How to Control a Soundbar With Your TV Remote

Your TV remote can run a soundbar’s volume, mute and power once the TV and soundbar are set up to share commands. How you set that up depends on the cable between them. Over HDMI, a TV setting called HDMI-CEC does the work. Over an optical cable, the soundbar has to read the TV remote’s signal itself. Check your connection below, then follow the matching method.

First, check how your soundbar is connected

Look where the soundbar’s cable plugs into the TV. An HDMI port labelled ARC or eARC means Method 1. A port labelled Optical or Digital Audio Out means Method 2. If you mostly use a streaming player’s remote, such as Apple TV or Google TV, go to Method 3.

Connection	What lets the TV remote control the soundbar	What you can control
HDMI, in the TV’s ARC or eARC port	HDMI-CEC turned on in the TV, and on the soundbar if it has its own setting	Volume, mute, and power on and off with the TV
Optical cable	A TV remote mode on the soundbar that reads the TV remote’s signal	Volume and mute; some soundbars also follow the TV’s power
Bluetooth	Depends on the brand. LG TVs and LG soundbars do it through LG Sound Sync	Volume

Method 1: HDMI ARC or eARC with HDMI-CEC

HDMI-CEC lets devices joined by HDMI pass commands to each other. ARC (Audio Return Channel) sends the TV’s sound back down the same HDMI cable to the soundbar. With both switched on, the TV remote’s volume, mute and power buttons reach the soundbar.

1. Plug the soundbar’s HDMI OUT (ARC or eARC) port into the TV’s HDMI port labelled ARC or eARC. That is the port that sends sound back out to the soundbar.
2. Turn on HDMI-CEC in the TV’s settings. Every brand gives it a different name; the table below shows where to find it.
3. If the soundbar has its own HDMI control setting, turn that on as well. Sony soundbars call it Control for HDMI.
4. Set the TV’s sound output to the soundbar. On a Samsung TV, go to Settings > Sound > Sound Output and select the soundbar. On an LG TV, go to Sound > Sound Out > HDMI ARC. On a Roku TV, go to Settings > Audio > Audio Output and select eARC.
5. Test the volume and mute buttons, then turn the TV off and on. If the soundbar doesn’t follow, Sony suggests this routine: turn both off, turn the TV on with its remote, turn the soundbar on with its own remote, then turn both off with the TV remote. From then on they should switch on and off together.

Where to turn on HDMI-CEC on your TV

TV brand or system	What the setting is called	Where to find it
Samsung	Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC)	Settings > All Settings > Connections > External Device Manager > Anynet+
LG	SIMPLINK (HDMI-CEC)	Settings > General > SIMPLINK (HDMI-CEC)
Sony	BRAVIA Sync	Settings > Watching TV > External Inputs > BRAVIA Sync settings
Vizio	CEC	Settings > All Settings > System > CEC
Roku TV (any brand)	Control other devices (CEC)	Settings > System > Control other devices (CEC)
Fire TV built in (any brand)	HDMI-CEC Devices	Settings > Display & Sound > HDMI-CEC Devices; turn on 1-Touch Play and Power Control
Google TV or Android TV (any brand)	Control other devices (CEC)	Settings > Inputs (External devices control on some models)

Philips calls the same feature EasyLink. Menu names vary by model, so if a path doesn’t match, look for a setting named something like HDMI Control, CEC or Control other devices. On Sony TVs, also set eARC mode to Auto under Set Audio Output if your TV shows that option.

Method 2: Optical cable: turn on the soundbar’s TV remote mode

An optical cable carries sound only, so HDMI-CEC can’t work through it. Sony’s own guide says its soundbars can be run by the TV remote only over HDMI, not optical. Some soundbars get around this by reading the TV remote’s infrared signal directly. You switch that on by holding a button on the soundbar or its remote, and the button depends on the brand:

• Samsung soundbars. Samsung says its TV remotes control a Samsung soundbar’s volume and mute over optical or HDMI once the TV’s Sound Output is set to the soundbar. If they don’t, hold the WOOFER button up on the soundbar remote for about 5 seconds, until ON – TV REMOTE appears. On optical, Auto Power Link turns the soundbar on and off with the TV. It is on by default; hold left on the soundbar remote’s direction pad to switch it on or off.
• LG soundbars. On models such as the SL5YF, hold SOUND EFFECT on the soundbar remote for about 3 seconds until ON – TV REMOTE appears. Volume up, volume down and mute then work from other brands’ TV remotes too. LG notes that this doesn’t work with LG’s Magic Remote, some remotes aren’t supported, and it may not work well while SIMPLINK or LG Sound Sync is on.
• Soundbars that learn buttons, such as Klipsch’s RSB series. Hold Mute on the soundbar for 3 seconds until the source light flashes. Press the soundbar button you want to teach, for example Volume Up. Then press the same button on your TV remote, held within 12 inches of the soundbar. Three flashes and then a steady light mean it worked. Repeat for each button you want, such as Volume Down. Klipsch says to use the TV’s own remote, not a cable or satellite remote.

Other brands use different buttons. Look in your soundbar’s manual for a section such as “Using your TV remote control” (LG’s name for it) or “TV Remote Programming” (Klipsch’s).

Method 3: Use the remote you already hold

If a streaming player’s remote is the one you pick up, you can often point it at the soundbar instead of the TV remote.

• Apple TV: go to Settings > Remotes and Devices > Volume Control (under Home Theater Control). Apple says Auto is usually the best choice. Pick Receiver via IR if your audio device has an infrared remote but no HDMI-CEC, or Learn New Device to teach the remote your soundbar’s volume buttons.
• Chromecast or Google TV Streamer: go to Settings > Remotes & Accessories > Set up remote buttons, add the soundbar or receiver, then choose which buttons (volume, power, input) should control it. Point the remote at the device while you test. Google notes that some device models can’t be controlled.
• Roku streaming players: Roku says its remotes can’t control a soundbar or receiver directly. They can change the sound only when everything is connected by HDMI with HDMI-CEC on, which brings you back to Method 1.
• Samsung TVs with a One Remote: press Home, go to Source, press up, then select Universal Remote. It controls other devices connected to the TV by HDMI, and Home Theater is one of the device types you can add.

If your TV remote still won’t control the soundbar

What happens	What to do
The volume buttons change the TV speakers, not the soundbar	Set the TV’s sound output to the soundbar or HDMI ARC (Method 1, step 4). TCL’s support page also suggests setting S/PDIF and ARC to Auto Detect in the TV’s audio settings.
No sound comes from the soundbar over HDMI	Check that the cable is in the ARC or eARC port, ARC is selected as the audio output, and CEC is on: many TVs need CEC turned on for ARC to work. Set eARC mode to Auto if you see it.
The soundbar won’t turn on or off with the TV	Unplug the TV and every HDMI device for about a minute. Plug in the TV and turn it on, then plug in the soundbar, then your other HDMI devices. Then try the on and off routine in Method 1, step 5.
Volume works but power doesn’t, or only some buttons respond	Some TVs pass only volume, not power, and not every TV fully supports CEC. Your TV’s manual lists which commands it supports.
The TV stopped responding after you put the soundbar in front of it	The soundbar may be blocking the TV’s remote sensor. Move it so the sensor is clear, or turn on the soundbar’s IR repeater if it has one.
Nothing above helps	Check for a TV firmware update. Roku notes that some CEC and ARC problems are fixed by updates.

Using a universal remote, and the volume buttons won’t reach the soundbar? See universal remote volume not working for the volume lock setting and other fixes.

When a universal remote is the better fix

If your TV has no ARC port and your soundbar has no TV remote mode, a universal remote is usually the simplest way to run both from one remote. Our soundbar universal remote codes list codes by soundbar brand and remote. There are also separate pages for Samsung, LG, Sony and Vizio soundbars, and for GE universal remotes with soundbars.

In short: on HDMI, use the ARC or eARC port and turn on CEC; on optical, switch on the soundbar’s TV remote mode; and if a button still won’t respond, work through the table above before buying anything.

Frequently asked questions