HDMI playback device not showing in Windows 11

Many monitors support audio over HDMI, and they also come with a speaker or an audio port to connect to an external speaker. These speakers show up as HDMI Playback devices. However, if they don’t, this post will help you resolve the problem when the HDMI playback device does not show up on Windows 11/10.

How do I get HDMI to show in playback devices?

Sometimes HDMI Playback devices get disabled. So if you want to show it in the list of playback devices, go to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Manage audio devices. Right-click on an empty area and select show disabled devices and disconnected devices. Once you find it, please enable it.

Why is the HDMI device not detected?

It can be because it is not connected properly or your monitor doesn’t support HDMI audio. Unless the monitor has a built-in speaker or an audio port, it will not appear in the list.

How do I add a playback device to Windows?

If you cannot find the device listed, Open Device Manager. Then right-click on the computer name and select scan for hardware changes. This will ensure that the HDMI audio device appears if it is not listed.

HDMI playback device not showing in Windows 11/10

Follow these tips to get the HDMI Playback devices.

1. Enable Playback Devices
2. Update HD Audio Device Drivers
3. Update Display Adapters.

Since these involve updating drivers, you will need admin privileges to install it.

1] Enable Playback Devices

• Open Run prompt (Win +R),  types control, and then press the Enter key
• Go to Hardware and Sound, and then click on Manage audio devices
• Right-click on any of the listed device, and select show disabled devices, and show disconnected devices
• If the HDMI Playback device is listed, and enable it

2] Update HD Audio Device Drivers

• Open Device Manager by using Win + X followed by pressing the M key
• Locate Sound, video, and game controllers
• Locate the AMD High Definition Audio Device  or NVIDIA High Definition Audio Device or Intel Display Audio
• Right-click the device, and choose Update driver.

Follow the wizard and update the driver through Windows update or using the available driver.

3] Update Display Adapters

While it may sound out of place, users at forums have reported that updating the display adapters sometimes helps fix the problem. Similar to how we updated the HD audio device drivers, we can update the display adapters.

Open Device Manager and expand the Display Adapters section. Right-click on your computer’s display adaptor and choose to update the driver. Then, select the right display adaptor from the list.

Related reads:

1. HDMI Port not working properly
2. HDMI Audio device not detected.