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FIX: HDMI Isn’t Showing in Playback Devices on Windows 10/11

8 min. read

Updated onApril 22, 2024

updated onApril 22, 2024

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Many users tend to connect an additional display to theirPCusing the HDMI connection, but sometimes HDMI is not showing up in theplaybackdevices section.

This can lead to certain problems, but today we’ll show you how to easily fix this issue.

Sometimes yourHDMIdevice won’t show up in theplaybackdevices section. That can be a big multimedia issue, and speaking of HDMI issues, here are some common problems that users reported:

How do I fix HDMI not showing up in my playback devices

1. Install the default graphics driver

According to users, ifHDMIis not showing up inplaybackdevices, the problem might be related to thedrivers. To fix this issue, users are suggesting installing the default graphics carddriver.

Once the defaultdriveris installed, check if the problem is still there. Bear in mind that the defaultdrivermight not offer the same performance as the latestdriver.

So if you’re planning to play the latest games on maximum settings, perhaps this won’t be a good long-term solution for you.

2. Reinstall the graphics card drivers

Once you remove thedrivers, try installing the latestdriversfor your graphics card. You can do that by visiting your graphics card manufacturer’s website and downloading the latestdriverfor your model.

As already mentioned in the previous solution, sometimes your graphics carddriverscan cause this problem to appear. To fix the issue, some users are suggesting removing your graphics carddrivers.

Update drivers automatically

To completely remove yourdrivers, it’s advised to use athird-party software driver updaterthat can do it automatically for you, so you won’t need to worry about doing something wrong.

The software will make sure all of your drivers are up to date. With just a few clicks, the app will scan your device for compatible drivers and install them. The process is mostly automated as well.

3. Double-check the playback devices list

Many users reported thatHDMIis not showing inplaybackdevices section, and if this happens on yourPC, perhaps theHDMIdevice isn’t listed asHDMIon the list.

Many users reported that their device was listed as the model of their display followed byNVIDIA High Definition Audio.

As you can see, the device won’t be listed asHDMI, so you’ll need to pay a bit more attention and check all devices in theplaybackdevices section in order to find yourHDMIdevice.

Several users reported that theirHDMIdevice was disabled and therefore hidden in theplaybackdevices section. To fix that, you need to reveal all playback devices by doing the following:

After doing that, you should be able to see your HDMI device on the list and enable it.

4. Update the High Definition Audio Device

To do that, follow these steps:

According to users, ifHDMIisn’t showing in playback devices, the issue can be related to your audiodriver. To fix the problem, you just need to update thisdriver.

Once thedriveris up to date, check if the problem is still there. If this method didn’t fix the problem for you, you can try updating thedrivermanually and check if that helps.

Some users are suggesting to uninstall your HDMI sounddriverand install it again, so you might want to try that as well.

5. Disable the Hyper-V feature

Hyper-V is a virtualization feature, and thanks to it, you can create a virtual environment on yourPCand use it to run any operating system inside of Windows.

Although this feature can be incredibly useful to some users, it can also cause issues with HDMI devices.

In fact, many users reported that their HDMI device wasn’t showing up in the playback devices section due to the Hyper-V feature.

According to them, they managed to fix the issue simply by disabling the Hyper-V feature. This is quite simple to do, and you can do it by following these steps:

Once yourPCrestarts, the Hyper-V feature will be disabled and the problem withHDMIshould be resolved.

6. Change the projection mode

IfHDMIisn’t showing inplaybackdevices, the issue might be related to the projection mode.

Windows allows you to switch between several projection modes, and it seems that only duplicate and extend modes will show yourHDMIdevice in theplaybackdevices section.

After doing that, theHDMIdevice should appear in theplaybackdevices section.

7. Make sure that you turn on your devices in the correct order

According to users, sometimes yourHDMIdevice won’t show up in theplaybackdevices section due to certain glitches.

Apparently, theHDMIdevice isn’t recognized if you plug it directly in yourPCwhile it’s running. Once yourPCboots, the problem should be resolved and theHDMIdevice should appear in theplaybackdevices section.

Bear in mind that this is a one-time procedure, and once yourHDMIdevice appears in theplaybackdevices, the issue should be permanently resolved.

8. Remove the problematic applications

Several users reported that third-party applications can sometimes lead to issues withHDMIandplaybackdevices. If yourHDMIdevice is not showing, perhaps the problem can be related to third-party applications.

Several users reported thatVLC Media Playercaused this issue, but after removing the application, the issue was resolved.

Bear in mind that there are several ways to remove an application, but the most effective one is to use a dedicated utility such as CCleaner.

CCleaner is a PC cleaning and optimization software that has a powerful uninstaller feature, capable of completely removing any app along with its corresponding files and registry entries.

Once the application is removed, check if the problem is still there. Problems withHDMIdevices are fairly common, and if yourHDMIdevice isn’t showing inplaybackdevices, be sure to try all of our solutions.

⇒Get CCleaner

These are just a few of the solutions you can try to resolve this issue, but we also havefurther solutions for when there is no HDMI signal.

Let us know which one works best for you in the comments section below.

FIX: HDMI Isn’t Showing in Playback Devices on Windows 10/11#

How do I fix HDMI not showing up in my playback devices#

1. Install the default graphics driver#

2. Reinstall the graphics card drivers#

3. Double-check the playback devices list#

4. Update the High Definition Audio Device#

5. Disable the Hyper-V feature#

6. Change the projection mode#

7. Make sure that you turn on your devices in the correct order#

8. Remove the problematic applications#