Many customers prefer Vizio TVs because they’re affordable and easy to operate compared to other smart TVs. However, some customers report that their HGMI ports stopped working after some time. But this should not be something that stops you from enjoying the features of your TV.
If the HDMI port of your Vizio TV has stopped working, you’re in the right place. This article shares important tips on how you can fix the issue in the shortest time possible. Before delving deeper into the subject, the best solution to the problem is by performing a hard restart, which you can do by unplugging the TV from the power source.
Where is the HDMI port on a Vizio TV?
Normally, the HDMI port should be found on the back of your TV, but it can also be found on the side of the device. If you’re unable to find the HDMI port, it means your TV doesn’t have one, but that should not be the case if you have one of the latest models.
The port should be indicated HDMI and is not too small to find. Start by checking the back, and if it’s not there, check the sides of your Vizio TV, and you’ll find it.
Why Is Vizio HDMI Not Working?
Unluckily, your HDMI port might stop working for a vast range of reasons. If the input has suddenly stopped working, there’re a few steps you can take to establish the source of the problem.
Now, here are some of the things that might affect the functionality of your HDMI input port;
- Outdated Vizio TV firmware
- Temporary glitch
- Faulty HDMI port
- Misconfigured settings
- Faulty HDMI cable
- Issues with an external device
- Issues with internal software
At this point, we believe that you might be facing one of the issues outlined above. You don’t need to worry because this piece shares tips on how you can approach each of the issues and tackle them correctly.
Fixing HDMI Port Not Working on Vizio TV
Since we’re not yet sure where the issue is, we’ll start with the easiest one. We’ll then advance if the simple steps fail to fix the problem with the HDMI port.
Therefore, once you’ve successfully applied a given method, you need to confirm if the HDMI port is working. Until then, we don’t recommend moving on to the next steps.
1. Power Cycle
It’s not advisable to take any action before trying obvious things. Otherwise, you might worsen the problem.
The simplest thing to do is power cycle your TV, which can also be called rebooting the Vizio TV. By doing this, you’ll restart all the services. Here are the steps you can take to power cycle your TV correctly.
- Switch off your TV
- Find all the devices connected to the TV’s output and unplug them
- Remove the power cable from the power source
- Wait for five to ten minutes and only reconnect the power source
- Switch on your TV and only connect the HDMI input
- Test whether the issue is solved
You remember, you also need to power cycle the device you’re currently using for the HDMI input. Is the issue still there? If so, check out the next method.
2. Inspect Hardware
Still, we have not established the source of the problem. It can be your Vizio TV or the external device you’re trying to connect via the HDMI port.
Therefore, try to connect a different external device using the same HDMI cable by inserting it into the same port.
If you notice that there’s an image, it means the problem is not with your Vizio TV or its HDMI port. The problem might be with the external device you’re trying to connect.
But if the issue persists, even if you connect a device that works, then the HDMI cable has an issue.
The trick is, if you don’t have an extra HDMI cable in your house, you want to test all HDMI ports on your external device and Vizio TV. One of them should work.
3. Troubleshoot Software
If the Vizio TV’s HDMI cable is still not working, the problem might be with the software of your TV or that of the external device you seek to connect. Maybe the settings are not properly configured, or the OS firmware is outdated.
Suppose you’re using Apple or Windows device to input your television via HDMI, these steps might solve the problem for you.
- Open the start menu by pressing the Windows button on your keyboard
- Go to Settings and then System and choose Display
Look at the system settings and make sure your laptop PC is not configured to only use its in-built monitor. Such settings will deter your HDMI cable from functioning as expected.
Choose to mirror or extend display so that you can easily receive the display on your Vizio TV.
Suppose you’re an Apple user, you want to go to Apple Menu, select System Preferences, Displays, and then Display.
How Do You Update Your Device’s Firmware?
Check to find out if you missed any firmware updates. If you found any, follow these steps to fix the problem;
- On your remote, press the Menu button
- Move to System
- Select Check for Updates
- If you find any updates, download and install them
Amid the update process, you should expect your Vizio TV to restart itself many times, and the entire process might last 15 minutes. This depends on the number of updates you missed.
Find out if the HDMI port of your external device is compromised and do the same for it. This should solve the problem if the firmware was not updated at the right time and you’ve now done the necessary.
1. Update Graphics Driver
Suppose you’re using a personal computer as an external device, maybe its graphics driver is not up to date. Other devices such as play stations and Xbox do not require any driver installation. Thus, this solution should only be used on desktop and laptop devices.
Check your graphics card model and visit the respective website to download the graphic driver. If you already have a driver installed, find out if there’re any updates and download them. The problem should go away once you have installed all the latest updates found.
2. Factory Reset Your TV
Up to this stage, we trust that you have tried all the methods above. If your TV’s HDMI port is not working, we’ll now try some drastic measures to see if the problem goes away.
In this section, you’ll learn how to factory-rest your device, which will then erase all the available configurations, settings, and data. If you have any settings you might need later, be sure to back them up before resetting your Vizio TV.
Follow these steps to factory-reset your TV;
- On your Vizio TV remote, press the Menu Button
- Move to System and then select Reset & Admin
- Key in your passcode, which should be 0000
- Select Reset and then confirm it by pressing OK on the remote
- Wait for your TV to erase data and reset itself
- Set-up the TV
- Test the HDMI connectivity
Is Your Vizio TV HDMI Port Still Not Working?
If up to this level, your HDMI port is not working, and you have followed all the steps above, it’s safe to conclude that there’s a hardware issue. This can be your HDMI cable, TV ports, part of your TV, or the external device you’re trying to use.
If you don’t have an extra device to test with, then it can be hard to be sure that the problem is hardware-related. You might want to run an antivirus scan to see if the problem is solved.
If none of this helps your TV, you should talk to a technician. Your technician should have a good reputation in handling such issues. If possible, you can talk to the manufacturer of your Vizio TV.
They’ll ask you a few questions to find where the problem is. Suppose your TV is covered, the manufacturer can solve the issue free of charge, or they can replace your device with a better one.
Final Verdict
If you’re in a situation where your Vizio TV HDMI port is not working, there’s nothing to worry about. The problem should go away if you follow all the details we’ve outlined above. Remember, you should start with simple methods and only advance if they don’t work.
For instance, you can start by power cycling or rebooting your TV. From there, you can test to see if the port works and then move down the list as indicated above. We hope this guide helps you solve the problem. That includes talking to a technician if you fail to find and solve the problem using the tips above.
Let’s know if you have any questions. Otherwise, be sure to share this piece with someone struggling with a similar issue.
Denis is an article/blog and content writer with over 7 years of experience in writing on content on different niches, including product reviews, buyer’s guide, health, travel, fitness, technology, tourism. I also have enough experience in SEO writing.
