The short version
- 01Connect the Chromecast directly to the TV, bypassing any middle device.
- 02Reseat the HDMI plug and try a different input such as HDMI 1.
- 03Check the cast volume in the app as well as the TV’s own volume.
- 04Test another source on the same TV to see whether the TV is at fault.
- 05Check the TV’s audio output setting and any HDMI-CEC behaviour.
- 06Unplug the Chromecast, reboot both devices, then bring the TV up first.
Start here
Connect it straight to the TV before anything else
If your Chromecast goes through a soundbar, an AV receiver or an HDMI switch, take them out of the chain and plug it directly into the TV. Google's guidance names exactly that test, and it is decisive: audio that returns means the middle device or its HDMI handling is the fault, not the Chromecast. If sound is still missing connected directly, the problem is the port, the cable, or which volume you are actually adjusting — because casting has two of them.
Applies to: Chromecast, Chromecast Ultra, Chromecast with Google TV and the Google TV Streamer, connected to a TV directly or through a soundbar, AV receiver or HDMI switch. Chromecast Audio connects to speakers rather than a TV and is noted where its guidance differs.
Where does the audio stop?
A Chromecast with picture and no sound is almost always an HDMI question rather than a Chromecast one. Video and audio travel the same cable but are negotiated separately, so a receiver that passes one and drops the other is a normal failure rather than an exotic one. Bypassing the chain settles it in a minute, and the remaining causes are a short list.
Picture works, no sound at all
Is a soundbar or receiver in the chain?
Bypass the chainIt came back after replugging
Is the HDMI seated firmly in the port?
Reseat and change portSound is very quiet or missing on one app
Which volume are you adjusting?
Check both volumesIt worked until something changed
Did the TV audio output setting move?
Check TV audio1. Take everything else out of the chain
Google's guidance is direct: if you are using an HDMI switch, an AV receiver or a soundbar, connect the Chromecast directly to the TV. That single test is the most informative thing you can do here, because it removes every device that has to negotiate audio between the Chromecast and your ears.
An AV receiver or soundbar has to agree an audio format with the source and pass video through to the TV, and it can fail at the audio half while the video half continues working perfectly. Older receivers in particular manage 1080p video happily and stumble on the audio formats a modern streaming device offers. The result is a picture with silence, and it looks like the Chromecast has broken.
If bypassing fixes it, you have found the fault and you have a choice rather than a repair. Running the Chromecast directly to the TV and sending audio back to the soundbar over ARC or eARC is a common and workable arrangement, and it is usually better than replacing the receiver.
Do this test before changing any settings. It is the difference between troubleshooting a Chromecast and troubleshooting a soundbar, and those have almost nothing in common.
2. The port and the cable
Google's basic checks apply here as much as to a missing picture: make sure the HDMI connection fits firmly into the TV's HDMI port, and try a different HDMI input such as HDMI 1 or HDMI 2. A Chromecast is heavy for its connector and hangs off the back of a TV, so a plug that has worked loose under its own weight is a real and common cause.
Ports differ in capability on many televisions. Only one or two may support the full bandwidth or the audio return features, and a Chromecast in a lesser port can produce exactly this — picture fine, audio absent. Moving it to HDMI 1, which is usually the most capable, is a two-second test.
If the Chromecast plugs in through an HDMI extender or a right-angle adapter, remove it for the test. Those are a common weak point, and one that carries video reliably while dropping audio intermittently is a frustrating thing to chase if you have forgotten it is there.
3. Two volumes, and which one you are changing
Casting has a cast volume and a TV volume, and they are independent. The phone you cast from controls the cast volume; the TV remote controls the TV. A cast volume at zero produces silence on a television whose own volume is perfectly normal, and turning the TV up does nothing at all — which is precisely the confusing part.
Check the volume from the casting app or the Google Home app while something is playing, and separately confirm the TV itself is not muted. For Chromecast Audio, Google's equivalent step is to turn up the volume of the speaker or device the Chromecast Audio is plugged into, which is the same principle applied to speakers rather than a TV.
One app silent while others work points at that app rather than the Chromecast. Some services drop audio when they cannot negotiate a format, and some hold their own volume setting independently. Test with a different app before concluding anything about the hardware — it takes thirty seconds and it splits the problem cleanly.
Cast volume
Controlled from the casting app or Google Home. At zero, the TV's own volume cannot help.
TV volume
Controlled by the TV remote, and separately mutable. Both have to be up.
4. Where the TV is sending its audio
A television has its own audio output setting, and if it is pointing at an external system that is switched off, every source will be silent — including the Chromecast. The setting is called Sound Out on LG, Sound Output on Samsung and Speakers on Sony, and it moves itself more often than people expect, particularly when a CEC-capable soundbar powers on or an optical cable is connected.
Test with a different source on the same TV. If a set-top box or the TV's own built-in apps also have no sound, the problem is the television and the Chromecast is an innocent party. That is a faster route to the answer than working through Chromecast settings, and it is worth doing early.
HDMI-CEC is worth knowing about here because it is the mechanism behind most of these surprises. Named Anynet+ on Samsung, Simplink on LG and BRAVIA Sync on Sony, it lets devices change each other's settings — which is convenient until a device that is switched off has claimed the audio path and nothing tells you.
5. Restart properly, in order
Google's step is specific about the sequence: unplug the Chromecast from the TV or soundbar, reboot both devices, and reconnect. Doing all three matters, because HDMI negotiates when devices come up and a device that woke in the wrong order can hold a bad state indefinitely.
Bring them up deliberately. Power the TV on first and set it to the right input, then power the Chromecast, so the display is ready and listening when the source starts. A source that came up before the display finished booting is a routine cause of a handshake that never completed properly — the same class of problem as a TV showing no signal.
Google also lists simply removing power from the Chromecast, repowering it and trying to play content again, which is the lighter version of the same idea. Try that first; it is quicker and it resolves a fair share of cases without needing to restart everything.
6. Narrowing it down, and what to tell support
Two comparisons place the fault. Does another source on the same TV have sound? If not, the TV is at fault. Does the Chromecast have sound on a different TV? If so, the Chromecast is fine and the original TV or its chain is the problem. Between them those two tests eliminate almost everything.
Check power while you are here, because an underpowered Chromecast misbehaves in ways that look like anything. Google's guidance elsewhere is to use the supplied power adapter rather than a TV USB port, which may not supply enough current — and a device browning out under load can drop audio before it drops anything else.
When you contact support, describe the chain rather than the symptom. Say whether the Chromecast is connected directly to the TV or through a soundbar or receiver, whether bypassing that device restored sound, whether other sources on the same TV have audio, what the TV's audio output setting is, and whether the cast volume and TV volume are both up. Those five answers separate a receiver from an HDMI port from a TV setting from a volume nobody had checked.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my Chromecast have picture but no sound?
Usually a device in the middle. Google's guidance is to connect the Chromecast directly to the TV if you're using an HDMI switch, AV receiver or soundbar — audio and video are negotiated separately, so a receiver can pass the picture while dropping the sound. If audio returns when you bypass it, that device is the fault rather than the Chromecast.
Why is my Chromecast silent when the TV volume is up?
Because casting has two independent volumes. The phone you cast from controls the cast volume; the TV remote controls the TV's. A cast volume at zero produces silence that turning the TV up cannot fix. Check the volume in the casting app or Google Home while something is playing, and confirm the TV isn't muted separately.
How do I know if it’s the Chromecast or the TV?
Test another source on the same TV. If a set-top box or the TV's own apps also have no sound, the television is at fault and the Chromecast is innocent. Then test the Chromecast on a different TV — sound there clears it entirely. Those two comparisons eliminate almost everything in a couple of minutes.
Can the HDMI port cause a Chromecast to lose audio?
Yes. TV ports differ in capability, and only one or two may support full bandwidth or audio return, so a Chromecast in a lesser port can give picture without sound. Google's guidance is to make sure the connection fits firmly and to try a different input such as HDMI 1 or HDMI 2 — and remove any extender or right-angle adapter for the test.
My Chromecast lost sound after I got a soundbar. Why?
Two likely causes. The soundbar is now in the HDMI chain and may not pass the audio format through, which the bypass test settles. Or the TV's own audio output setting moved to the external system when the soundbar powered on via HDMI-CEC — Anynet+, Simplink or BRAVIA Sync — and every source is now routed to a device that isn't handling it.
What order should I restart things in?
Google's step is to unplug the Chromecast from the TV or soundbar, reboot both, and reconnect. Bring the TV up first and set it to the right input, then power the Chromecast, so the display is ready when the source starts. Try the lighter version first — just removing power from the Chromecast and repowering it resolves a fair share of cases.
Sources and review notes
Checked on . Compiled by Glitchary from Google’s Chromecast support documentation. Menu names and device behaviour differ between Chromecast generations and Google TV versions — check Google’s current article for your device. TV audio output settings and HDMI-CEC naming are the television manufacturer’s rather than Google’s, and vary by brand. Glitchary is independent of Google.