HDMI Port Not Working in Windows 10: How to Fix HDMI Output Problems
Connecting to an external display on a Windows 10 laptop or desktop system is easy; you only have to connect a cable to the right ports but HDMI connectivity issues aren’t unheard of. These issues may prevent the second screen from being detected, from audio being forwarded to the screen/monitor/TV, stuttering audio, video tearing, video freezing, and more. Here are a few things you can try to fix HDMI connectivity issues on Windows 10.
Fix HDMI Problems In Windows 10
1. Hardware Check
Here’s how you can do it
- Inspect the HDMI port connections and see if the cable is correctly fixed in the port. If that is not that case, then plug the cable in the port again making sure that it is not loosely fit.
- Check the HDMI cable to see if there are any physical damages. You can easily do it by using the cable to connect another PC with its monitor or TV. If it gives the correct output, then your cable is fine. If not, you need to replace the HDMI cable.
- Check the HDMI ports of your input and output devices. You can get them checked by a computer technician or use a port tester dongle (Google them and you will find plenty). A port testing dongle usually gives out digital readings about the condition of the port, FPS rate it can handle and color depth, etc.
- If your cable is at fault, then there is not much you can do about the connectivity issue. A new cable is the only solution.
2. HDMI Set as Default Device for Playback
The HDMI sound playback issue is usually caused when the connected device is not set as the default device for sound playback. Here’s how you can fix this issue
- Open the Control Panel.
- Go to Hardware and Sound>Sound.
- On the Sound window, go to the Playback tab.
- Now select the HDMI output device and click on Set as Default
- Reboot your computer and check if the HDMI playback is working fine.
3. Update Drivers
- Open the Device Manager.
- Now locate and expand Display Adapters option from the devices list
- Right-click on the Parallel Display and select Update driver from the context menu.
- Wait for Windows to search for the updated driver automatically. If there are updated drivers available, Windows will auto-install the drivers.
- Now reboot the system.
- After reboot, you will be able to see your parallel display without any issues.
- If the problem is with HDMI audio playback, then click on Sound, video and game controllers in Device Manager and repeat the above instructions to update drivers.
4. Uninstall and Reinstall Drivers
- Go to Device Manager >Display Adapters > Parallel Display.
- Right-click on Parallel display and select Uninstall Drivers.
- After the uninstallation, click the “Scan for Hardware Changes” button located on the top bar of the Device Manager.
- The hardware changes scan will detect the display connected by HDMI cable and automatically install the drivers as standalone or as a Windows update. It is advised to let the Windows auto-install the drivers for your HDMI connected display since manual installation can cause issues if not done right.
- Similarly, if the issue is with an HDMI connected audio device, you can uninstall and reinstall sound, video, and game controller drivers in Device Manager.
- Once the driver is installed, reboot the system.
5. Update Windows
Updating Windows can also help in curbing the issue with a faulty HDMI connection. There are many cumulative and stand-alone updates released by Microsoft that fix bugs such as these. To update Windows:
- Open the Settings app and go to Update and Security.
- Select the Windows Update tab and select “Check for Updates”.
- Let Windows download the latest updates for your PC.
- Once the updates, are complete and you reboot your PC. Hopefully, your HDMI related issue will be sorted out after the reboot.
6. Uninstall Windows Update
Sometimes Windows Update can break the HDMI driver compatibility with windows. This fix is primarily meant for systems whose HDMI output was working fine until the update happened. To uninstall a recent update, follow these steps
- Open File Explorer and enter the following in the Location bar. Tap Enter.
Control Panel\Programs\Programs and Features
- In the column on the left, click View Installed Updates.
- Scroll down the list that opens and see if there has been a recent windows update. Select the update and right-click to choose to uninstall.
- Now reboot your computer and check if the HDMI connected output is working. In case the issue is still not resolved, move to the next guide and check if that helps in resolving the issue.
7. Fix Windows Registry Errors
At times the Windows registry gets corrupted that can also result in a faulty HDMI output. Here is how you can revamp the registry of your Windows 10 PC
- Open Command Prompt with admin rights and run the following command.
SFC /SCANNOW COMMANDSFC
- Once the scanning process is complete, reboot your computer.
- If everything goes well, your HDMI playback should be working fine now.
8. Windows Built-in Audio Troubleshooter
If the HDMI connection is having trouble with Audio playback only, then it is recommended to use the built-in troubleshooter. Here is how you do it
- Open the Settings app and go to Update and Security.
- Select the Troubleshoot tab and click Additional Troubleshooters.
- Run the “Playing audio” troubleshooter.
- On the Playing Audio window, select Next. If your computer has multiple HDMI outputs connected, select the connection to troubleshoot, and then select Next.
- Once the troubleshooter is complete troubleshooting the issue, reboot your computer.
Conclusion
These are some of the solutions that can help you with fixing a faulty HDMI connection. Apart from these solutions, there are many third party (Free and Paid) software available online that can help you reduce the hassle of following the step by step guides. A simple google search should reveal them. In case you have a workaround for this issue that fixed the problem for you, please share it with us in the comments section below.
