TV with an HDMI port.

We know that whenever you travel, you carry a laptop with you. Maybe you want to stream videos while on the go.

But is it possible to stream videos on a laptop using Amazon Fire TV Stick?

At first glance, it seems possible, but it isn’t that simple.

In this article, we will see why it’s difficult to use Amazon Fire TV Stick on a laptop and not on a TV. We will also look at some of the hacks through which you can use it on your laptop easily.

Why is it Difficult to Stream Videos on a Laptop Using Amazon Fire TV Stick?

As we discussed above, Amazon Fire TV Stick uses HDMI to connect to your TV.

Now, you might be thinking, “laptops also have the HDMI port, then what’s the issue?”

If we go deeper, then you’ll come to know that there are two types of HDMI port, i.e, HDMI input and HDMI output.

Amazon Fire TV Stick is a broadcast device which means it’s equipped with the HDMI output connector. On the other hand, your laptop’s HDMI port is also an HDMI output connector. But, there’s no HDMI input connector in both the devices.

In short, both Amazon Fire TV Stick and laptop send their signals to external sources (or screens) and they do not accept those signals.

That’s why you cannot use Amazon Fire TV Stick with the laptop directly. However, there are still two options you could use, but both methods aren’t cheap.

Method 1: Elgato HD60 S and ViewHD HDMI Splitter

Before we move ahead, you need to make sure that you have got a powerful laptop because lightweights won’t make the cut.

For instance, if you have got a MacBook, then it should be running Sierra or higher, in case if you have been using a Windows PC, then it should be running Windows 10 64-bit. After that, you need an i-5-4xxx quad-core processor or above and a graphics card (NVIDIA GeForce GTX600 or better). Lastly, it should have a USB 3.0 port.

Once you meet all the above requirements, you’re good to go.

The Elgato HD60 S accepts unencrypted HDMI video signal and lets you stream it to your laptop via USB-C.

Amazon Fire Stick sends HDMI signals that use HDCP (an encryption protocol). The HDCP is used so that no one can copy or steal the digital content while streaming.

Now, the problem is Elgato HD60 S only works with unencrypted signals, therefore, you need a device that can remove the encryption from the HDMI signals.

That’s why you need to use ViewHD HDMI Splitter along with Elgato HD60 S.

The ViewHD HDMI splitter is used to strip HDCP encryption out, by routing an HDMI signal through it.

Let’s see how the whole process will be done:

The Amazon Fire Stick sends out the encrypted HDMI signal to the ViewHD HDMI Splitter. The splitter will receive that signal and make it unencrypted. Afterwards, the signal will go through the Elgato HD60 S streaming software, through the USB 3.0 port on your laptop. And finally, you’ll be able to watch the video on your screen.

Before you commit to this method, we want to make it clear that there isn’t a guarantee that the method will work.

Method 2: Laptop with an HDMI Input

As we mentioned above, the laptop has an HDMI output connector only. Although there have been some laptops that offered both HDMI input & output ports.

 One such laptop is Alienware M17xR4. But it was released in 2012, so you can assume how updated this laptop is.

How to Cast from a Laptop to an Amazon Fire Stick?

You can also use Amazon Fire Stick to cast movies and TV shows from your laptop to your television.

Firstly, make sure that you have the following things done:

• Amazon Fire Stick is plugged on to your TV.
• You have logged on to your device with the Amazon credentials.
• Your laptop and Fire Stick are on the same Wi-Fi network.

Now, you can follow the steps below:

• Press and hold the ‘Home’ button on your Amazon Fire Stick remote.
• The settings will be opened, where you have to select ‘Mirroring’. To select it, press the right arrow button on the remote.
• At the bottom right of your screen, click on the ‘Notifications’ icon.
• Here, you need to select ‘Connect’.
• Now, the Amazon Fire Stick will be displayed under the devices, you need to select the ‘[Prime account] Fire Stick’.
• The devices will be connected successfully.

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You may know Amazon Fire Stick uses Amazon’s database which means if you’re a Prime account, then you can directly stream movies and TV shows on your laptop.

Of course, the Amazon Fire Stick is introduced to view your favorite shows on your home television, certainly not while on the go.

Have you successfully used the Amazon Fire TV Stick on a laptop? Or, do you know any other methods? Do tell us in the comment section below.