Sound not working on mac resolved

** Mac Sound Not Working? The Simple 1-Minute Fix!

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Darren’s Tech Tutorials!

There are few things more frustrating than settling in to watch a video or listen to music, only to discover your Mac is completely silent. You know the content is playing—you can see the progress bar moving—but there’s absolutely no sound coming out!

The good news is that in most cases, this isn’t a hardware failure; it’s usually just a simple misconfiguration of your audio output selection. In this quick guide, we’re going to walk through the exact steps to troubleshoot and fix your sound problem by making sure your Mac knows where to send the audio.

Let’s dive right in and get your Mac sounding great again!

Quick Preliminary Check

Before jumping into System Preferences, let’s make sure the sound issue isn’t external:

1. Confirm Media Playback: Ensure the application generating the sound (Chrome, Safari, Music app, etc.) is actually playing and that its internal volume isn’t muted.
2. Check Mac Volume: Use the volume keys on your keyboard (F10, F11, F12) or the menu bar slider to confirm the master volume isn’t turned all the way down.

If these look good, it’s time to check the central audio settings.

The Core Fix: Resetting Your Mac’s Audio Output

The most common reason for a silent Mac is that it is mistakenly trying to send the audio signal to a device that is no longer connected (like a pair of Bluetooth headphones you used yesterday, or an external monitor). We need to force it back to the internal speakers.

Here is the straightforward, step-by-step process:

Step 1: Access System Preferences

Click on the Apple symbol () located in the top-left corner of your screen. From the dropdown menu, select System Preferences.

Step 2: Navigate to Sound Settings

In the System Preferences window, find and click on the Sound icon (it usually looks like a speaker).

Step 3: Open the Output Tab

In the Sound window, there are usually three tabs: Sound Effects, Output, and Input. Click on the Output tab. This tab lists every potential device your Mac can currently send sound to.

Step 4: Select Your Internal Speakers

Review the list of devices under the ‘Output’ tab. You will likely see one or more options listed here.

If you are using a standard MacBook or iMac, you must select the option labeled:

• Internal Speakers

Click this option once.

That’s all there is to it! As soon as you select the correct device, the sound should instantly start working.

Troubleshooting Multiple Audio Devices

If you have external devices connected (such as monitors with built-in speakers, USB sound cards, or dedicated external speaker sets), you may see multiple outputs listed.

If selecting ‘Internal Speakers’ doesn’t solve the problem, or if you intend to use an external device, follow these tips:

• Check the Correct Device: If you want sound to come out of your connected display, make sure you select the output device labeled with your display’s name (e.g., “LG Display Audio”).
• Verify Connection: If the device you want to use (like a specific set of Bluetooth headphones or a USB speaker) is not listed, make sure it is properly connected and powered on. Sometimes a quick power cycle of the external device will make it appear in the list.
• The Mac Default: When in doubt, always switch back to Internal Speakers to confirm that the issue isn’t with your media player, but truly with the output selection.

Conclusion: Get That Sound Back!

Dealing with sound issues can halt your productivity, but as you’ve seen, the solution on a Mac is usually incredibly fast—just a trip to System Preferences to select the correct output device!

I hope this simple troubleshooting guide helped you quickly resolve your Mac sound problem. If this tutorial worked for you, please show your support!

Give this post a quick thumbs up, let us know in the comments if you’re back to full volume, and don’t forget to subscribe to Darren’s Tech Tutorials for more clear and accessible guides! Happy computing!