Fix HDMI Audio Output Missing in Ubuntu 24.04 LTS: A Step-by-Step Guide

You connect a monitor or TV over HDMI, video appears normally, but Ubuntu keeps playing sound through the laptop speakers—or the HDMI option is missing from Sound settings entirely. In Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, this can happen because the display did not advertise an audio endpoint, the wrong output remains selected, or the audio device was not exposed by the hardware and driver stack. Work through the checks below from simplest to most involved; each one helps identify which layer needs attention.

Why is HDMI audio missing?

HDMI carries audio only when the connected display, receiver, adapter, and computer support and expose an audio path. Ubuntu’s desktop audio system routes playback to an output device, while ALSA and the kernel handle lower-level sound hardware. Ubuntu documents PipeWire as the default sound server on Ubuntu Desktop releases since 22.10, including 24.04; applications can still use PulseAudio-compatible interfaces through PipeWire. That means a missing HDMI choice can reflect either output routing or hardware detection, rather than a single universal “HDMI driver” fault. See Ubuntu’s audio architecture overview.

Start with the display itself. Some monitors have no built-in speakers, some route sound only through a headphone jack, and some TVs require their HDMI input to be selected before audio is available. A USB-C dock, converter, KVM switch, or receiver can also affect whether the computer detects the display’s audio capabilities. Check the display manual or its on-screen audio menu if you are unsure whether that model can play sound.

1. Check the HDMI connection and display

1. Confirm the monitor or TV is powered on and set to the HDMI input connected to the computer.
2. Unplug and reconnect the HDMI cable at both ends. If possible, test another HDMI port or cable.
3. If the connection passes through a dock, adapter, KVM, or receiver, temporarily connect the computer directly to the display. This helps determine whether an intermediary is preventing audio detection.
4. Open Ubuntu’s display settings and confirm the external screen is enabled. Keep the display connected and awake while checking audio outputs.

If the display has no speakers, HDMI may still appear as an output, but you will hear audio only from a connected headset, receiver, or external speaker. If no HDMI output appears, continue with the software checks.

2. Select HDMI in Ubuntu Sound settings

Ubuntu’s desktop guide recommends choosing an output device from the Sound panel and using its test control. With the HDMI display connected, open Settings → Sound. Under Output, select an entry that names HDMI, DisplayPort, the display, or the graphics adapter. The exact label varies by hardware. Raise the output volume, make sure it is not muted, then use Test if that control is shown. The steps are consistent with Ubuntu’s guide to choosing a default sound output.

Play a short video or system sound while watching the output meter. Also check the application’s own volume and mute controls: a browser tab, media player, or conferencing app may be muted independently. When an application was already playing before the output changed, pause and resume it or restart the application so it reconnects to the selected device.

If HDMI is listed but silent, try the other HDMI or DisplayPort entries one at a time. A computer with multiple graphics devices may expose more than one digital output. Leave the one that actually plays sound selected as the default.

3. Check whether PipeWire sees an HDMI sink

A sink is PipeWire’s term for an audio playback destination. Open Terminal and run:

wpctl status

Look under Audio → Sinks for an HDMI, DisplayPort, monitor, or receiver entry. The command reports the current PipeWire devices and playback endpoints; see the WirePlumber wpctl reference. If an HDMI sink appears here but not in Settings, first log out and back in, then check again. If it appears in both places, select it in Sound settings and test playback.

If wpctl cannot connect to PipeWire, check the per-user services:

systemctl --user --no-pager status pipewire wireplumber pipewire-pulse

These services belong to the logged-in desktop session. A failed or inactive service can explain why desktop audio outputs are unavailable, but status output alone does not identify the underlying cause. Read any error message shown before restarting anything.

4. Restart the user audio services

When PipeWire or WirePlumber is running but appears stuck after a display was connected, restart the user services from the same Terminal:

systemctl --user restart wireplumber pipewire pipewire-pulse

This briefly interrupts desktop audio. It does not require sudo. Wait a few seconds, reconnect or wake the display if needed, then run wpctl status again and revisit Settings → Sound. Some systems or customized installations may use a different audio stack or service arrangement; if systemd reports a unit is not found, do not create service files or copy configuration from another distribution. Check which audio server your installation uses before proceeding.

5. Check whether Ubuntu detects the sound hardware

If HDMI remains absent, look below the desktop sound server. Run:

aplay -l
lspci -nnk | grep -A3 -Ei 'audio|display'

aplay -l lists playback hardware known to ALSA. The lspci command lists PCI devices and associated kernel-driver information; Ubuntu provides the Ubuntu 24.04 lspci manual. Depending on the computer, HDMI audio may be associated with a graphics device as well as a separate sound controller. A listed controller is useful evidence that hardware was detected, but it does not prove that the display’s audio endpoint is usable.

If the output shows no relevant sound controller, or reports an unavailable driver, install the normal Ubuntu updates through Software Updater or App Center and reboot. Updates can include kernel and hardware-support fixes. For a dual-GPU laptop or a machine using proprietary graphics drivers, check the computer or graphics manufacturer’s Ubuntu support guidance before changing drivers. Do not add random PPAs, force a kernel module, or copy an alsa-base.conf workaround unless the steps are documented for your exact hardware; those changes can disrupt other audio devices.

How to tell whether the fix worked

Reconnect and wake the HDMI display, open Settings → Sound, and confirm that the HDMI or display output is selectable. Choose it, verify the volume is audible and unmuted, and use the test control or play audio from an application. Sound should come from the display’s speakers or from the audio device connected to the display. If the sink is visible but remains silent, test the display with another source and test the Ubuntu computer with another HDMI display. Those comparisons help separate a computer-side audio problem from a display, cable, adapter, or receiver limitation.

If ALSA sees the hardware but PipeWire does not show an HDMI sink after a restart and reboot, preserve the output of wpctl status, aplay -l, and the relevant lspci lines when asking Ubuntu support or filing a bug. Include the graphics model, display model, and any dock or adapter in the signal path. The available fixes depend on those details, so a single driver switch or configuration edit cannot be recommended safely for every Ubuntu 24.04 system.