2026.6.3
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Volume

The Volume action changes the volume on your HDMI-CEC audio system, such as a TV or AV receiver. You can step the volume up or down by a number of levels, or mute and unmute the audio.

Use it to give a dashboard button or an automation control over the volume, for example lowering it automatically when a doorbell rings.

Using this action from the user interface

If you prefer building automations and scripts visually, Home Assistant walks you through this action step by step. You pick what to target, tweak a few options, and save. No YAML knowledge required.

To change the volume from an automation or a script:

  1. Go to Settings > Automations & scenes.
  2. Open an existing automation or script, or select Create automation > Create new automation.
  3. If you’re setting up a new automation, add a trigger in the When section. Scripts don’t need a trigger. They run when something else calls them.
  4. In the Then do section, select Add action.
  5. From the search box, search for and select HDMI-CEC: Volume.
  6. Set how many levels to step Up or Down, or choose a Mute option.
  7. Select Save.

This action does not support targets. In the UI, you are not prompted to choose an area, device, entity, or label.

Options in the UI

Up (Optional)

The number of levels to increase the volume by.
Down (Optional)

The number of levels to decrease the volume by.
Mute (Optional)

Mute, unmute, or toggle the audio system.

Using this action in YAML

If you work directly in YAML, or you want to know exactly what Home Assistant does under the hood, this section has the technical reference. It lists the field names you use in YAML, their types, and which ones are required.

In YAML, refer to this action as hdmi_cec.volume. A basic example looks like this:

ActionActions are used in several places in Home Assistant. As part of a script or automation, actions define what is going to happen once a trigger is activated. In scripts, an action is called *sequence*. [Learn more] 
action: hdmi_cec.volume
data:
  down: 3

This decreases the volume by three levels.

Options in YAML

up integer

The number of levels to increase the volume by.

down integer

The number of levels to decrease the volume by.

mute string

Mute, unmute, or toggle the audio system. One of on, off, or toggle.

Good to know

  • Use one option per call. Combine separate Volume actions if you need to do more than one thing.
  • The audio system must support volume control over CEC for this action to have an effect.

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Open Developer tools > Actions, search for this action, fill in the fields, and select Perform action. You see what happens on your actual entitiesAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more] without writing a line of YAML.

More examples

Real scenarios where this action shows up in automations and scripts. Copy any example and adapt it to your setup.

Tip

You don’t need to edit YAML to use these examples. Copy a YAML snippet from this page, open the automation editor in Home Assistant, and press Ctrl+V (or Cmd+V on Mac). Home Assistant automatically converts the pasted YAML into the visual editor format, whether it’s a full automation, a single trigger, a condition, or an action.

Automation: lower the volume when the doorbell rings

When someone rings the doorbell, step the volume down so you can hear them.

  • Trigger: The doorbell button is pressed
  • Action: HDMI-CEC: Volume
YAML example for lowering the volume on a doorbell press
AutomationAutomations in Home Assistant allow you to automatically respond to things that happen in and around your home. [Learn more] 
alias: "Lower volume on doorbell"
triggers:
  - trigger: state
    entity_id: binary_sensor.doorbell
    to: "on"
actions:
  - action: hdmi_cec.volume
    data:
      down: 5

Still stuck?

The Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with the action you’re calling and what you expected to happen, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.

Tip

AI assistants like ChatGPT or Claude can also explain actions or suggest the right one when you describe what you want in plain language.

Related actions

These actions work well alongside this one:

  • Power on: Powers on all devices on the HDMI-CEC bus that support this function.

  • Standby: Puts all devices on the HDMI-CEC bus that support this function into standby.

  • Select device: Makes an HDMI-CEC device the active source.

  • Update: Updates the state of HDMI-CEC devices from the bus.

  • Send command: Sends a raw CEC command to the HDMI-CEC bus.