You can display Excel, Google Sheets, Power BI, a calendar, slides, a website and social feeds on a TV by pairing the screen with signage software that reads each source and refreshes it on a timer. The table below shows what each source does, when to use it and its Screenbird guide.
Why not just open the file on the TV?
A laptop cast to a TV stops when the laptop sleeps, locks or leaves the room. A USB stick means exporting the file again after every edit. A screen that runs all day works better with software that reads the source itself.
With signage software the file stays where it is. The player on the screen re-reads the source at a set interval, so an edit made in Excel, Google Sheets or a calendar shows up on the TV without anyone touching the screen.
What you can show on a signage screen, and how
| Source | What it shows | When to use | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excel | The pages of a workbook stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, as a slideshow with a set time per page or as one fixed page | The numbers already live in Excel and one person owns the file | How to display Excel on a TV |
| Google Sheets | A tab of a spreadsheet, either the full sheet or a cell range such as A1:D10 | A team edits a shared sheet, for example prices, rosters or results | Show a Google Sheet on a TV |
| Power BI | A report, cycling through its pages, one chosen page, or a dashboard; the data refresh defaults to 15 minutes | Management or sales numbers already sit in a Power BI workspace | Display Power BI on a TV |
| Calendar | Google Calendar as an agenda (1 to 90 days ahead, 14 by default), a day, a week or a month; Outlook Calendar has its own app | Events, classes, room use or a rota that people already keep in a calendar | Put a Google Calendar on a TV |
| Google Slides | A presentation whose slides advance on their own, with a chosen transition | The content is a slide deck that several people maintain | How to display Google Slides on a TV |
| PowerPoint | A deck from OneDrive or SharePoint, shown for 1 to 60 seconds per slide with a choice of transitions | The deck lives in Microsoft 365 | Show a PowerPoint on a TV |
| Word document | A .docx file, page by page, for 1 to 120 seconds per page | A policy, a rota or a notice already exists as a Word document | Display a Word document on a TV |
| Canva | A Canva design, from its public share link; no Canva account connection is needed | The design team already works in Canva | How to display Canva on a TV |
| Your own feed or Stories in the layout you choose, after a one-time sign-in | A shop, cafe or club that posts regularly and wants the posts on a screen | Put Instagram on a TV | |
| TikTok | Your own TikTok videos, or videos you paste as links, one after another | Short vertical videos are the main content | Show TikTok on a TV |
| Website | A web page in a frame, with zoom from 50 to 200 percent and automatic reloading | A public page, such as a news page or a booking page, should appear as it is | Display a website on a TV |
| Dashboard tool | A dashboard from a tool that allows a shared embed link, reloaded at your interval | Your metrics sit in a tool other than Power BI, and the tool allows embedding | Put a dashboard on a TV |
| Laptop screen | Whatever you share from a laptop browser: a screen, a window or a tab | A one-off presentation or demo | Mirror your laptop to a TV |
| Notice board | A title and a message in your own colors, with optional start and end dates | Short messages that staff update often | How to make a digital notice board |
How do you display Excel, Google Sheets or Power BI on a TV?
The steps are almost the same for every source. Only the connection step differs.
- Create an account in a browser and pair the screen: install the player on the TV or stick and enter its 6-character code in the dashboard.
- Open Files, click New and choose New app. Pick the source, for example Google Sheets, Excel, Power BI or Google Calendar.
- Connect your account (Google or Microsoft) or paste a public link. A connected account also works for private files.
- Choose the file and the display options, such as the cell range, the page rotation or the calendar view. A live preview shows the result.
- Set the refresh interval, save, and send the app to the screen or add it to a playlist.
Differences are worth knowing before you start. Google Sheets can show a cell range, and the Excel app shows the pages of a workbook. A Power BI report can rotate through its pages when a Microsoft account is connected, while a pasted public link stays on one page. For Excel, a public link shows the workbook as it comes, and page selection needs a connected Microsoft account. Edits appear at the next refresh, not the moment you save.
Which source should you pick?
- The data changes often and a team owns it: a spreadsheet (Google Sheets or Excel) or a calendar. The screen follows the file.
- You already have a polished report: Power BI, or a dashboard tool that allows embedding.
- The content is a presentation: Google Slides or PowerPoint for decks, Word for documents, Canva for designs.
- The content is social: Instagram or TikTok, connected once.
- The content does not exist yet: design it in the designer from a template, or write a notice.
- You need the screen only today: share a laptop tab for a one-off session.
- The screen is a wide LED banner or an LED wall: use pixel mapping for LED walls to send a wide image in pieces over one HDMI output, and let the LED processor put it back together.
Set it up with Screenbird
Screenbird is built for small teams with mixed screens. It has every feature in one plan, including the apps for Google Sheets, Slides and Calendar, Power BI, Excel (see Screenbird's Excel integration), SharePoint and OneDrive, Canva and Instagram. Screenbird also has a designer with more than 250 templates and an AI assistant that builds playlists and schedules from plain-language instructions. The price is EUR 12 per screen per month billed annually, or EUR 15 billed monthly, excluding VAT, with a 7-day free trial that needs a credit card. Screens keep playing when the internet drops. Related reading: content ideas for each type of venue.
Can I display an Excel spreadsheet on a TV?
Yes. With digital signage software that has an Excel app, you pick a workbook stored in OneDrive or SharePoint and the screen shows its pages. In Screenbird the pages can cycle on a timer or one page can stay fixed, and the file is re-read at the refresh interval you set.
How do I show a Google Sheet on a TV and keep it updated?
Add the sheet as an app in your signage software, choose the tab and optionally a cell range, and set a refresh interval. The screen re-reads the sheet at that interval, so edits appear without anyone touching the screen.
Can a TV show a Power BI report?
Yes, through a signage app that connects your Microsoft account. Screenbird shows a report as a slideshow of its pages or as one chosen page, or shows a dashboard, and the data refresh defaults to 15 minutes.
Can I put a calendar on a TV?
Yes. Screenbird has a Google Calendar app with agenda, day, week and month views, and a separate Outlook Calendar app. The agenda can look 1 to 90 days ahead.
Do I need a computer connected to the TV?
No. A small player on the TV, such as a stick, pulls the content itself. A laptop is only needed for the one-off case of sharing its screen.
Why is my website blank on the screen?
The site probably blocks being shown inside another page, or it asks for a login. Check for an embed version of the page, or show the data in a design instead.
Sources: Screenbird guide: Excel on a TV · Screenbird guide: Google Sheets on a TV · Screenbird guide: Power BI on a TV · Screenbird guide: Google Calendar on a TV · Screenbird guide: Google Slides on a TV · Screenbird guide: PowerPoint on a TV · Screenbird guide: Word document on a TV · Screenbird guide: Canva on a TV · Screenbird guide: Instagram on a TV · Screenbird guide: TikTok on a TV · Screenbird guide: website on a TV · Screenbird guide: dashboard on a TV · Screenbird guide: mirror a laptop to a TV · Screenbird guide: digital notice board