How to Get a Real Web Browser on Apple TV, Using Your iPad
There's no web browser built into Apple TV, and no Safari to download for it. You can still browse the web on the TV: run the browser on your iPad or iPhone, and AirPlay shows it on the Apple TV, with nothing to install on the Apple TV itself. This guide covers the free built-in way and the full-screen way, step by step, plus what plays where.
Why Apple TV has no browser
Verified September 2026 · tvOS 27tvOS, the Apple TV's software, doesn't include Safari, and it doesn't give App Store apps the web engine that browsers on iPhone and iPad are built on. So instead of a browser on the Apple TV, the practical route is a browser on another device, shown on the TV over AirPlay. Nothing gets installed on the Apple TV: it only displays the picture.
Option 1: mirror Safari from your iPad (free, built in)
Open Control Center on the iPad, tap Screen Mirroring and choose the Apple TV. The TV now shows exactly what the iPad shows, Safari included. It costs nothing, but it is a copy of the iPad screen: a squarer picture with black bars on both sides of a widescreen TV, sized for the iPad rather than the TV, and you tap on the iPad while watching the TV.
Option 2: a browser that draws its own picture on the TV
ScreenCommand is an iPad and iPhone app, not an Apple TV app. Over the same AirPlay connection, it puts a desktop-class browser on the TV at the TV's own resolution, filling the screen edge to edge, while your iPad or iPhone becomes the trackpad and keyboard. You see full desktop webpages on the TV and move a cursor from the couch.
- Full desktop pages, no black bars: sites load their desktop layout at the TV’s resolution.
- Your iPad or iPhone as trackpad and keyboard: glide to move the cursor, tap to click, and type on it.
- YouTube controls: play, pause, seek and pick the quality from your iPad or iPhone, skip skippable ads with one tap, and let Cinema Mode dim its screen during fullscreen video.
- Tabs that stay: up to 4 windows with 12 tabs each, still there with your logins next time.
Step by step: a full browser on your Apple TV
You need a USB-C iPad on iPadOS 17 or later, or any iPhone on iOS 17 or later, and an Apple TV, all on the same Wi-Fi network.
- Install ScreenCommand on your iPad or iPhone from the App Store and open it.
- Check that your iPad or iPhone and the Apple TV are on the same Wi-Fi network.
- Open Control Center (swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen), tap Screen Mirroring, and choose your Apple TV.
- If a code appears on the TV, type it on your iPad or iPhone.
- The browser appears on the TV. Glide a finger on your iPad or iPhone to move the cursor, tap to click, and tap any text field to type.
AirPlay adds a little cursor lag compared with a cable. For browsing and video it works fine; if the TV has a free HDMI port and you want the snappiest cursor, a USB-C-to-HDMI adapter is the wired alternative.
What works on the TV
- Works: most websites, including YouTube, Vimeo, Twitch, web apps and anything else you would open in a desktop browser.
- Streaming services: for Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+, Paramount+ and Peacock, connect your iPad or iPhone to the TV with a USB-C cable and they play in ScreenCommand, or use the service's own Apple TV app.
- Two windows at most: ScreenCommand shows one browser window on the TV, or two side by side.
What plays where: the Netflix black screen, explained.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a web browser for Apple TV?
Apple TV has no built-in browser, and tvOS doesn't give App Store apps the web engine Safari uses. The practical way to browse on the TV is to run a browser on an iPad or iPhone and show it on the Apple TV with AirPlay. ScreenCommand does that with a full-screen desktop browser, and your iPad or iPhone becomes the trackpad.
Can I use Safari on Apple TV?
No, Safari isn't available on Apple TV. You can mirror Safari from an iPad with Screen Mirroring, but the TV then shows a copy of the iPad screen with black bars on both sides.
Do I need to install anything on the Apple TV?
No. ScreenCommand runs on your iPad or iPhone, and AirPlay sends its picture to the Apple TV, which only displays it. Both need to be on the same Wi-Fi network.
Can I watch Netflix in a browser on Apple TV?
Use a cable for Netflix: connect your iPad or iPhone to the TV with a USB-C cable and Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+, Paramount+ and Peacock play in ScreenCommand. Or use the service's own Apple TV app.
Is AirPlay fast enough to control a cursor?
Yes for browsing and video, with a little more cursor lag than a cable. If your TV has a free HDMI port, a USB-C-to-HDMI adapter gives the lowest latency.
Which Apple TV models does this work with?
Any Apple TV that shows up under Screen Mirroring on your iPad or iPhone, such as Apple TV HD or Apple TV 4K. The browser runs on the iPad or iPhone, so there's nothing to install on the Apple TV.
How do I control the browser on the TV?
From your iPad or iPhone: glide a finger to move the cursor, tap to click, and tap a text field to type on its keyboard. The Apple TV only shows the picture.
Can I use an iPhone instead of an iPad?
Yes. ScreenCommand runs on any iPhone on iOS 17 or later as well as USB-C iPads on iPadOS 17 or later, and either one sends the browser to the Apple TV over AirPlay.
More product questions (pricing, gestures, privacy) are covered in the main FAQ.