Why Is HDMI Not Playing Sound?

Picture works, but sound is missing

A working picture shows video reaches the screen while audio may go to another output or arrive in a format the next device cannot play. We'd start with a known-audible program and the selected speakers.

Keep the TV stable while reaching its ports. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's TV anchoring advice (opens in a new tab) covers freestanding sets that could tip while you reach behind them.

If both picture and sound are missing, turn on the source and select the TV input matching its HDMI port. Firmly seat both plugs. If the picture appears without sound, continue with the audio checks. If it remains missing, use the HDMI no signal guide.

Try the sound controls before changing cables

1. Clear mute and raise the volume on the TV, the HDMI source, and any connected sound system. Listen for the program through the speakers you intended to use. If it remains silent, choose those speakers in the TV settings.
2. Open the TV's Sound or Audio settings and set Sound Output to TV speakers for a direct test. Disconnect headphones and unintended Bluetooth audio, then select TV speakers again. If sound returns, audio had been routed elsewhere; if it stays silent, run the TV's built-in sound test.
3. Open Sound Test or Sound Self-Diagnosis in the TV's sound or support settings, select TV speakers if prompted, and listen. Follow any directions shown during the test. A playing test sound points you toward the HDMI source or external audio path. If the test is silent after the output and volume checks, keep that result for the repair decision.
4. If the test plays but the HDMI program is still silent, turn off the TV and source, unplug both from power for 60 seconds, reconnect them, and replay the program. If the restart does not help, continue with the source's audio setting and cable tests.

The TV's test produces its own sound, so it separates the TV speaker path from sound arriving over HDMI. Samsung's Sound Test instructions (opens in a new tab) show one route through a TV's self-diagnosis settings; follow the labels on your screen.

One HDMI source is silent

If a cable box, streaming player, or console has a picture but no sound, try another title or channel, then another app. Sound elsewhere points to the original program or audio track. If everything from that source is silent, inspect its audio output.

1. Open the source's Audio or Sound settings. Choose HDMI for its audio output instead of headphones or another connection. If the source runs through a receiver or soundbar, select the input carrying that source. Replay the same program. Sound now means the source had been sending audio elsewhere.
2. If the program remains silent, change Dolby Digital, DTS, bitstream, or passthrough output to PCM or Stereo, then replay it. Sound returning means the previous format did not work through this TV and sound system. PCM or Stereo may leave you with left and right channels instead of surround sound.
3. If settings do not help, turn off the connected devices and pull out both HDMI plugs. Push them firmly back into place, turn the devices on, and replay the program. If silence remains, substitute a known-working HDMI cable while keeping the same source, TV port, and program. Sound with the second cable points to the first cable.
4. Move that source and cable to another ordinary TV HDMI input, select the new input on the TV, and replay the program. Sound only on the new input points to the original port or its settings. If both inputs are silent, compare another source on this TV before deciding that a port has failed.

TV speakers work, but the ARC/eARC soundbar is silent

ARC and eARC send TV audio back through HDMI to a soundbar or receiver. Play the same program through TV speakers first. If it plays, test the return path. A silent built-in sound test points to the TV audio system instead.

1. Turn off the TV and sound system. Connect the TV port labeled ARC or eARC to the sound system's HDMI OUT port labeled ARC or eARC. Turn them on, select the external audio system under the TV's Sound Output setting, and select TV or ARC as the sound system's input. Replay the program; sound should come from the soundbar or receiver.
2. If the system remains silent, open the TV's HDMI control settings and enable HDMI-CEC when the ARC setup calls for it. Change the TV's digital audio output from bitstream or passthrough to PCM or Stereo, then replay the same program. Sound returning after that change identifies an audio format the system could not play.
3. Try another known-working HDMI cable between the same labeled ports. If that fails, turn off and unplug both the TV and sound system, reconnect power, and replay the program. Sound returning after the restart points to a temporary connection problem; continued silence calls for the device comparisons in the repair section.
4. If both products have optical ports, connect TV optical out to sound system optical in without forcing the plug. Select optical output on the TV and optical input on the sound system, then replay the program. Sound over optical while ARC stays silent narrows the fault to the ARC connection or its settings.

Optical uses a separate cable and cannot carry eARC formats such as uncompressed 5.1 and 7.1 audio, described in the HDMI Licensing Administrator's eARC specification (opens in a new tab). Our optical cable steps cover the fallback. If every receiver input is silent, use the home theater speaker checks.

The computer shows a picture but keeps the sound

A computer can send video to a display while keeping audio on its own speakers. Some monitors have no speakers or audio-out jack, so they cannot play that sound.

On Windows 11 or 10, open Settings > System > Sound > Output, select the TV or HDMI display, and raise its output volume. If it is missing, open More sound settings or the Sound Control Panel, look in the playback-device list for disabled devices, and turn on Show Disconnected Devices. Enable the HDMI device if it appears, then select it as Output and play the test sound. A disconnected listing sends you back to the display's power and HDMI connection.

If Windows still has no HDMI sound, run its audio troubleshooter and install available audio and graphics driver updates, including the HDMI audio driver. Retest, then try the computer on another HDMI display if it remains silent.

On a Mac, open Apple menu > System Settings > Sound > Output and select the HDMI display or connected audio system. Disconnect headphones or external speakers if they keep taking the output, select HDMI again, and play a system sound or known video. If you connected through a DVI-to-HDMI adapter, try a direct HDMI connection: some DVI adapters carry picture without audio, so that setup needs a separate audio connection.

Which device failed and what repair may cost

With a known-working cable, play the same source on another TV, then connect a second source to the original TV. If the first is silent on both TVs while the second plays, focus on the first source. If both fail on one TV port, retest it with its input selected. A different working port points to the original input or its settings.

Compare TV speakers with ARC output too. A built-in sound test that plays through TV speakers while the soundbar stays silent points to the return connection or sound system. A silent test after selecting TV speakers and clearing mute points to the TV audio system. If the soundbar also stays silent on another TV after input, format, and cable checks, report the soundbar.

Once a port, the TV audio system, or the soundbar repeatedly fails, contact its maker or warranty provider. Give the model, purchase date, coverage status, and sound test, cable, port, source, and TV results. For out-of-warranty service, get a written diagnosis and repair total from a qualified TV or audio shop. Confirm whether its diagnostic fee is credited before booking.

At an independent shop, a simple jack repair on an ordinary TV takes 1 to 2 hours at $60 to $125 an hour, with no new part. An older standard TV main-board replacement uses a model-matched board at $150 to $240 and 1 to 3 hours at $60 to $125 an hour, plus a separately billed bench diagnosis.

Compare the written total, including travel or pickup, with the cost of replacing the affected device before authorizing work.

A few more HDMI sound questions