What Does The White Light Mean On Your Chromecast?

When smart TVs were less affordable or ubiquitous, casting devices like the Google Chromecast were useful devices. In the past, we've even discussed why a Chromecast could still be right for you, even if you already had a smart TV. Despite this, Google announced its plans to discontinue Chromecast devices earlier this year.

Regardless of the Chromecast model, a solid white light is always a good sign. It means that your device is working without issues, and is connected to the internet. A pulsing white light also means that the Chromecast is working, but needs to be connected or has additional setup needs. On the final Chromecast model with Google TV (4K and HD), a dim, solid white light shows the device is in idle mode. 

Depending on the specific Chromecast model, its light indicator can turn red, orange, and yellow. Here's how to know what they mean and some ways you can try to bring them back to white.

For the 1st generation Chromecast, the solid red light means that there is a problem — the simplest solution is to unplug then replug the device. If the red light is pulsing while you're updating the Chromecast, the normal device functions will be unavailable until the update is completed. If you see a pulsing red light when you're not updating — and the screen is black — try reconnecting the power, testing the device with another TV, or swapping cables. If this fails, you may need to perform a factory reset.

The Chromecast (2nd generation), Chromecast (3rd generation), and Chromecast Ultra don't have red light indicators, and a solid orange light means a general error that can be resolved either with a factory reset or a power source reconnection. If your TV screen is black, in tandem with a pulsing orange light, you can try the same recommendations for the solid orange light.

For the Chromecast with Google TV (4K and HD), Google kept the orange light indicators. However, they mean slightly different things from its predecessors. For example, a blinking orange light could either mean it is going through a self-diagnosis, is being reset (if it eventually turns white), or is receiving an update (if it is alternating white and orange). But of course, if your Chromecast keeps having issues, you might want to consider upgrading to the Google TV Streamer instead.