Troubleshooting Mac Audio Issues – Effective Fixes That Work

No sound comes through your Mac? Don’t panic – it’s usually not a hard problem to solve at all. In this article, we’ll provide 8 tried and tested fixes to help youget your Mac sound back in no time.

Try these fixes

You may not have to try all these fixes; just work your way down the list until the problem goes away.

1. Check sound on different apps
2. Disconnect external speakers
3. Check the audio settings
4. Turn off Bluetooth
5. Restart your Mac
6. Reset NVRAM
7. Create a testing account on safe mode
8. Update your Mac OS

Fix 1: Check sound on different apps

Make sure you play sound on different apps (say Youtube, iTunes, Spotify etc.). Check if it’s only on one app that you have this no sound problem :

• Ifyes , then that particular buggy app is to blame. Update/delete the app should have smoothed out the problem.
• Ifno (no sound on ALL apps), then move on toFix 2 .

Fix 2: Disconnect external speakers

Sometimes you can’t hear any sound from your Mac because it sends the audio to its external devices, such as headphones, TV, etc. Unplug all of them and check if you can hear the sound. If no, go withFix 3 .

Fix 3: Check the audio settings

If the volume on your computer is set mute or too low, you won’t be able to hear the sound. To make sure you have turned up the volume:

1. On the dock, click theSystem Preferences icon , then click on the Sound icon.

2. Click theOutput tab > Internal Speakers . Move theOutput volume slider all the way to the right and make sure the box beforeMute isunchecked .

If instead ofInternal Speakers , you see Digital Output orNo output devices found , then insert your headphone into the headphone port and pull it out. Keep plugging and unplugging until Internal Speakers appears. Then repeat step 2).

3. Check if you get sound back on your Mac.

Fix 4: Turn off Bluetooth

Sometimes thisno sound problem happens because you have your Bluetooth on and it sends the audio to the device your computer is connected to. If that’s the case, we need to turn off Bluetooth to eliminate any glitches resulting from this.

1. ClickSystem preferences >Bluetooth . Check if it says Bluetooth: On :

• Ifyes : clickTurn Bluetooth Off , then click the close button.

• Ifno (i.e. Bluetooth: Off ): click theClose button. Proceed to Fix 5.

Fix 5: Restart your Mac

A simple restart can fix many minor issues our computer is having, including audio problems. After the restart, you can check again and see if you get the sound back.

Fix 6: Reset NVRAM

By resetting NVRAM, we bring back the default settings (including speaker volume, time zone, and display solution etc.). This may well help solve sound-related problems.

1. Shut down your computer.

2. Turn on your computer by pressing the power button, and IMMEDIATELY hold downthe Command key , the options/alt key ,P andR at the same time.

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3. Don’t release the keys before you hear the start-up sound. (This reboot will take up to 20 seconds.)

4. After the start-up, your computer will be refreshed to the default settings. This time, you might need to reconfigure settings for speaker volume, time zone, and display solution etc.

5. Test to see if the sound works properly.

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Fix 7: Create a testing account on safe mode

In this method, we create a new Apple account and test if sound works properly in this new account. Here’s a quick walk-through:

1. Shut down your computer.

2. To enter safe mode, hold down theShift key and press thepower button. Don’t let go of theShift key until you see the Apple logo.

3. ClickSystem Preferences .

4. Click Users & Groups .

5. Click theLock icon > the Add icon. Then enter the user password if asked.

6. InNew Account , chooseAdministrator . InFull Name , enter a name for your testing account (TEST, in my case). Then clickCreate User .

Note: no password for this account is needed since it’s only a testing account.

7. You’ll be asked to confirm creating a new account without a password. ClickOK > theClose button.

8. Restart your computer and log in withthe new user account you just created. Check the sound and see if it works properly:

• Ifyes , it indicates the profile of the previous Apple account is probably corrupted. Proceed with 9) and contactApple Support to help fix your previous Apple account.
• Ifno , then proceed with 9) and move on toFix 8 .

9. Click System Preferences > Users & Groups > theLock icon > theMinus icon to delete your testing account.

Fix 8: Update your Mac OS

If all the fixes above don’t solve your problem, then you might have to update your OS. Sometimes the older system can have some sound problems and Apple will roll out new versions to fix them.

IMPORTANT: before you upgrade to the new OS, make sure you have backed up your Mac.

1. ClickApp store > Updates .

2. Click the latest Mac OS to update.

3. Wait for the download and install, then your computer will restart automatically.

4. Check if you get sound back on your Mac.

If all else fails, then you’ll probably be best off contactingApple Support or having this fixed in a trustworthy computer repair shop.

That’s it – 8 tried and tested methods to fix yourno sound coming from your Mac problem. Hope this helps and feel free to comment below if you have further questions. 🙂

• Mac
• sound problem