Why Is My Switch Not Connecting To The TV?

By Justin Jones Last updated Nov 11, 2022

Why Is My Switch Not Connecting To The TV? Even though it is possible to use your Switch as a handheld device, there is nothing quite like the coziness of playing the game on a larger screen when you are attempting to pay back Tom Nook. This kind of capability is much more vital when you have a group of people who want to play together, as the small screen simply isn’t big enough for everyone to see what’s going on at the same time.

If your Switch console is unable to connect to your television, there are a few possible problems that you should look into before deciding whether or not to have your equipment serviced.

Table of Contents

Why Is My Switch Not Connecting To The TV?

There is more than one possibility at play if you find that your Switch does not want to connect to the television. You should make an effort to check each potential problem until you discover the one that is causing the issue.

Although the Switch is hooked up, the television is set to the incorrect input. When there are many inputs of the same type, such as four HDMI inputs on the TV, it can be simple to lose track of which set the TV is currently using. This is especially true. Each will have its own number, but it is easy to get them mixed up with one another.
Either you are utilizing the incorrect cords or your cables are in a broken state.
You have improperly positioned the Switch in the docking station. You can make some adjustments, and it’s possible that this will solve the issue that you’re facing.
It is necessary to reset either the AC adapter or the Switch itself if the system is to function properly again.

Many users have had difficulties connecting their Switch consoles to their televisions, but they were able to fix these problems the same day. Try some easy fixes first to see if you can get your Switch working again so you can get back to playing games on it.

How to Fix Switch Not Connecting to a TV

First, you should ensure that all of your settings are accurate, and then you should check the connections. If everything looks to be in working condition, then you should concentrate on the Switch console itself as well as the television in question.

Additionally, keep in mind that the Switch Lite cannot connect to television for use as a secondary display on that device. Only the Switch models that are able to support such a connection will allow these solutions to function properly.

Check Your Input

Your television supports a variety of input formats, one of which being HDMI, which is required to connect the Switch. Check to see that you are using the HDMI connection properly.

Connect the Switch to the television using an HDMI cable that has been plugged in. Check to see if the connection on the back of the TV is labeled with which HDMI input it is. If it is, then you can use that port.
Activate the television by turning it on.
You may find the connection that the Switch is plugged into by pressing the Input button on your remote control until you find it. Try moving on to step four if they aren’t labeled.
Begin with HDMI 1 and wait for the television to finish loading that connection before moving on. If the Switch isn’t the problem, try the second HDMI port. Begin with the first possible HDMI connection and work your way through the others, waiting for each one to load before moving on to the next.
Keep in mind that it may take some time for a television or monitor to switch between different types of connections. Take your time with this. There is typically a visible blink when the connection begins to take effect, however, this may not always be the case depending on the device.

If you are unable to make a connection using the first HDMI port on the TV, you should also try plugging the Switch into one of the other HDMI ports on the television. It’s possible that just one of the ports on your TV is broken, but it doesn’t indicate they all are. After you have changed the cable, try turning on the TV again and selecting the new port as the input when it prompts you to do so.

Try Changing the TV Resolution

Make an effort to change the resolution. You ought to be able to find this option in the settings of your menu. Assuming that you are using the appropriate output, you should check to see if slightly decreasing it enables the Switch display to become visible.

Change How Your Cables Are Plugged In

Some users have discovered, for no apparent reason, that increases the chances of a successful connection between the television and the Switch by plugging in cables to the dock in a particular order increases the likelihood of a successful connection.

Take remove all of the cords from the TV, the wall outlet, and the Switch dock.
Connect the power cable to the docking station for the Switch.
Simply connect the power wire to the outlet on the wall.
Connect the HDMI cable by inserting it into the Switch’s slot designated for HDMI Out.
Connect the HDMI cable by inserting it into the appropriate port on the television.
Put the Nintendo Switch console into the docking station.

Now give it a shot and see if you can get the Switch to show up on the TV screen. Keep in mind that you might have to cycle through the TV input options once more in order to make sure you are on the correct one.

Check Your Cables

The use of cables that are not manufactured by Nintendo is not unheard of and comes from a third party. They will work for a large number of individuals, and they will function effectively.

However, many users report having problems after utilizing wires that are not the industry standard. It is very necessary to make use of an appropriate AC adapter in order to maintain the power on the Switch. Some cables that aren’t made by Nintendo won’t charge the Switch at all.

If you aren’t using Nintendo cables, you’ll need to double-check that the cables you are using are compatible with the Switch.

You should also try connecting the console to the television using a different pair of connections to determine whether or not the problem is with the wires themselves and whether or not the console can be connected to the television. It’s possible that a damaged HDMI cable won’t show any obvious signs of wear, yet it will still fail to function properly.

Reseat Your Console

In order for the Nintendo Switch to function properly, it must be docked in the appropriate manner. A great number of players have reported that once they let go of the Switch in the dock, they discovered that it was not connected. If you want to find out whether the problem with the handheld unit’s connection to the TV was caused by that, you should try removing it and then reinstalling it.

Take the Switch off of its docking station. Make sure there is no dirt or dust on the dock by inspecting it. It is important to ensure that nothing gets in the way of the connection that exists between the console and the dock.
Make sure that the ports on the Switch that connects to the dock are spotless and that they have not been damaged in any way.
While holding down the Switch, turn the screen so that it is towards the front of the dock.
Slowly lower it into position until it clicks into place. It should feel secure once it’s in the right spot.
It might help to re-establish the connection between the Switch and the TV.

If the issue was caused by a poor connection between the Switch and the dock, it should work with the TV as soon as the appropriate input is selected.

Reset the Ac Adapter and Check the Console

Resetting the AC adapter and confirming that the console is in good working order are both good troubleshooting steps in the event that the Switch is giving you problems. When you are having trouble connecting the Switch to the television, Nintendo suggests trying this solution first.

When carrying out these methods, you shouldn’t make use of any addons. Always be certain that your outlets, cables, dock, and TV are all connected directly to one another.

Put the TV to sleep and then press the button.
Take the Switch off of its docking station.
Take remove all of the wires from the dock, Switch, and TV, as well as the wall outlet.
To reset the AC adapter, you must first remove it from any outlet or device for a period of thirty seconds.
Connect the AC adapter to the console before plugging it into an outlet in the wall.
To activate the Switch, press the button labeled “Power.”
Take out the AC adapter that’s attached to the Switch.
Connect the AC adapter by plugging it into the dock.
Connect the TV to the dock via the HDMI cable, and then the dock to the TV.
Put on some television.
Put the Switch inside the docking station.
Check that the information you’re using is accurate.

If these methods do not resolve the issue, you will need to consider doing tests using various hardware in order to identify the problematic component of the system.

Soft Reset Your Switch

By doing a soft reset on your Nintendo Switch, you may be able to fix software problems, including those that prohibit it from connecting to a television.

If you are having issues with this console, you should give this solution a shot because it is so simple to implement. Simply press and hold the Power button until the Switch power indicator turns off. It may take some time, so get ready to press and hold the button for a full minute and a half until the device turns off.

Now, turn it back on by pressing the power button you just used. When you are ready to test whether or not it works, you can try reconnecting all of the wires to the TV in the correct order in order to make the connection, and then you can replace the Switch in the dock.

Check With Other Hardware

By utilizing a different TV and dock, you can have a better idea of what the problem is and how to fix it. For instance, if you are able to successfully connect your Switch to a different TV, but not the one you are attempting to use, the issue is with the latter.

In the event that the Switch is unable to connect to a different TV, the problem lies with the Switch itself.

Make sure you are utilizing a variety of HDMI cables so that you can rule out that component as the cause of the mistake.

You might also try borrowing a different Nintendo Switch dock from a friend to see if that helps fix the issue. When the dock is broken, some users have reported that the Nintendo Switch can no longer connect to their television.

Unfortunately, the majority of the damage to the docks isn’t always evident. There is a possibility that issues with the dock’s HDMI Out connector will not have an effect on its other capabilities. It wouldn’t alert you to the fact that there was an issue until it was unable to establish a connection to an external monitor.

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