You’re sitting on the couch, phone in hand, ready to blast that new music video or a 40-minute video essay onto the big screen. You open the app. You look at the top right. Nothing. The little rectangle with the Wi-Fi waves in the corner—the holy grail of modern convenience—is just gone. Honestly, it’s infuriating. Knowing where is the casting button on youtube shouldn't feel like solving a cold case mystery, but sometimes the UI feels like it’s playing hide-and-seek with your sanity.
It’s usually right there. Top of the screen.
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But when it isn't, your brain starts looping through the usual suspects. Is the Wi-Fi down? Did the TV fall off the network? Did Google move the button again just to mess with us? Usually, it's a mix of software handshakes failing and simple setting toggles that got flipped during a background update.
The Standard Hiding Spots for the Cast Icon
On a normal day, the casting icon lives in the header of the YouTube mobile app. If you're on an iPhone or Android, look next to the search magnifying glass and your profile picture. It looks like a small TV screen with a signal icon in the bottom left corner. If you’re watching a video in full-screen mode, you might have to tap the screen once to make the overlay appear. It often sits right in the top right corner of the video player itself.
Desktop users have it a bit differently. You won't always see a dedicated "Cast" button inside the YouTube web player unless you’re using Google Chrome or a Chromium-based browser like Brave or Edge. In those cases, you’re often looking for the cast option in the browser's own menu (the three dots in the top right) rather than a button strictly inside the video progress bar.
Sometimes it’s just tucked away.
Why the Casting Button Vanishes
The most common reason people ask where is the casting button on youtube isn't because they forgot what it looks like. It's because the app has decided your devices aren't speaking the same language anymore. For the icon to even show up, your phone and your Chromecast, Roku, or Smart TV must be on the exact same SSID.
Check your bands.
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Many routers today split signals into 2.4GHz and 5GHz. If your phone hopped onto the 5GHz for speed but your older Vizio TV is chugging along on the 2.4GHz band, they are effectively invisible to each other. They’re in the same house but different dimensions.
Then there’s the "Local Network" permission issue on iOS. This is a big one. Since iOS 14, Apple requires you to give apps explicit permission to look for other devices on your home network. If you accidentally hit "Don't Allow" six months ago, YouTube will never show you that casting button because it isn't allowed to see your TV. You have to go into your iPhone Settings, scroll down to YouTube, and toggle "Local Network" to on. It’s a literal light switch for your connectivity.
Troubleshooting When the Icon is Missing
If the button is MIA, don't panic. Start with the "power cycle" dance. It’s a cliché for a reason. Turn the Wi-Fi off on your phone and back on. If that fails, restart the YouTube app. Force quit it—don't just swipe it away.
The Google Home App Trick
Sometimes the YouTube app gets "stuck." If you can't find the button, open the Google Home app. If your casting device shows up there and is reachable, it proves the hardware is fine. Often, simply "waking up" the device in the Home app forces the YouTube cast icon to reappear.
Using "Link with TV Code"
If you’re stuck at a hotel or on a complex university network where standard mDNS (the tech that makes casting work) is blocked, the button might never appear naturally. This is where the manual backup comes in. Go to your TV's YouTube app, head to Settings, and find "Link with TV Code." Then, on your phone, tap your profile picture > Settings > General > Watch on TV and enter that blue code.
It’s old school. It’s tedious. But it works 100% of the time.
Software Versions and App Bloat
Updates happen. Sometimes Google experiments with the UI. In some versions of the app, the cast button has been known to migrate into the "Share" menu, though this is rare and usually part of an A/B test that gets rolled back. If you are running an ancient version of the app because you’re afraid of losing a specific feature, you might be dealing with broken API hooks.
The casting protocols (like DIAL and mDNS) evolve. If your TV’s firmware is from 2019 and your phone is running the 2026 version of YouTube, they might have trouble shaking hands. Check for firmware updates on your TV. Yes, even TVs need "system updates" now. It's the world we live in.
Is it a Hardware Failure?
Rarely, but it happens. If your Chromecast is powered by the USB port on the back of your TV, it might be "browned out." TVs often don't provide enough juice through those ports to keep the Wi-Fi chip stable. The device stays on, but it drops off the network. Try plugging the Chromecast into a wall outlet. You’ll notice the icon stays much more consistent.
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Actionable Steps to Get Your Casting Back
To ensure you never have to hunt for where is the casting button on youtube again, follow this quick checklist when things go sideways:
- Verify the Network: Ensure both devices are on the same Wi-Fi name (check the 2.4 vs 5GHz split).
- Toggle Local Network Permissions: (iOS specific) Go to Settings > YouTube > Local Network > On.
- Update Everything: Hit the App Store or Play Store. If there’s an update, take it.
- The Nuclear Option: Unplug your router for 30 seconds. It clears the cache of device tables that might be blocking the handshake.
- Manual Pairing: Use the "Link with TV Code" feature in the YouTube settings menu for a guaranteed connection that bypasses Wi-Fi discovery issues.
Stop stressing over the UI. Most of the time, the button is just waiting for the network to acknowledge that your devices are actually in the same room. Once the handshake is solid, that little rectangle will pop right back into its home at the top of your screen.