There are instances when we want to connect our laptop or PC to a bigger screen TV or a monitor via HDMI cables, but due to hardware or software issues, we cannot get a display on the TV or monitor.
Sometimes the fault lies with the HDMI cable, OS issue, driver, etc. In this article, we will talk more about different scenarios in which such a problem occurs and how to fix them.
Usually, when we plug a laptop or PC into a TV screen, it displays “HDMI no signal” message, which means the display input (TV) cannot detect any incoming display signal to broadcast on the screen.
Possible Reasons
HDMI no signal error usually occurs due to faulty HDMI cable or un-supported type of HDMI cable or speed of the data transmission of the cable to the screen is not good enough for display.
The second most common reason is outdated device drivers; different display device needs different sets of drivers to connect to another set of devices.
The driver acts as a bridge between two devices and helps them patch up with one another. For example, suppose our display device can only display 4K display resolution, and we are using drivers on a laptop or PC of Full HD or HD resolution. In that case, the system will not display any output.
Here, we need a parallel set of drivers and proper I/O connectors to make it work. And we must try different ways to decrease the resolution of the TV or monitor or make appropriate changes in the display settings.
As now we are aware of possible issues for the error, let’s talk about ways to resolve this issue step by step:
How to fix HDMI no Signal Issue:
- First and foremost, turn off the computer and place it near your TV.
- Leave mouse and keyboard connected to the computer to manage configuration
- Refer to the TV or monitor manual to understand the type of supported cable to connect.
- Check the type and speed of the HDMI cable; any mismatch between the two may cause the problem. The different types of HDMI cables available in the market are: Standard HDMI:720p/1080p, High-Speed HDMI: Up to 4K, and Ultra-High-Speed HDMI: Up to 10K resolution.
- It is recommended to connect the cable to the TV or monitor before turning on the computer because there is a situation where the system may fail to recognize the external display.
- Look for a different output device to test cable and display ports on TV or laptop/PC for compatibility issues.
- After turning on the computer, the screen looks stretched, or part of the screen is not visible; you need to adjust the screen resolution in Windows.
- The last option would be to check the drivers on the display and laptop/PC for any possible issues, and we will talk in detail about how to do this later in this article.
Display Driver Setup in Windows 10/11
On a PC or laptop, when a new device is plugged in, the system will search in the Windows Update registry and tries to download, install and configure the newly connected device. Windows 11 also do the same steps.
But there are instances where automatic update does not solve the problem; hence, we need to update the driver manually by going into display settings.
- Right-click on desktop -> Select Properties or Personalize option
- Now select Display Settings from the list of preferences
- An icon with numbers will be displayed on it for attached monitors to connected devices. If there is only one device, then there will be no option to toggle between display screens
- In the same icon with numbers displaying screen, select the display monitor and select either extend your desktop or mirror your desktop option.
- The screen will blink for a second or two, and it will connect to the selected display.
There are instances where displayed settings are graphics card dependent in case of single, multiple screens connected to the same PC or laptop; in that case, you may need to make these changes from Windows 10 control panel.
Install or Update Display Drivers using Device Manager
- To update the display drivers, go to Start -> Type device manager -> enter
- In the next screen, select display adapters -> Select “Intel UHD Graphics 620” or any other options that you see under “display adapters.”
- Right-click on “Intel UHD Graphics 620″-> update drivers -> two options will pop up on the screen: Manual update option as Browser for drivers on the computer and automatic update option would be listed as “Search automatically for updated drivers software.”
- Select as Search automatically for updated drivers software option first and let Windows search and install appropriate drivers.
- If it fails to update the driver, you can move to the manual option, Browser for drivers on the computer -> It will ask where the driver file is available. If you have a copy of the driver file, then go ahead and select browse -> locate the file and move over to the next step to configure the same.
- In the non-availability of the downloaded driver, the user can select “let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer” -> select an available driver from the list and hit next to install. The user may require restarting the computer to complete the driver installation.
- If a Graphics card is configured on the laptop or PC, then a different version of the display driver update is required. The latest display drivers can download from respective vendor portals like NVIDIA or AMD driver download page.
To summarize, here are the things we need to keep in mind to cater “HDMI no signal” issue.
- Select HDMI cable which is compatible with the display (TV or computer monitor)
- The display driver should be up to date to get the best display quality
- Assure to connect HDMI cable to display before starting the laptop or PC
- Always use a high-quality and certified HDMI cable with the appropriate speed for connection
