How To Fix Sound Not Working On Mac
Sound not working on Mac is a widespread and frustrating problem. And, it can bug you whether you are trying to utilize your Mac’s internal speakers or Bluetooth or cabled speakers. The reasons for the same can vary. While some are as normal as forgetting to unmute the volume, there are somewhere you might have to put in the extra effort. In this blog, we’ll discuss all the possible ways in which you can resolve sound problems on Mac. But, first, let’s have a look at some possible reasons why you are facing audio or sound issues on your Mac –
Why Is The Sound Not Working on Mac?
- Driver related issues
- Essential components required to play sounds not loaded correctly
- Muted volume
- The audio file might be corrupted
- Wrong output settings/ audio devices chosen
- Malfunctioning USB ports/ split/ frayed wired accessories
- macOS needs update
- Malfunctioning external device
What To Do In Case of MacBook Sound Not Working?
1. Restart Your MacBook
If the sound is not working on your Mac, one of the first things you should do is restart your Mac. It could be that your Mac didn’t initialize the audio driver.
2. Take Aid of A Third-Party App To Fix The Issue
A third-party utility named CleanMyMac X can help if the audio is not working on your MacBook. CleanMyMac X is a notarized app from Apple that resolves common troubleshooting issues. You can run CleanMyMac X’s Maintenance Scripts feature. These scripts can keep your MacOS in shape.
1. Download, install and run CleanMyMac X.
2. From the left-hand side, click on Maintenance under Speed.
3. Click on Run Maintenance Scripts.
4. Click on Run.
Apart from running Maintenance Scripts with the help of CleanMyMac X, you may also want to check your Mac for Malware because even malicious threats are known to cause audio issues.
To know more about the features of CleanMyMac X, you can check out full review on CleanMyMac X.
3. Check The Volume
If the volume is not working on Mac, it could be that you have muted the volume slider. Before you head towards advanced measures, check your volume slider, and you may have just figured out why the sound has stopped working on your Mac.
4. Check Sound Preferences on Mac
It is quite likely that you haven’t selected the right speakers as your output device. And, how would you check that? To check sound preferences and here are the steps –
1. Open System Preferences.
2. Select Sound
3. Check which device you have selected as output.
4. Just make sure that you have not checked on the Mute button.
5. Choose The Right Audio Device Input and Output Settings
Sometimes your Mac might select the wrong audio device because of driver incompatibility, incorrect configuration, or conflict with other apps. So, if MacBook sound issues have surfaced, you may have to select the correct output device for your audio. Here are the steps for the same –
1. Click on the Apple menu.
2. Select System Preferences.
3. Click on Sound and then select the Output tab.
4. Select the correct output device.
5. You may also want to check if you have accidentally connected a Bluetooth device and if the audio is playing through that instead of your Mac’s speakers.
6. Restart Sound Controller On Mac
A malfunctioning sound controller can be the culprit behind why sound is not working on Mac. Restarting the sound controller can help resolve sound problems on Mac, and here are the steps for the same –
1. Go to your Mac’s Finder.
2. Head to Applications > Utilities and open Activity Monitor.
3. Locate CoreAudio
4. Click on the X icon to close it.
5. Wait for a few seconds and again replay a sound to restart the audio.
7. Switch Bluetooth On/ Off
It could be that you can listen to audio through your Mac’s internal speakers. However, it is the Bluetooth speakers who are creating issues and from where you cannot listen to any sound. If that’s the case, you can try turning off the Bluetooth once and then turn it back on. Here are the steps –
1. Click on the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar.
2. Turn it off
3. Wait for some time and then turn it back on.
4. Locate your Bluetooth device and reconnect it.
5. Check if the audio is working fine now.
8. Detach All USB Peripherals and Check Ports
While not a common scenario, split or frayed cables or defective USB ports can be why sound has stopped working on your MacBook. In such a case, you can try detaching or wired accessories individually and then check if the audio works as it should. You may also want to clean the jack to which you have connected the headphones.
Wrapping Up
The above fixes have successfully helped users in resolving sound problems on Mac. And, if they have worked out for you, do let us know in the comments section below. For more such content, keep reading BestMacCleaner.