Vizio TV Volume Not Working: Here’s How I Fixed It

I’ve owned my Vizio TV for a few years now, and I’ve generally been happy with the services and features it provides.

A few days ago, I got back from work and turned on my TV to watch a movie and unwind.

But, I couldn’t hear anything from my TV. I don’t have a dedicated speaker system, so it was odd that the sound wasn’t playing through my TV.

I checked to see if it was muted, and even restarted the TV to see if it fixed the issue, but it was in vain.

Eventually, I got online and went through a few forums and videos to get an idea of what the problem was and how it could be fixed.

As it turns out, there are a few reasons for this issue, but I found a fix that solved it instantly.

If your Vizio TV volume isn’t working, you’ll need to turn on the speakers on your TV. You can do this by going to the ‘Audio Settings’ and making sure the ‘TV Speaker Settings’ is turned on.

Ensure Your TV Speakers Are Switched On

The first thing you’ll need to do is to make sure the speakers on your Vizio TV are switched on.

You can do this by following the steps below:

Press the ‘Menu’ button on your remote.
Navigate to ‘Audio’ or ‘Audio Settings’ depending on how it’s labeled on your TV.
Look for the option ‘TV Speaker Settings’ and turn it on.

Once your TV speakers are switched on, go back and try playing some content to make sure you’re able to control the volume now.

This was a known issue with one of the firmware updates on Vizio TVs where even if you turned on the ‘TV speakers’, it would automatically turn off when the TV is switched off.

Which means that if you have an older Vizio TV that has this issue and has no available update, you will need to turn the TV speakers on everytime you start your device.

Check the Remote Control Batteries

It’s also important to check if your remote has enough battery to function properly.

If there isn’t enough power, some functions may not work, which is probably why you’re not able to adjust the volume or hear anything.

Change out the batteries and you should be able to control the volume on your TV.

As an additional note, it’s best to change the batteries on your remote every 6 months to a year to keep it running well.

Check Your Connected Devices

If you have devices such as a set top box, DVD player, or game console connected to your TV, you’ll need to check if the audio is turned off or muted on the device itself.

Most DVD player remotes should have a toggle to turn off mute, while gaming consoles can be unmuted from the audio settings.

If the devices are sending audio and you still can’t hear it on your TV, check the cables you’ve used to connect these devices.

Swap out the HDMI cable on your affected device and see if the audio works. If it does, it means your previous HDMI cable is damaged and can’t output audio.

Turn Off SAP Settings

SAP or Secondary Audio Programme is a second audio file that broadcasters embed in certain shows to air it in a different language.

For example, most shows will air in English, but there will usually be a secondary audio option which in most cases is Spanish.

If SAP is turned on and you’re on a channel that does not have secondary audio, you’ll be met with silence. So you’ll have to switch off SAP to get audio back.

You can do this by following the steps below.

Press the ‘Menu’ button on the remote and navigate to ‘Audio’ or ‘Audio Settings.’
Click on SAP and turn it off.

Now go back to the channel or show you were watching and the audio should be back.

Update Vizio TV Software

As mentioned above some models of Vizio TV were affected by an audio issue because of a firmware update from early 2021.

If you’re on a more recent model of Vizio TV and you have issues with the audio or volume not working, check if there is a new update.

You can update your Vizio TV by following these steps:

Click on the ‘Menu’ button on your Vizio TV remote.
Navigate to ‘System Option.’
Click on ‘Check For Updates.’

If there is a recent update, your TV will prompt you to download and update it. Once it’s done, your TV should restart automatically.

Factory Reset your Vizio TV

As a last resort you can try a factory reset which can help fix any bugs or corrupted files in your firmware that might be causing the issue.

Factory Reset With a Remote

Click on the ‘Menu’ button on your remote and go to ‘System’>>’Reset and Admin’>>’Reset TV to Factory Default.’

When prompted, enter the pin 0000 if you haven’t previously set a pin.

Confirm by pressing ‘Ok’ and wait till the process is complete and the TV restarts.

Factory Reset Without a Remote

If your remote isn’t working properly or out of battery, you can manually reset the TV.

Press and hold the ‘Input’ button and ‘Volume Down’ button on your TV and wait till the TV pops up on-screen instructions to reset your device.

It will ask you to hold down the ‘Input’ button for 10 seconds to initiate a reset.

Once it’s done, the TV will automatically restart.

Enjoy Audio with No Compromises

While the audio settings bug in the Vizio TV firmware is unfortunate, for most users there are a few ways to ensure good audio quality from their TV.

Ensure your settings are as we’ve recommended above.

Unless you have a dedicated 5.1 or 7.1 channel speaker setup, I’d recommend turning off DTS TruSurround on your TV.

Go to ‘Audio Settings’>>’Advanced Audio’>>’DTS TruSurround’ and turn it off.

This will ensure the audio quality is far better on your TV speakers and you’ll be able to hear dialogues more clearly.

And finally, if none of these fixes worked, then you might have an issue with the speaker itself. In such cases it’s better to contact Vizio’s customer support and have them diagnose the issue.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are there pictures but no sound on my TV?

Check if your device is muted. If your device isn’t muted, make sure your connected devices aren’t muted.

Is it beneficial to use TruSurround on Vizio TVs?

If you have a dedicated multi channel speaker setup, then you’ll be able to make use of TruSurround. If your using a 2.1 channel speaker or the in-built speakers on your TV, it’s better to turn off TruSurround.

How can I soft reset my TV?

Turn off the TV and remove the power cord for about 20 seconds. Now plug the power cord back in and turn on the TV to complete the soft reset.