Does anyone wanna help me fix my Switch? (No TV Output)

[Birdie]

Basically, I've put this off a few months.

But awhile a go I purchased Fire Emblem and discovered my Switch was no longer displaying on my television. I got Mario Maker 2 on release and it worked, and I haven't changed anything about my Switch or television since then.

The only possible guess is there was a storm one night that briefly knocked out the power, but my Switch otherwise works...it charges correctly and I can play in handheld, but I get no output on the television.

I was wondering if we could troubleshoot before I just give up and purchase another dock because I assume that may be the issue.

 

[Derachi]

I'm gonna say try a different HDMI cable!

 

[Birdie]

I'm gonna say try a different HDMI cable!

Click to shrink...

Question does the Wii U HDMI work on Switch?

I tried it and it fit...but nothing.

 

[OmegaX]

Question does the Wii U HDMI work on Switch?

I tried it and it fit...but nothing.

Click to shrink...

Do you mean the HDMI cable that came with the Wii U? If so, yes. It should be the same as the one that came with the Switch.
If you can't send it to Nintendo for repairs then I would advice you to look for video tutorials on Youtube. There are many youtubers that show how to fix broken Switches but it usually requires soldering and buying replacement parts.

 

[Deleted member 9399]

Is the switch the only thing that doesn't output to that port? maybe it's the port itself.

 

[Birdie]

Okay I've tried with the Wii U HDMI and PS4 HDMI so I assume it isn't the cable...

Guess the dock got fried during the storm maybe? Weird everything but the output works as it still charged the Switch

 

[Blackpuppy]

It's not a Switch Lite is it...? 😂

All joking aside... I dunno.

 

[Derachi]

Question does the Wii U HDMI work on Switch?

I tried it and it fit...but nothing.

Click to shrink...

It would work, yeah. Sounds like you've either got a fried dock or your Switch's video-out is fried. Ask a friend to try their dock, if that doesn't work, your console is fried.

 

[.exe]

If you can't try out an acquaintance's dock, maybe you could walk into a small local game store and ask if you can have them dock your Switch to check if it's that or the console that's acting up. They usually have stuff hooked up behind the counter or a display unit.

Also, is it possible that specific port on your TV is borked? Do inputs from other sources work fine?

Another one: does the screen on your Switch stay on when you put it in the dock or does it turn off?

 

[(mat)]

Does the charger for the dock work on the Switch itself? If it doesn't, the power surge likely blew that cable and you'll need to buy a replacement. Alternatively, if the dock's plugged into a power strip or something, try moving it to a different outlet and see if that makes a difference.

Does a light show up on the dock when you put your switch into it awake?

 

[Kyrios]

Sounds like your dock got borked from the power outage somehow.

 

[WolfeTone]

Some trouble-shooting tips off the top of my head (apologies if some sound condescending but I want to make sure we covered everything :

- make sure the Switch dock is plugged in and receiving power (green light should come on when turning the Switch on),
- try a different HDMI cable, any kind will work,
- make sure your tv is set to the right HDMI channel, there should be an input button on your tv remote to cycle between HDMI ports,
- do other consoles, Blueray players etc work on your TV?
- make sure all cables are connected.

 

[Godsent]

Question does the Wii U HDMI work on Switch?

I tried it and it fit...but nothing.

Click to shrink...

Is it possible to borrow a dock from one of your switch friends or try your dock with their setup? just to eliminate a few possible causes

 

[Birdie]

Doesn't seem to be the port as my PS4 works fine on it.

When I turn on the Switch my TV allows me to select the port it's plugged into but then says no connection.

 

[Pellaidh]

Does your dock light still turn green when you put in the switch, or does the dock not even turn on at all (and pressing the power button when the switch is inside the dock simply wakes up the handheld console)?

Because if its the latter, I've had that happen to me a couple of times, and it's a pretty well documented issue on Reddit. Try disconnecting all of the cables from the dock, and the charger from the power plug. Wait a couple of minutes for everything to power cycle (and I guess you might as well power cycle the actual Switch too). Then plug them back in, making sure to plug the charger cable in before the HDMI cable (which is a weird but pretty well documented quirk of the dock: plugging in the HDMI cable first doesn't work for a lot of people).

 

[Transistor]

Doesn't seem to be the port as my PS4 works fine on it.

When I turn on the Switch my TV allows me to select the port it's plugged into but then says no connection.

Click to shrink...

It's possible a power surge fried out the display board in the dock

 

[Birdie]

Unfortunately I don't have a dock I can test to see if that is the issue.

I turn my Switch on and place it in Dock. The green light is on and screen is black so it is "docked" and is being charged.

 

[Birdie]

Yeah it probably is a bad dock as I've tried the unplugging tip before...I was hoping it wasn't because that's a pain.

Not sure if I have the warranty still covered, or how that works. I've never sent back a product before.

 

[Discoalucard]

I had the same issue and my dock was fried. Had to send it to Nintendo for repair. Try to verify whether it will work in another dock first or else they'll request you send the whole system for inspection too.

 

[Deleted member 9135]

Probably the dock is gone, OP. Do you know anyone with a switch you can test with?

Otherwise, I swear by the insignia switch dock from best buy as a highly competent alternative.

 

[Birdie]

Probably the dock is gone, OP. Do you know anyone with a switch you can test with?

Otherwise, I swear by the insignia switch dock from best buy as a highly competent alternative.

Click to shrink...

I might go pick one up and see...

If worse comes to worse I can return it.

 

[hanmik]

Has to be done in this order (start with nothing plugged into the dock)
Plug in USB-C power adapter.
Plug in HDMI to Dock.
Plug in HDMI to TV.
Put Switch in the Dock.
Turn on TV and select input.

 

[ZeroCoin]

Likely the dock is fried. I had a similar issue where the video out works, but the USB ports are toast and can only be used for charging, not for anything sending data.

 

[hanmik]

Did you try unplugging everything and connect it in this order?

Has to be done in this order (start with nothing plugged into the dock)
Plug in USB-C power adapter.
Plug in HDMI to Dock.
Plug in HDMI to TV.
Put Switch in the Dock.
Turn on TV and select input.

Click to shrink...

 

[Ashhong]

If you need a new dock consider this 3rd party one. I use it and it's been working great and is so much more convenient than the Nintendo one. There's a thread on here with other satisfied customers too

Jumpgate: A versatile, compact Dock for Nintendo Switch/OLED/other devices

Safe to use. Portable design. Compatible with most protective cases. Play in Tabletop Mode with power supply. Enables phone changers to output TV mode. Can be used as a USB hub. The built-in DeX function can turn your smartphone into a computer. Supports resolution up to 4K@30Hz / 2K@60Hz...

skullnco.com

 

[Birdie]

I went with the Best Buy Dock Somewhatgroovy

Picked it up today...here's hoping it works as I haven't got a chance to test it.

Now the issue is...I wanna buy some Switch games and there's SO much...Zelda, Astral Chain, Yu-Gi-Oh, all those classic ports like Grandia.

Fuck being poor. 😭

 

[dtamago]

I had the same issue for a couple of days, then I realized I could completely turn off the switch instead of putting it to sleep, it solved the problem instantly, I know it sounds dumb, but I haven't seen anyone suggest it yet.

 

[F34R]

I went with the Best Buy Dock Somewhatgroovy

Picked it up today...here's hoping it works as I haven't got a chance to test it.

Now the issue is...I wanna buy some Switch games and there's SO much...Zelda, Astral Chain, Yu-Gi-Oh, all those classic ports like Grandia.

Fuck being poor. 😭

Click to shrink...

If it works, I have a spare dock I can send ya if you're here in the US. Then you can take back the one from BB.

 

[Birdie]

I had the same issue for a couple of days, then I realized I could completely turn off the switch instead of putting it to sleep, it solved the problem instantly, I know it sounds dumb, but I haven't seen anyone suggest it yet.

Click to shrink...

I tried that.

Actually I never realized my Switch was always just sleeping and I never turned it off.

I think the fact it was charging in Sleep Mode might've hurt it when the storm hit.

 

[Deleted member 9135]

I went with the Best Buy Dock Somewhatgroovy

Picked it up today...here's hoping it works as I haven't got a chance to test it.

Now the issue is...I wanna buy some Switch games and there's SO much...Zelda, Astral Chain, Yu-Gi-Oh, all those classic ports like Grandia.

Fuck being poor. 😭

Click to shrink...

RIP wallet.

let us know how the dock works out

 

[F34R]

RIP wallet.

let us know how the dock works out

Click to shrink...

If it works, I have the wallet covered. ;)

 

[Birdie]

It's my fault for spending 160$ on drinks last week.

Luckily thanks to a new VA tax law I may be getting 100$ in. Then I can get both Astral Chain and Links Awakening without feeln bad.

 

[DarrenM]

Has to be done in this order (start with nothing plugged into the dock)
Plug in USB-C power adapter.
Plug in HDMI to Dock.
Plug in HDMI to TV.
Put Switch in the Dock.
Turn on TV and select input.

Click to shrink...

Try this OP, I had it do this with a similar issue about a year ago

 

[meaulnes]

I had exactly the same issue, sent through all the troubleshooting mentioned in this thread and nothing worked. First I was convinced the problem was in the dock but then I tested my switch in someone else's dock and it did not work either.
Then I had a different problem with the right joycon which stopped syncing completely so I decided to send everything (both joycons, the dock and the main unit) to Nintendo.
They repaired the problem in the Switch and the right joycon. The dock was ok in my case. I had to pay for the issue with tv output, that will depend on country and time since purchase. They also repaired something else with both joycons, that was considered covered by the warranty.