---
title: "Netflix Audio Out of Sync? How to Fix It | sync.video"
description: "Netflix sound out of sync? Netflix’s own checks for each device, the audio format change on Apple TV and soundbars, and how to measure your TV’s own delay."
url: https://sync.video/netflix-audio-out-of-sync
---

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# How to fix Netflix audio that’s out of sync

Check one title against another, follow the reset for your device, change the audio format and, if every app is off, set your TV’s audio sync.

If Netflix audio is out of sync, play a different title first. If only one title is wrong, Netflix suggests reporting it from your viewing activity with **Report a Problem**; if every title is wrong on one device, restart that device the way Netflix recommends and try a different audio format. When Netflix and other apps are all out of step on the same TV, the TV or soundbar is the cause and its audio sync setting fixes it.

Netflix says plainly that sound out of sync means a problem with either your device or the title, and that its customer service can’t help with device audio settings. That makes measuring your own setup useful: the [audio delay test](https://sync.video/audio-delay-test) shows whether your TV or soundbar adds delay of its own, and the [TV guide](https://sync.video/audio-out-of-sync-on-tv) shows where each brand keeps its sync setting.

Is it the file or the playback? If the video is out of sync on every device, the file is wrong and can be fixed once. If it is only wrong on one TV, speaker or app, the playback chain adds the delay and that device needs adjusting.

## How to fix Netflix sound and picture

1. ### Try another title
Play a different show or film. If only one is out of sync, report it from your viewing activity using **Report a Problem** and watch something else meanwhile.
2. ### Restart your device properly
On a smart TV, set-top box or PlayStation 4, Netflix suggests unplugging it, pressing its power button once, waiting a minute (or leaving it unplugged for three) and plugging it back in. Fully power off phones and tablets rather than just locking them.
3. ### Change the audio format
On Apple TV, go to Settings → **Video and Audio** → **Audio Format** → **Change Format** and choose **Dolby Digital 5.1**, or **Stereo** if that doesn’t help. On other devices, try stereo or PCM output.
4. ### Measure and set the TV
If other apps are off as well, run the [delay test](https://sync.video/audio-delay-test) on the TV or a laptop connected to it, line up the flash with **Start flash and beep** and enter the result in the TV’s or soundbar’s sync setting.

## Netflix’s own steps, by device

__What Netflix’s help centre suggests for sound out of sync__
| Device                               | Suggested step                                                                                                    |
| ------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Any device                           | Check that other titles play normally; if not, the device is the cause                                            |
| Apple TV 4 and Apple TV 4K           | Settings → **Video and Audio** → **Audio Format** → **Change Format**: try **Dolby Digital 5.1**, then **Stereo** |
| Smart TV, set-top box, PlayStation 4 | Unplug, press power once, wait a minute (or three minutes unplugged), plug back in                                |
| TiVo                                 | **Audio & Video Settings** → **Dolby Digital** → **Dolby Digital to PCM**                                         |
| Receiver, soundbar or speakers       | Check the HDMI or optical connection, swap the cable ends or use a different cable                                |
| iPhone or iPad                       | Update to the latest iOS or iPadOS                                                                                |
| Android phone or tablet              | Power the device off fully, then on again                                                                         |
| Windows, Mac, Chromebook             | Shut down fully (not sleep), wait, then start again                                                               |

## Why the audio format matters

Netflix offers surround sound on many titles. If your device sends that surround stream to a soundbar or receiver that decodes it slowly, the sound arrives late. Switching to stereo, or letting the TV convert to PCM, removes that decoding step. The opposite can also help: some systems keep better time with the surround format, which is why Netflix suggests trying both on Apple TV.

### In the Netflix player

Many titles offer more than one audio track. A plain stereo track of the same language is worth a try when the 5.1 track is the one out of step.

## When it’s your TV, not Netflix

* Every app is out of sync by roughly the same amount: the TV’s picture processing or the sound system is the cause.
* It is fine on a phone but wrong on the TV: the title is fine, the TV setup isn’t.
* It changed after you added a soundbar or headphones: that device adds delay; see [Bluetooth audio delay](https://sync.video/bluetooth-audio-delay).
1. Turn on game mode or reduce motion smoothing.
2. Measure with the [delay test](https://sync.video/audio-delay-test).
3. Enter the number in the TV’s or soundbar’s audio sync setting, and test again.

The same checks apply to other services; the [streaming guide](https://sync.video/streaming-audio-out-of-sync) groups them by symptom, and [Hulu](https://sync.video/hulu-audio-out-of-sync) has its own page.

## Questions about Netflix audio sync

### Why is Netflix out of sync on my TV but not my phone?

Then the title is fine and the TV setup adds delay: its picture processing, a soundbar decoding surround sound, or wireless headphones. Change the audio format, turn on game mode and set the TV’s sync.

### How do I report an out-of-sync title to Netflix?

Open your viewing activity on the Netflix website, find the title and choose **Report a Problem**.

### Can I change the audio delay in the Netflix app?

Netflix’s app doesn’t offer an audio delay control. The adjustment is made in your TV, streaming box or sound system.

### Should I choose stereo or 5.1?

Try both. A slow surround decoder makes 5.1 late, and switching to stereo removes that step; on some setups the reverse is true, which is why Netflix suggests trying both on Apple TV.

### Can sync.video fix Netflix?

No. Netflix streams are protected and can’t be changed or synced by anything outside Netflix. sync.video measures your own equipment’s delay so you can set it correctly.

## More in fix audio sync

* [ Fix audio and video out of sync Work out whether the file or the playback is at fault, then fix the delay or measure it. ](https://sync.video/fix-audio-sync)
* [ Fix streaming audio out of sync One app, one show or every app? Find the cause and the fix for streaming lag. ](https://sync.video/streaming-audio-out-of-sync)
* [ Fix Hulu audio out of sync Live TV versus on demand, app resets, audio output and TV sync settings. ](https://sync.video/hulu-audio-out-of-sync)
* [ Fix audio delay on a TV or soundbar The AV sync setting on Samsung, LG, Sony, Fire TV and Apple TV, and how to measure it. ](https://sync.video/audio-out-of-sync-on-tv)
* [ Test your audio delay A flash and beep, a microphone chirp or tapping: a latency figure in milliseconds. ](https://sync.video/audio-delay-test)
* [ Sync audio and video online Drop one video to fix its delay, or several files to line them up by their sound. ](https://sync.video/)