Nintendo Switch No Sound On TV (Causes and How to Fix)

As an owner of the Nintendo Switch, I know how frustrating it can be when you press the power button and get no sound coming out of your TV. I recently experienced this issue myself and spent considerable time trying to figure out what was causing it and how to fix it. In this blog post, I will be sharing what I learned from my experience, as well as some other solutions I discovered while doing my research. I hope this post can help those of you who may be struggling with the same issue.

Several software or hardware issues might prevent the Nintendo Switch from playing Sound when connected to a TV. Fortunately, this issue can often be resolved by attending to potential problem areas, such as altering a few system settings, changing your HDMI cable, and updating your software.

Tips
Check the volume settings on your TV and Nintendo Switch.
Disconnect any Bluetooth headsets or speakers from the console.
Check the HDMI port and cable for damage or loose connection.
Adjust the sound settings on the TV and Switch.
Update your Switch and TV to the latest version.

Table of Contents

Why Is The TV Not Playing Sound From Your Nintendo Switch?

You can’t have a Nintendo Switch without its famous whirring sounds and bleeps. It’s like switching on an alien spaceship, right?

But what if you can’t hear anything when playing your favorite games on the TV? Does it mean you are not in the right universe? Luckily, there is nothing wrong with your ears.

However, you may not be able to hear anything from the Switch because of some technical issues. So, starting off with the fundamental and often missed reasons your TV is not outputting any sound from your docked Nintendo Switch, here’s what you need to know.

Your TV Volume May Be Muted Or Turned Down

A common issue in many problems regarding consoles and audio is that we often jump straight to more technical issues before addressing the more straightforward solutions.

For example, when connected to a TV, the console’s Sound depends on the television’s volume level. Therefore, first and foremost, ensure that the TV volume is not turned down or muted before proceeding.

That said, if you are experiencing the issue only in a particular game and no other game, you may want to launch that game and ensure that the audio volume in the game itself is turned up.

Again, it is because often, we find ourselves turning the in-game master volume down to voice chat with friends and tend to forget that we have done that in the first place.

You May Have A Bluetooth Headset Or Speaker Connected

If you regularly game with Bluetooth headphones, your headset may still be linked to the console. Even when tethered to a TV, the Nintendo Switch will deliver Sound to connected headphones.

Suppose you use Bluetooth headphones or a headset while gaming; you must unpair them from the Switch when you finish.

Disconnect any headphones from the console as well, or the Sound will be rerouted.

Usually, you would only need to switch off the Bluetooth device for the Switch to revert to the TV audio automatically, but in some cases, you would need to do it manually.

To manually find the Bluetooth devices on your Switch, follow these three steps:

Step one: One your Switch, navigate to the system settings icon on the home menu, and open it

Step two: Once you see the list of options on your left, scroll down until you find Bluetooth Audio
Step three: Once you have selected Bluetooth Audio, navigate to your paired device and unpair

The Problem May Be With The HDMI Port Or Cable

It is pretty popular these days to connect your Nintendo Switch to your TV using the HDMI cable that comes with the Nintendo Switch. First, check that your HDMI cable is not broken or loosely attached to the TV or the Dock to which your Nintendo Switch is connected. Then, unplug the cable and re-plug it firmly to see whether the problem has been rectified.

Furthermore, some TVs have numerous HDMI ports; if yours does, try connecting to various ports to determine if it isn’t a malfunctioning port that is causing the lack of audio.

With that in mind, the issue might be that the present port is damaged and no longer works.

If the problem persists, there may be a chance that the HDMI cable that came with your Nintendo Switch is faulty or damaged.

As a result, you want to try a different HDMI cable in its place and see if that has fixed the problem.

One way to check if the HDMI port or cable undoubtedly causes the problem is by connecting another device to the TV, such as a laptop, Android TV box, a DVD player, or another console. This way, you would be able to tell if it is a more technical issue.

Adjust The Sound Settings On The TV and Nintendo Switch

Now for something a little more on the technical side of things, you will need to ensure that your Switch and TV are on the correct output settings.

Follow this simple procedure to set your Nintendo Switch to play Sound through your TV:

Connect an HDMI cable to your Switch, and the HDMI input on your TV
On your Switch, navigate to System Settings on the home menu and scroll down to TV Settings

Once you have selected TV settings, navigate to the right side of the screen and scroll down to TV Sound
You will find that this setting will either be set on Surround Sound, Stereo, Mono, or Automatic. Ensure that Automatic is selected as your Switch will automatically pick up what setting it will need to be in to play Sound out on your TV. Once selected, you may even do a sound test to ensure that it is now playing Sound correctly.

This is one of the most common solutions for most Nintendo Switch users that experience no sound being transmitted from their TV. However, a similar issue from the particular TVs also has settings that may need to be changed for Sound to be played.

So, depending on your TV, you may need to navigate to the TV’s sound settings and ensure it is set to the correct speakers.

For example, for most Samsung TVs, users would need to do the following:

On your TV remote, select Menu

On the settings panel that pops on your TV screen, select Sound
On the Sound Settings panel, navigate to the right-hand side of the panel and select Speaker Settings
A new menu will pop up for your Speaker Settings, and select Speaker Select

From the drop-down Menu, select TV Speakers and not External Speaker

Some users with an external sound bar or Bluetooth Speaker will have their TV connected to it for a more immersive experience.

However, this may be the leading cause of the lack of Sound from your Nintendo Switch gaming experience. Remember, not all external sound devices are compatible with consoles.

You May Need To Update Your Switch And Your TV

Another method to troubleshoot audio difficulties on your Nintendo Switch or TV is to see if a firmware update is available to avoid and resolve audio issues.

If there is an audio problem in the most recent version of firmware, it may be rectified in a later version. In addition, Nintendo and various TV manufacturers often fix issues and release new firmware updates to address them.

To check for any available updates on your Nintendo Switch, do the following:

Ensure that your Switch is connected to the internet
Next, from the home screen on your Nintendo Switch, tap the System Settings icon
On the left-hand side of the screen, scroll all the way down to System and select it

On the right-hand panel of the screen, find and select System Update and follow the prompts for your Switch to update.

While you are there, it would be best to switch on Automatic Updates found in the same list of options under System Updates to avoid any problems occurring in the future. That said, you may want to do the same with your TV. Again, most smart TVs are different, but most have the option to update the software too.

For example, with most Samsung TVs, you will need to do the following:

On your TV remote, select Menu
On the settings panel that pops on your TV screen, head over to Support
A Support panel will pop on your screen; head over to Software Update and follow the prompts to update your TV’s Software.

Conclusion

As you can see, various solutions are possible if your Nintendo Switch is experiencing audio problems with your TV.

That said, most of the time, the issue is with your HDMI cable or settings on either TV or the Nintendo Switch, or something as simple as the TV’s volume being mistakenly turned down or even muted.

However, if nothing seems to work, then there may be an issue with your device derived from an accidental fall or other physical damage that can only be resolved by contacting customer support and sending your device in for repairs.