Picture of a successfully set up Google Chromecast Audio streamer on the -Devices- page of the Google Home app.

How to Play Music from PC on Google Home

Covers how to play music from PC on Google Home speakers. But why would you want to do this?  Well, maybe you have some local audio files in your music library on your Windows PC.  So you’d like to cast them to your Google Home  speakers since these sound pretty good.  Or, you could play your local content through a Chromecast or Chromecast Audio receiver.  Thus, here’s how to stream to your Google Home speakers from your PC. In fact, this process works very much like Universal Plug and Play (UPnP). UPnP allows you to play audio on the PC through UPnP network speakers.

How to Play Music from PC on Google Home: Preparing for This

First, make sure your PC and Google Home devices you wish to cast to, are on the same computer network.  That is, they all should connect to the same router.

Next, install a Chromecast enabled app / program on your PC that you want to play the music from.  E.g. Here, we use the Google Chrome web browser.

How to Play Music from PC on Google Home Speakers

1. Bring Up the Chromecast Enabled App

Screenshot of the Google Chrome browser on PC desktop, showing the shortcut icon.
The Google Chrome browser on PC desktop, showing the shortcut icon.
Screenshot of the Google Chrome browser -Home- page showing the main menu button.
The Google Chrome browser -Home- page showing the main menu button.

2. Bring Up the Chrome Browser Main Menu

Screenshot of the main menu showing the -Cast- item. You need a browser to set up music play from a PC.
The main menu showing the -Cast- item. You need a browser to set up music play from a PC.

3. Click the Cast… Item to Continue with How to Play Music from PC on Google Home

Thirdly, the   Cast To   menu then pops up.  Then this shows all speaker devices found on the same network as the PC.

Screenshot of the -Cast To- menu, showing the -Living Room Speaker- Google Home entry.
The -Cast To- menu, showing the -Living Room Speaker- Google Home entry.

4. Choose the Google Home Speaker Device to Play To

In the screenshot above, we arrowed the  Living Room Speaker  device.

We then click on this speaker.





This then brings up the Living Room Speaker window.  Furthermore, any audio playing on the current tab is no longer casting to our   Living Room Speaker  device.

Screenshot of the -Living Room Speaker Casting- window. To play music on a Google Home from this PC, you must first set up this casting.
The -Living Room Speaker Casting- window. To play music on a Google Home from this PC, you must first set up this casting.

Thus any audio in the current tab, will now stream to  Living Room Speaker.

5. Next, Put the Audio File you Wish to Play into the Chrome Browser Address Bar

Screenshot of the path to a music file to play in the address bar.
The path to a music file to play in the address bar.

6. Then, Let the Music Play, to Continue with How to Play Music from PC on Google Home

Once you enter the local URL of the file on your PC you wish to play, press the Enter key.

Then this starts the file playing on your Google Home speaker device.

Screenshot of the Google Chrome browser on a PC, during play of a local audio file.
The Google Chrome browser on a PC, during play of a local audio file.

Additionally, on this screen, you can control the position in the file currently playing (left slider control).  Furthermore, you can set the volume of the Google speaker (right slider control).

7. Done with How to Play Music from PC on Google Home !





How to Change Speaker you’re 
Playing Music On

1. Bring Up the Chrome Browser Main Menu

Screenshot of the main menu again, showing the -Cast- item.
Back to the main menu showing the -Cast- item.

2. Click the Cast… Item

Then the Cast To menu then pops up. But this time, you see the current speaker receiving the music audio.

E.g. See this in the next picture.

Screenshot of the -Casting Local Content to Living Room Speaker- window, with the -Back-link highlighted.
The -Casting Local Content to Living Room Speaker- window, with the -Back-link highlighted.

3. Click the  <– (Back)   Link

This then takes you back to the list of available Google Chromecast devices. This time though, you see the speaker currently playing the PC audio, colored blue.

Screenshot of the -Cast To- menu. The -Living Room Speaker- is playing. Highlighting the -Office Speaker- entry.
The -Cast To- menu. The -Living Room Speaker- is playing. Highlighting the -Office Speaker- entry.

 

4. Next, Click the New Speaker to Play your Audio Content

In our case here, we click   Office Speaker.

Then, playback switches to the office speaker, and then the Casting Local Content window again appears as follows. Thus it shows the office speaker now playing.

Screenshot of the -Casting Local Content to Office Speaker- window. A necessary step to play music from this PC on the Google Home speaker.
The -Casting Local Content to Office Speaker- window. A necessary step to play music from this PC on the Google Home speaker.

5. Done with How to Play Music from PC on Google Home !

So you have now changed from one receiving Google Home speaker device to another.





How to Stop Playing Music (Casting) to the Google Home Speaker Device

Then for devices with the Google Assistant, you can stop casting by saying to them:

    • Okay Google, stop.
    • Hey Google, stop. 

But to stop casting from the PC, when at the PC, run through the following routine.

1. Bring Up the Chrome Browser Main Menu

Screenshot of the main menu with the -Cast- item highlighted.
The main menu with the -Cast- item highlighted.

2. Click the Cast… Item

The Cast To menu then pops up.  But this time, you see the current speaker receiving the music audio.

Screenshot of the -Casting Local Content- window, to -Office Speaker-. Showing the STOP button.
The -Casting Local Content- window, to -Office Speaker-. Showing the STOP button.

3. Click the   STOP   Link

Clicking the STOP link stops the casting to   Office Speaker   (in this case). Then the audio output returns to the PC speakers. Moreover, the content continues playing at the PC.

4. Done !

AT last, you have now successfully stopped playing music from your PC on a Google Home speaker device.

Other Posts About Google Home

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    2. How to Pair Victor Reader Trek with These Speakers
    3. Pairing Routine
    4. How to Turn On Bluetooth
    5. Power Supply Specs for the Original Speaker

References for How to Play Music from PC on Google Home

    1. Official Google Home Product Page