Organizing Cables Behind the TV - Home as We Make It

The back of your TV probably looks like a tangled mess of black cables snaking in every direction. Between HDMI cords, power cables, ethernet connections, and whatever else you’ve plugged in over the years, the chaos builds up fast.

That jumbled nest of wires isn’t just unsightly when you catch a glimpse of it; it also makes troubleshooting problems harder and creates a tripping hazard if cables dangle too far. Getting those cords under control doesn’t require professional installation or expensive equipment, just a bit of planning and the right approach.

Effective cable management combines multiple strategies rather than relying on a single solution. You want to bundle excess length, secure the cables to surfaces so they don’t dangle, and conceal what’s left behind under covers or furniture.

You want to create a system that lets you access cables when needed without creating visual clutter or posing a safety hazard. Most solutions work whether your TV sits on a stand or mounts to the wall, though wall-mounted setups require somewhat different tactics.

Bundle cables with Velcro ties

Velcro cable ties are reusable and won’t damage cords like zip ties can when pulled too tightly. Group cables that head in the same direction and wrap them together, leaving a little slack so that nothing gets strained.

This immediately reduces visual clutter and prevents cables from tangling. Keep a pack of various sizes on hand, since you’ll need different widths depending on how many wires you’re bundling together.

Using the right lengths of cable

Most tangles behind an entertainment center are caused by excess cable length. If you only need four feet of HDMI cable to reach your gaming console, don’t use a twelve-foot one.

Before buying cables, measure the actual distance between devices, and then replace unnecessarily long cables with much shorter versions. This single change can dramatically reduce the amount of coiling and bundling you need to do.

Install a cable management box

Cable management boxes allow you to conceal power strips and those chunky adapters that plug into them. They usually run about thirty dollars, offer multiple colors to match your furniture, and you simply place the power strip inside, feed the cables through openings at each end, and voila: that eyesore is wholly gone.

It’s great for keeping cords out of reach of kids and pets, who always seem to pull on dangling wires.

Label all cables clearly

Label each cable near both ends with a simple tag or label maker so you know what connects to what. This saves enormous amounts of time when you have to unplug something or troubleshoot a problem.

Use vinyl-coated markers for easy-to-read text, or just wrap a piece of masking tape around the cable and write on it with a permanent marker. The extra five minutes upfront prevents hours of frustration l

Mount your power strip out of sight

Attach your power strip to the back of your TV stand or on the underside of furniture using adhesive command strips or the mounting gaps many strips have built in. This keeps the strip raised off the floor and eliminates the tangle of cables pooling at ground level.

Make sure you can still access it easily for plugging and unplugging devices, but positioning it vertically on a surface clears up a lot of floor space.

Install cable raceways for wall-mounted TVs

Plastic cable raceways are directly mounted over cables running down your wall from a mounted TV to the outlet below. You simply measure from your TV to the floor, cut the raceway to length, and attach it using the adhesive backing or the included small screws.

Many raceways are paintable to blend into your wall color and become nearly invisible at standard viewing distance.

Use right-angle HDMI adapters

With HDMI ports often facing directly rearward on modern TVs, cables can stick out awkwardly and take up extra space. Right-angle adapters and cables with built-in angles keep connections flat against the wall, making a significant difference on wall-mounted TVs where every inch of clearance counts, and preventing cables from bending at sharp angles that could damage them over time.

Choose furniture that has integrated cable management

Media cabinets designed with cable management in mind include cutouts, channels, and removable back panels that make it easy to route wires. Look for furniture with vertical channels down the back leg for cables to run unobtrusively, or models with openings exactly where you’d want them.

This integrated approach beats retrofitting cable management onto furniture that wasn’t designed for it.

Run cables through the wall

For wall-mounted TVs, recessed cable plates let you run the wires through the wall for the cleanest possible look. Use a utility knife to cut two openings, one behind the TV and another near the floor outlet, then feed cables through.

This requires more work than surface solutions but eliminates visible wires. Just make sure you’re not cutting into electrical wiring or plumbing before you start.

Fasten cables using adhesive clips

The small adhesive cable clips attach to furniture or walls and hold individual cables in place to prevent sliding. Use these to run cables along the edges and legs of your TV stand, keeping things neat and preventing dangling cords.

The Command brand makes clips that remove cleanly without surface damage, which matters if you’re renting or might be moving furniture later.

Use a cable management sleeve

Cable sleeves are essentially fabric or neoprene tubes that bundle multiple cables into a single, organized column. Thread all of your cables through the sleeve, zip it closed, and that rat’s nest suddenly becomes one tidy bundle.

These work particularly well for the wires running from your desk to your entertainment center, or for those running from components that sit far from the TV.

Install a floating shelf under the TV

Install a floating shelf just below your wall-mounted TV. This will create a platform where cables can come to rest out of sight. Route the cables along the back of the shelf and use the shelf’s surface to hold streaming devices, gaming consoles, or a soundbar.

This adds functionality while hiding the cable runs that would otherwise have been on the wall.

Switch to wireless devices whenever possible

Streaming sticks, such as Roku, Chromecast, or Fire TV Stick, require only power and eliminate the need for HDMI cables running across your room. Wireless speakers and soundbars eliminate the need for audio cables.

You can’t get rid of every cord, but having fewer of them makes it much easier to manage what is left. Every device you can make wireless removes another cable from the equation.

Route cables behind decorative elements

Cables can be routed behind picture frames, artwork, or decorative panels that are mounted on the wall near your TV. Create a gallery wall around your television and use the frames for cover for cable runs.

This creative approach ‘hides’ cables by integrating them into your room’s design, rather than truly concealing them. Just make sure the frames are far enough from the wall to accommodate the cable’s thickness.

Create a cable routing path with channels

Some TV mounts have cable tie anchors or channels molded into the mounting arm, specifically for routing cables. Feed your cables through these channels as you install the mount, and they’ll remain organized and hidden behind the TV.

If your current mount doesn’t include this feature, you can attach stick-on cable channels to the back of the TV itself to achieve the same effect.

Maintaining the system

Cable organization isn’t a one-time project, as you’ll continually add and remove devices. The trick is keeping whatever system you set up with cables going back in their appointed spots and updating labels as you change things out.

Take photos of your organized cable setup from a few angles so you can reference them later if ever the mess returns. A well-organized cable system only stays that way if you commit to keeping it tidy whenever you make changes to your entertainment setup.

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