As a frustrated laptop owner, I had been searching for a way to connect my laptop’s audio to my TV for some time. After doing some research, I learned there were several solutions, each with their own pros and cons. I decided to share my experiences and the tips and tricks I discovered in a blog post titled: How to Connect Laptop Audio to TV. In this post, I will discuss the different ways you can connect your laptop audio to your TV, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each method. I hope my knowledge and solutions can help make the process of connecting your laptop’s audio to your TV easier and more seamless.
The answer to this question is as easy as connecting an HDMI cable from your laptop to your TV. After that, usually, setting up the connection should be a piece of cake. But at times, the sound wouldn’t just come out of the TV.
| Method | Pros | Cons | Steps |
|---|---|---|---|
| HDMI | High-quality connection Transfers both audio and video | Requires HDMI ports on both devices | 1. Connect HDMI cable 2. Set up laptop and TV 3. Fix any issues if necessary |
| DVI, VGA, or S-Video | High-quality connection | No audio transfer<br>Requires additional audio cable<br>May need a converter | 1. Connect cables and converter 2. Set up laptop and TV 3. Fix any issues if necessary |
| Mini DisplayPort, DisplayPort, or Thunderbolt | Often found on Apple products Transfers both audio and video | May need a converter for TV input | 1. Connect cables and converter 2. Set up laptop and TV 3. Fix any issues if necessary |
| Troubleshooting Steps | 1. Check hardware 2. Make TV the default sound device 3. Update the sound driver |
Table of Contents
How to Connect Laptop Audio to TV?
Without further ado, here are the steps required to connect laptop audio to a TV.
Step 1: Choose the Right Cable
To choose the cable, you first have to check the video-out connection on your laptop and the video-in connection on your TV.
Some cable options wouldn’t support both video and audio output, so you might need a separate 3.5 mm audio cable. Additionally, if ports on your TV and laptop are not similar, you’ll need an external converter.
Below are some of the most popular port connections that you’d find on your gadgets.
HDMI
This cable offers the highest quality connection available and is the most likely to be found on both your TV and laptop.
In this case, you’ll only need to connect the cable from the port on the laptop to the port on the TV.
If either device doesn’t have this type of port, you’ll need an additional converter for the connection to be possible.
DVI, VGA, or S-Video
Those types of connections are high-quality connections. However, they lack audio transfer.
You’d need an additional 3.5 mm audio cable for them. You might also need an HDMI to DVI, VGA, or S-video converter if you can’t find these port types on both of your devices.
Mini DisplayPort, DisplayPort, or Thunderbolt
Those types of connections are likely to be found on your Apple products. They transfer both audio and video output.
Yet, you might need an additional converter for the HDMI, DVI, or VGA input on your TV.
Step 2: Set Up the Laptop and TV
Once you’ve connected your devices, you have to set up both your laptop and TV.
First, press F5 and FN at the same time on your laptop to send your output signal to the TV. After that, choose the laptop sound display from your TV options.
It’s an option that you’ll find among TV inputs, sometimes it’ll be HDMI 1 or HDMI 2. It may be listed under a different name according to your TV type and model.
Step 3: Fix Any Issues That Might Occur
If the sound doesn’t come out from the TV, follow these steps to make it work.
Step 1: Check on Hardware
The first thing to do is to check if the volume of either the TV or the laptop is low or muted.
Then, check if the HDMI cable, any other cable, and/or converter is working properly. Maybe try another cable to see if the problem still exists.
After that, check if the laptop output port works fine. Try to insert the cable in different ports to review it.
Step 2: Make the TV Your Default Sound Device
If there is still no sound, then maybe the TV monitor is not your default sound device. To change that, right-click on the sound control icon on the bottom taskbar of your laptop.
Click on Playback Devices, and you’ll see that the laptop speaker is the default. Choose your TV device, click set Default, and click Ok.
If your TV device isn’t there, right-click on the blank area and choose Show Disabled Devices, then choose the device icon.
Step 3: Update the Sound Driver
Sometimes, the sound won’t work due to corrupt or missing files from the audio driver. This problem can be fixed by updating the driver manually or automatically.
Manual Driver Update
- Go to the Control Panel
- Choose Device Manager
- Find the sound driver and expand it
- Find the icon of your TV and right-click it
- Select Update Driver
- Let your operating system do the rest
Automatic Driver Update
By installing a third-party driver updater, you’ll never face a driver-related problem.
That’s because this app constantly updates your device’s drivers to the latest edition.
The Takeaway
How to connect laptop audio to TV?
Just connect an HDMI cable from your laptop to the TV. However, your devices may have other ports than HDMI that may require you to get a converter or other separate sound cables.
If the sound doesn’t work right away, then maybe there’s a problem with your hardware, your app preferences, or your sound driver. Make sure to check each one of them step-by-step until the problem is solved.
Read more: Nintendo Switch cutting out on TV