Fire TV HDMI ARC Not Working? (Do This To Fix)

Are you trying to hook up your Fire TV with HDMI ARC, but you are not able to get it to work?

Don’t worry if you’re having trouble setting up an HDMI ARC/eARC connection with your Fire TV. Whether this is your first time attempting it or you’ve done it before but are currently experiencing issues, this guide will help you troubleshoot and get things working properly again. 

If you’re unfamiliar with HDMI ARC, it’s a fancy way to use just one HDMI cable to send audio from your TV to your soundbar or home theatre system. It’s kind of like a two-way street for audio, allowing you to control your TV and sound system with just one remote.

One of the main benefits of using HDMI ARC is that it simplifies your setup and reduces the number of cables you need. No more fumbling around with multiple remotes or trying to untangle cords. Plus, it provides better sound quality than other audio connections.

How to use HDMI ARC / eARC on Fire TV?

If you wish to use HDMI ARC with your Fire TV, the first thing you need to do is make sure that both your TV and soundbar support the feature. Not all devices have HDMI ARC capabilities, so it’s important to check before proceeding.

Once you’ve confirmed that both your TV and soundbar support HDMI ARC, you’ll need to adjust the settings on both devices to enable the feature.

How To Turn On HDMI ARC On Fire TV?

  1. Press the “Home Button” on the remote to access the “Main Menu”.
  2. Navigate to the “Settings” menu by selecting the gear icon.
  3. Scroll down to the “Display & Sounds” option and select it.
  4. Scroll to the bottom of the “Display & Sounds” menu and select “HDMI CEC“.
  5. That’s all, From the HDMI CEC menu, you can toggle the ARC/eARC feature on or off.

Note: Same steps works on all Fire TV Edition TVs like Toshiba Fire TV, Insignia Fire TV, Omni Fire TV, etc.

Now, let’s see what are the common issues while using Fire TV HDMI ARC and how you can troubleshoot.

What can you do if HDMI ARC isn’t working on your Fire TV?

If you’re having trouble getting sound through HDMI ARC on your Fire TV, there are a few things you can try to troubleshoot and resolve the issue.

Check Connections

First, check your connections and make sure everything is set up correctly. Sometimes, simply unplugging and replugging the HDMI cable can do the trick.

Hard Reboot

If that doesn’t work, you might want to try a hard reboot of your TV. Just unplug it from the wall and wait a few minutes before plugging it back in. This can sometimes clear up any glitches or issues that may be causing the problem.

Restore To Factory Default

If the hard reboot doesn’t help, you could try restoring your TV to its factory default settings. This will erase all of your custom settings and preferences, so be sure to save any important information before proceeding.

Switch HDMI Port And Cable

Another option is to switch the HDMI port on your TV to HDMI 1.4 and try using a different HDMI cable. Some devices, like the Firestick, may not be compatible with HDMI 2.0 and may require the use of an older version of the HDMI standard.

If your connected device doesn’t support HDMI 2.0, you can switch the HDMI port to HDMI 1.4:

  1. From the Home screen, scroll down to the Inputs row.
  2. Select the HDMI port that your device is connected to, for example, HDMI2.
  3. Press and hold the Home button, then select Picture > Advanced Options > HDMI Input Mode > Mode 1 (1.4).
  4. Unplug the HDMI cable then plug it back in.
  5. If you still have this issue, try another HDMI cable.

And if all else fails, you can always consider alternative audio connection methods, such as optical audio or an HDMI audio extractor. 

No Sound Through HDMI ARC on Fire TV

If you have a Fire TV and you’re trying to use HDMI ARC, you may run into an issue where you’re not getting any sound. This can be especially frustrating if you’ve spent all that time setting everything up and connecting the cables.

One possible cause of this issue is that the HDMI ARC settings on your TV or soundbar are incorrect. Or, there could be physical damage to the HDMI ARC port or cables, or there could be a firmware issue with one of your devices.

Bonus Troubleshooting Fire TV HDMI eARC/CEC Issues

  • If the Fire TV Stick is connected to an AVR/TV’s eARC port, CEC may be overwritten and is not needed.
  • If the devices are functioning properly with eARC, it is not necessary to make any changes.
  • If the devices are not working correctly when connected to the eARC port, try disabling CEC and HDMI Steering Control on the TV/AVR.
  • This should resolve the issue, considering that all devices support eARC.

Conclusion

By using HDMI ARC on your Fire TV, you can connect your sound system to your TV with just one HDMI cable, which is undoubtedly helpful, however, we sometimes experience issues with ARC/eARC as well as CEC setup.

Hope this guide helps you if you’re having trouble getting HDMI ARC to work with your Fire TV.

To quickly wrap up, here’s what to do when HDMI ARC doesn’t work on your Fire TV:

  • Make sure both your TV and sound system support HDMI ARC before setting it up
  • To enable HDMI ARC on your Fire TV, go to the “Display & Sounds” menu in the settings and toggle the ARC/eARC feature on
  • If you’re having trouble getting sound through HDMI ARC on your Fire TV, check your connections, try a hard reboot, restore your TV to its factory default settings, switch to a different HDMI port or cable, or update the firmware on your devices