If your Firestick remote navigates menus fine but the volume and mute buttons do nothing, the remote is not broken. Navigation travels over Bluetooth, while volume and power are sent to your TV or soundbar by infrared (IR) or HDMI-CEC, so they are set up separately. A Firestick remote volume not working fault almost always comes down to that second link.
Quick answer: Open the Fire TV settings, find Equipment Control, and add or re-add your TV (or soundbar) so the remote knows which brand and code set to use. If that fails, switch on HDMI-CEC on both the TV and the Fire TV, then replace the remote batteries.
Why does the remote work for menus but not volume?
Pairing the remote with the stick gives you the d-pad, Home, Back and playback keys. The volume, mute and power buttons only work once the remote has been told what to talk to. Menu names vary by Fire OS version and remote model, and not every Fire TV remote has volume buttons, so check yours has them first.
1. Check Equipment Control
The settings are usually under Settings > Equipment Control (sometimes Settings > Controllers & Bluetooth Devices on older versions). Look for Manage Equipment or Add Equipment.
- Choose TV and let the setup run through the brands. Pick your TV's brand rather than the model.
- Follow the prompts. The remote will often ask you to press volume up and confirm the sound changed.
- If it offers more than one code group for your brand, try the next group in turn until volume works.
If the wrong brand has been saved, remove the equipment entry and add it again from scratch.
2. Make sure CEC is on at both ends
HDMI-CEC lets devices control each other over the HDMI cable. It has to be enabled on the TV as well as the stick, and every manufacturer gives it a different name, for example Anynet+ (Samsung), SIMPLINK (LG) or Bravia Sync (Sony). Look in the TV's settings under General, External Devices or HDMI. On the Fire TV, look for an HDMI CEC Device Control option under Display & Sounds.
Plug the stick into an HDMI port that supports CEC. On some TVs only certain ports do, and the one marked ARC or eARC is often the one reserved for a soundbar.
3. Soundbars and receivers
If the sound comes from a soundbar, the remote may need to control the soundbar instead of the TV. In Equipment Control, add the soundbar as audio equipment and choose it as the volume device. If your TV passes sound out through the soundbar over HDMI ARC, the TV's CEC setting needs to be on as well.
4. Simple physical causes
- Batteries. Weak batteries can keep Bluetooth going while the IR signal gets too weak to reach the TV. Fit fresh ones.
- Line of sight. The IR signal needs to reach the TV's sensor. If the stick is hidden behind the TV, that is fine for Bluetooth, but the IR sensor on the TV bezel still needs a clear path from the remote.
- Unplug and restart. Unplug the stick for a minute, plug it back in, and test again.
If that didn't work
Re-pair the remote by holding Home for around ten seconds (the exact time varies by model), then set up Equipment Control once more. Check whether the TV's own remote still controls volume, to rule out a TV-side fault.
Before asking for help, note your TV brand and model, any soundbar, the Fire TV model, and what you see under Equipment Control. The Fire TV Stick setup guide covers the rest of the first-time settings.
Tell us your TV brand and which of these steps finally got the volume back, as it helps the next person.