Connecting your Chromebook to your TV is amazing for those who prefer bigger screens.
(It’s the next closest thing to buying a Chromebook with a huge screen.)
Whether you’re trying to get some work done or just watching your favorite YouTube channels, Twitch streams, movies, etc.
Connecting to a TV is often the cheapest solution given that you have a TV with HDMI connections (basically all modern TVs have this).
So you plug in the HDMI cable to your Chromebook. Then you plug it into the TV.
You change the input to the proper HDMI channel, and you see the display being broadcasted to the TV. But alas, you have no sound! Or worse, you have no PICTURE.
Gasp.
The picture shows up fine, but no sound comes through the TV or the Chromebook. Or vice versa.
How do you get the sound on your TV? Or get the picture to your TV from your Chromebook? Read on.
The picture shows, but there’s no sound
Check that the connection is correctly…connected
First, turn everything off. Turn off your Chromebook and the TV entirely.
Next, plug one end of the HDMI cable into the HDMI out port on the back of your Chromebook.
Plug the other end into the TV. Make sure it’s “HDMI IN”.
Turn on both devices.
The Chromebook will automatically find the HDMI connection when it’s turned on. It should project to the TV on its own.
If you see no picture on the TV, use this TV troubleshooting guide to fix it.
Turn up the volume
Once you see the display on the TV from your laptop, turn up the volume on the TV first. Then turn up the volume on your Chromebook.
Both the TV and the Chromebook will control the volume.
If you still get no sound, make sure that the TV isn’t muted. And the Chromebook isn’t muted either.
Still no sound from the TV?
If the above doesn’t resolve the issue, it could be a hardware fault.
Whether it’s the cable, laptop, or HDMI TV itself, try the following tips to resolve it:
- Try turning on the TV first, then the Chromebook second. The audio may be muted on either device, so double-check that it’s NOT MUTED.
- Restart the Chromebook completely using the shutdown option.
- Try using another HDMI cable.
- Unplug the HDMI cable so the picture restores back to your laptop. Then try playing audio using your Chromebook’s speakers. See if the sound plays on the device itself. Try audio speakers and use a headset jack.
- Check your TV. Play audio from a random channel. Is there sound?
- Contact the manufacturer if you still can’t get the sound to play. It could be a defect with your device, which should be covered by the warranty if it’s within the coverage period.
The sound comes through, but no picture
Repeat the same steps as above.
Use the process of elimination to find out where the issue lies.
If there’s sound, but no picture, it’s likely that you’re on the right channel with the right cable.
However, you’ll want to check that the Chromebook is broadcasting to the TV correctly.
- Try playing different video clips.
- Adjust the resolution of the Chromebook.
- Turn on the Chromebook first before you turn on the TV.
- Try connecting to a different TV or using a different laptop.
- Swap the HDMI cable for another one instead.
No picture and no sound
If you don’t have sound or picture, you’ll want to go through the same steps as outlined above.
But make sure that you’re on the right channel on your TV. They usually have multiple HDMI input channels, so you need to have something playing on your Chromebook while scrolling through the channels.
If you’re using an adapter, plug the cable into the adapter first, then plug it into your Chromebook’s USB-C port.
The Chromebook should be off when plugging in the cord.
Enable “Mirror Internal Imaging” on your Chromebook.
Go to the Launcher > Settings > Advanced > Device > Displays > Arrangement > Check the “mirror internal display” box.
Use the process of elimination to fix it
The PoE is very powerful to determine the source of the issue. By trying different things, you can easily rule out potential problems. Try the following tricks:
Try plugging in a different laptop and seeing if it works. If it doesn’t, then the issue lies with the TV or HDMI cable.
Try connecting to a different TV. If it doesn’t work, then the issue is likely with the Chromebook or HDMI cable.
Try swapping cables. You should be able to find a spare cable from other devices or buy one online for $5. If the issue still persists, it can be either device.
Try a hard reboot of your Chromebook by pressing the Power + Refresh buttons together. Hold until your Chromebook restarts.
This is called a hardware reboot. It forces your Chromebook to reboot all hardware systems like the USB mouse, peripherals, RAM, CPU, camera, or external keyboards. It’s commonly used to fix the camera when it’s not working.
It doesn’t delete saved data, so don’t worry about losing your data (unless it’s not saved before you reboot). Note that this is NOT the same as a factory reset (aka Powerwash).
Check your HDMI output settings are correct on your Chromebook. If it’s wrongly configured, it won’t work!
Try connecting your Chromebook wirelessly to your TV.
If you have a work or school Chromebook, check with your facility that they didn’t block HDMI connections to TVs. You can’t circumvent this so you’ll need to get them to enable it for you.
It could be due to a Chrome extension or Play Store app that’s interfering with the sound output. Try using Guest mode or disabling the extensions to see if it fixes the no sound problem.
If the issue persists, back up your data, then reset your Chromebook. Note that this will delete everything but it’ll also reset it to default settings.
Did you get the sound or picture back on your TV?
If you’re still having trouble getting your external TV set up, please post your situation using the comments.
I’ll try to get back to you ASAP and help you out.
If you found this guide somewhat helpful, please let me know as well!
