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LG TV HDMI to Laptop Not Working (Won’t Connect/Detect/Display)

Any LG TV can be used as an external screen for your laptop or PC, whether you are presenting something, playing a game or playing media. But this isn’t possible if something goes wrong with the HDMI connection. Whatever the issue, there is a very high chance that someone else has had the same issue. This is why I’ve put together all the possible issues that could go wrong with your connection.

HDMI connections between an LG TV and a laptop will not work for a number of reasons. It could be issues with the cable or issues with the TV or laptop. Issues with the TV or laptop include incorrect display settings or incompatible hardware or software. This can cause no or very poor signal.

Female working on laptop with TV in background

I will explain each of these issues in more detail throughout this article. It is also important to know how to connect a laptop and TV via a HDMI cable and how to resolve these connection issues.

LG TV Won’t Connect to Laptop/Pc via HDMI

Laptop sitting in front of TV

HDMI Cable Issues

Many issues can be linked to failures in the HDMI cable. You can test the cable by using the same cable to plug in a different device, or plugging the laptop into a different TV/screen. If nothing is working, it is most likely your cable.

Some HDMI cables degrade over time or are faulty to begin with. Some cheaper cables will be made with materials that don’t last very long. If the cable is faulty or damaged, you will need to replace it.

It may be a simple case of a loose cable. Try pushing the cable in fully to the TV and laptop to see if it was the physical connection.

Another issue may be the type of cable you are using. LG recommend you use a 4K HDMI 2.0 cable that is less than 10ft. Longer cables will degrade in quality, which may account for connection failures, and incompatible cables won’t be able to send the right signal.

LG TV HDMI Not Working With Laptop

Laptop HDMI cable

One culprit may be your laptop. Every laptop is different, so there are a number of possible issues that you should work through.

External Display Settings

Check your external display settings. This is often automatic when the laptop detects a connection with an external screen, but sometimes it might need to be manually selected.

There are four display options for a laptop and external screen. The first option will display the computer on your laptop screen only, with the TV blank.

The other three options should have a display on your TV. These options include extending the laptop screen onto the TV, duplicating it or using the TV screen as your only display. Try each of these to see if this is the issue.

Audio-Visual Output Settings

Check your output settings for both audio and video. You should be able to see your LG TV as an option. If you can see it in the list, you simply need to select it.

If you can’t see the TV in your list, you may need to contact your laptop manufacturer to correct the issue.

Resolution

Sometimes the resolution of the TV and laptop don’t match. To check the resolution of your LG TV, press the ‘Home’ button on the remote and follow the pathway below.

Settings > Picture > Aspect Ratio

The main two options are 16:9 for widescreen, or 4:3 for non-widescreen. You will need to select a screen resolution on your laptop that is compatible with these aspect ratios. One recommended resolution is 3840×2160, but note that older laptops will have smaller resolutions (such as 1920×1080).

Refresh Rate

The refresh rate of your laptop can also affect the connectivity to your TV through the HDMI cable. This can be found in your laptop’s display settings. If you can’t find it you may have to go into ‘advanced settings’.

A common refresh rate for laptops is 60Hertz, but you may need to try different options if this is not working.

Graphics Card

Because the display on your TV relies on the graphics card in your laptop, you might need update the graphics driver. Some people have found that this fixes the issue.

Another thing to keep in mind is if the graphics card is corrupt. If this is the case, you may need to replace it. You should get a message on your laptop if there are any issues with the graphics card.

HDMI Port

Because laptops are portable, they can be prone to hardware damage. For this reason, you should check if the HDMI port is still working. First try a different port on the laptop (if it has multiple ports).

If there is only one port, or the other ports aren’t working, try connecting a different device to your TV with the HDMI cable. You can also try connecting the laptop to a different TV. If the connection always fails with your laptop connected, but not a different device, it is likely the HDMI port.

Why Won’t my HDMI Work on my LG TV

TV port panel

There may be issues with your LG TV that are causing the connection issue.

Select Correct Input

The simplest explanation is that you have not selected the correct input channel. Make sure the channel, whether it’s HDMI 1, 2, 3 or 4, matches the HDMI port that your laptop is plugged into.

Display Settings

There are many settings you could fiddle with to attempt to get your laptop display to work on the TV. One of the first methods to try would be a factory reset. There may have been one setting that was altered that is causing the issue.

This can be done using a passcode (which is ‘0000’ by default). Start by pressing the ‘Home’ or ‘Menu’ button on your remote and following the steps below.

Settings > General > Reset to Initial Settings > Confirm Reset > Enter Passcode > Confirm Reset.

Similar to screen resolution on your laptop, you can also adjust the aspect ratio on your LG TV. As I mentioned earlier, you can usually choose from a 16:9 (widescreen) or 4:3 ratio. There may be other options on your particular LG TV, but try each one to see if it helps.

HDMI Port

Some LG TVs have different types of HDMI ports. One in particular is known as a HDMI-ARC port. This has known issues with connecting to laptops, so you may need to try a different port that supports your laptop.

Another possibility is that the HDMI port is broken. If it is just one port, you may be able to have it repaired. However, this will cost anywhere between $100 and $300. Your cable should still work in the other ports.

Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on April 11, 2021.

If none of the ports work, the hardware within the TV will need to be replaced. This can cost between $200 and $350.

Before you try that, try restarting the TV using the steps below. This has been a common issue with the circuit board in these LG TVs where all HDMI ports stop working.

Step 1: Turn off all devices connected to the TV.

Step 2: Unplug all HDMI cables from the TV.

Step 3: Turn off your TV and unplug it from the power.

Step 4: Press and hold the power button for 30 seconds.

Step 5: Reconnect all HDMI cables and devices to the TV.

Step 6: Plug the TV back in and turn it on.

How Do I Connect My Laptop to My LG TV Using HDMI

Man setting up TV

To connect an LG TV to a laptop using HDMI, first, ensure your LG TV and laptop are powered off. Next, connect one end of the HDMI cable to the HDMI port on your TV and the other end to your laptop. Power on both devices, then select the appropriate HDMI input on your TV using the remote. On your laptop, navigate to display settings and choose to extend or duplicate the display to the TV. You should now see your laptop’s screen on your LG TV.

After these few steps, you should have either your computer screen, or an extension of your screen, displayed on the TV. If not, you may need to refer to the information above to determine what is causing the disruption to the connection.

LG TV Not Detecting HDMI Laptop

HDMI cable

If your LG TV is set to the correct HDMI input channel, you should see when it detects the HDMI connection. You can also see all the detected connections in the channel menu when choosing your HDMI device.

If the TV does not detect anything at all, it is more likely to be a hardware issue. You should refer to the following issues, which are explained in detail above.

· HDMI cable issues.

· Malfunctioning HDMI port.

· Incorrect input channel.

LG TV Won’t Display Laptop HDMI

Female with laptop and TV in the background

If the LG TV detects the connection with the laptop but there is no image displayed, you may need to look into the settings and software on your TV and computer.

Possible issues are listed below, but are explained in more detail above.

  • Display settings on the TV or laptop.
  • Incompatible graphics card.
  • Outdated graphics driver.

Some people find the start-up sequence makes a difference when connecting your LG TV to your computer. Normally the connection should work with both TV and computer on, but you may want to try restarting each while they are connected.

LG TV Flickering when Connected to PC HDMI

Surprised female holding TV remote

Sometimes the above issues will provide a signal, but the screen flashes/flickers. Of the problems detailed above, the most likely ones to cause this issue are listed below.

  • Loose or faulty HDMI cable, or one that is too long (>10ft).
  • HDMI plugged into HDMI-ARC port.
  • Display has incorrect resolution or refresh rate.
  • Graphics card needs to be updated.

LG TV HDMI PC Not Full Screen

Male looking at TV channel choices on screen

If your PC display on an LG TV is not full screen, the solution is simple. You will need to alter the resolution of the projected display from the laptop.

Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on April 11, 2021.

This is detailed above under ‘Resolution’, but basically some computers will guess how big the display needs to be to fill your TV screen. Sometimes this resolution is smaller than it should be, so you just need to manually change it to better suit the size of your LG TV.

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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on April 11, 2021.

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