How to Disable Your Television Speakers

Authored by: Support.com Tech Pro Team

1. Introduction

As televisions get thinner and thinner, their built-in speakers tend to be lacking. This has led many who want the best sound quality to purchase additional speakers like soundbars and so on for their home theater. Something that helps with this trend is the addition of wireless technologies to these products such as Wi-Fi, AirPlay and Bluetooth.

To enjoy all of the benefits of hearing audio through your home theater system, it is recommended to disable your television's internal speakers. This guide will show you how to disable your default television speakers for the purpose of selecting your own external speakers or soundbar. We're showing general steps here, so it might be a bit different than what your own system uses.

Tools You'll Need:

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Before You Begin:

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Turning a speaker off

2. Disable the Default Television Speaker

Disable the Internal Speaker on a TV (Samsung Example) The following is an example of how to disable your speakers using a Samsung television. Unless you're using a Samsung TV, these steps may be different but the general process is the same.

  1. Navigate to your Smart Television's Settings.
Gear
  1. Select the Sound setting.
Sound settings
  1. Select Sound Output. By default, the TV Speaker will be selected.
Selecting sound output
  1. Select the speaker you want to use. This may be listed as the output selection on the back of your tv, the connection type, or the actual speaker.
Selecting your speakers
  1. When done, select Close.
Closing the menu

If You Can't Find the Setting to Turn off the Speaker

Most older televisions don't let you completely turn off the television speakers. If you can't find the setting or ability to turn off the internal speakers you can adjust the volume so they don't interfere with the external ones.

  1. Using the correct remote or input, turn the volume on your television all the way down.
Image of a television remote control's mute and volume buttons