If the sound on your Mac has stopped working, there are several possible explanations and solutions. The first thing to check is that the sound definitely is not working. Below we'll explain what to check.
No sound on Mac? Check these things first
1. Check the volume
- Boom is a simple volume booster that lets you boost the volume of your Mac and your music files. As you will know that the audio output on the Mac isnt that great, thus greatly diminishing your movie watching and music listening experience. Boom also helps in enhancing your iChat/Skype sessions or while watching videos on YouTube and other web.
- If you are noticing issues with the speaker volume on your MacBook Pro, you may need to reset the NVRAM: Your Mac stores certain settings in a special memory area even if it is turned off. On Intel-based Macs, this is stored in memory known as NVRAM; on PowerPC-based Macs, this is stored in memory known as PRAM.
- Volume Mixer is the first Mac app on the list and it allows you to control system volume by application. You could still give some apps a slight boost. Reviews and more.
- Max Volume Booster will increase the sound volume of your movies or music with 1000% on any device. Boost the sound of any audio or video and experience the true sound more than ever. Key features: +Boost the volume up to 1000%. +Boost your sound volume with one tap. +Increase video, audio, music, voice, audio book volume.
As simplistic as it may seem, the first thing to check is that the volume hasn’t been muted intentionally. Tap the volume up (F12) key to turn up the sound level.
However, by taking control of Turbo Boost, you can increase your Mac’s battery life by up to 25 percent. Here we show you how to disable and enable Turbo Boost manually on your Mac. Related: 3 Ways to Fix the Service Battery Warning on Mac. Finding Out If Your Mac Has the Turbo Boost Feature.
Pro tip: If you hold down Option+Shift when you press F12 or F11 to increase or decrease the volume, it will move in smaller increments than the full step changes that occur when you use the keys on their own.
2. Is it an app problem?
It may be that there’s no sound on your Mac because it won’t play audio in a specific app. If, for example, you can’t hear sound from a video in Safari, make sure the audio isn’t muted by clicking the volume control in the video. You should also check other sound sources, like iTunes and QuickTime movies, to find out if they can play sound.
Tip: if you’re fed up with websites you visit automatically playing video with sound when you’re working, go to Safari>Preferences and click the Websites tab. Click Autoplay, and in the bottom right of the window, choose Stop Media with Sound.
3. Run Maintenance scripts
If you’ve determined your Mac’s sound definitely isn’t working, consider running CleanMyMac X’s Maintenance scripts. These optimize the performance of your Mac by running a number of routines such as repairing disk permissions, verifying your startup disk, and rebuilding the launch services database.
Here's how to run Maintenance scrips:
Download CleanMyMac X here (it's free to download).
- Launch the app.
- Click Maintenance.
- Choose Run Maintenance Scripts and click Run.
4. Check for hardware issues
Next, check there’s nothing plugged into the headphone/line out port and look to see if there’s a red light on that port. If there is, it could be there’s a problem with the port or something blocking it. Try blowing on it to clear dust, if that’s the case.
5. Are you running the latest version of macOS?
If there’s still no sound on your Mac, Apple’s advice is that the first thing you should do is make sure you’re running the latest version of macOS.
To check which version of macOS your Mac is running, click the Apple menu and then About this Mac. The window that opens will have the name of the version of macOS currently installed at the top. Now the latest version is macOS High Sierra. If you’re not running High Sierra, you should consider installing it by going to the App Store app and clicking on it in the sidebar on the right-hand side of the main window.
If you don’t want to install High Sierra, at least make sure you’re running the latest update to whichever version of the OS is installed. To check that, click Software Update in the About This Mac window. That will check for updates and let you know if there’s one available. If there is, install it.
Before installing either a new version of the OS or an update, back up your Mac using Time Machine or whatever backup tool you normally use.
How to check your sound settings
If you’re running the latest macOS version and your sound still isn’t working, the next step is to check your Sound settings.
- Click on the Apple menu and choose System Preferences.
- Click on the Sound pane.
- Select the Output tab and choose built-in speakers. If that’s not available as an option, contact Apple Support.
- Check if the volume slider is low; if so, slide it to the right and recheck the sound.
- Make sure the Mute box isn’t checked.
If you check your sound settings, you see a USB device selected rather than built-in speakers, and you can’t change it, disconnect all USB devices from your Mac and try again.
Is there an app interfering with the sound?
Some applications, like screen recorders, install their own audio output drivers so that when you record the screen, you can direct your Mac’s output to the recording app. It’s possible that if you’ve installed an app like that, its driver could be interfering with your Mac’s sound output.
- Go to System Preferences and choose Sound.
- Click on the Output tab.
- If there’s an output option that looks like a software app and it’s selected, that may be why the sound is not working on your Mac.
The best thing to do in that instance is to uninstall the app. You could just drag the app to the Trash, but that won’t uninstall it properly or remove all the files the app has placed on your Mac. To do that, you should use a dedicated uninstaller like CleanMyMac X.
CleanMyMac X makes it very easy to completely uninstall any app so that it doesn't leave any fragments or stray files behind. By using CleanMyMac X, you can be sure you’ve deleted all the files associated with the app and that it hasn’t left anything behind. You can download CleanMyMac X for free here.
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Restart the sound controller
If no software audio drivers interfere with your Mac’s sound output, nothing plugged into the headphone jack, USB, or Thunderbolt ports, and your sound still doesn’t work, the next step is to restart the sound controller. This requires launching Activity Monitor and quitting a process, but don’t worry, it’s not too scary!
- Go to Applications > Utilities and double-click on Activity Monitor to launch it.
- In the search bar, type 'coreaudiod’ to locate the Core Audio controller.
- Click on coreaudiod, then click ‘X’ in the toolbar to quit it.
- Coreaudiod will restart.
Why is the volume low on Mac?
If you've faced issues with the speaker volume on your Mac, it's likely a software-related problem. Maybe some app conflicts with your speaker settings, or maybe there's something else. The first thing you can do to troubleshoot the issue is to reset NVRAM/PRAM. These are small parts of your Mac's memory that control sound volume, time zone, display resolution, and other settings on your Mac.
To reset NVRAM/PRAM, shut down your Mac, and press Option-Command-P-R on its start-up. Release the keys after about 20 seconds. After your Mac restarts, check if the volume is back to normal.
Mac volume not working and stuck on mute?
If the volume control is not working on your Mac, either using the keyboard or the slider in the menu bar or System Preferences, it could be ’stuck’ on mute. The most common occurrence of this problem is on pre-2015 Macs that had digital audio output support in the headphone jack.
On those Macs, there was a sensor in the port that detected whether a headphone jack or a digital audio device was plugged in. The Mac would then change the output to headphones or digital output accordingly. However, sometimes the sensor failed to recognize when a digital audio device had been unplugged, and so the audio output remained locked on digital output, with no way to change it. With no digital audio output connected, there is no way to change the volume or hear a sound.
In that case, the solution is to plug the cable back into the socket and remove it again. Try it a few times, if necessary, to ‘trip’ the sensor and make the Mac recognize the digital audio device is no longer connected. If that doesn’t work, there could be some gunk blocking the socket. Try blowing on it to remove any dust. If that doesn’t work, buy a can of compressed air and, carefully, spray the socket to bow out the dust.
If that still doesn’t do the trick, buy a foam-tipped swab (don’t use a cotton bud as these leave tiny threads behind) and dip it in rubbing alcohol. Put the swab into the headphone jack and clean it, wiping away as much of the link as possible.
Bluetooth sound not working on Mac
Your Mac can play audio wirelessly via Bluetooth, so if you have Bluetooth speakers or headphones, you can use those to listen to music or anything else on your Mac. Sometimes, however, they don’t work.
Make sure Bluetooth is switched on
- Go to System Preferences and click the Bluetooth pane.
- If it says, Bluetooth turned off, turn it on.
Make sure your headphones or speakers are connected.
- Look in the list of devices in the main window to see if your headphones or speakers are listed.
- If not, put them in pairing mode (you’ll need to refer to their instructions to find out how to do that) and when they appear, click Connect.
- If they are listed but not connected, make sure they’re switched on and Control-click on them in the main window and choose Connect.
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Tip: If you check the box labeled Show Bluetooth in the menu bar in Bluetooth preferences, you can connect from the menu bar item.
Once your headphones or speakers are connected, click on the volume control in the menu bar and choose them. If you don’t have the volume control displayed on the menu bar, go to System Preferences, choose Sound and then the Output tab and select the Bluetooth speaker or headphones. While you’re there, it’s a good idea to check the box labeled Show volume in the menu bar — it’s in the Sound Effects tab.
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To conclude, there are a number of reasons why the sound is not working on your Mac. If you follow the guide above and take it one step at a time, you should be able to fix the problem. If none of the steps above work for you, the next step is to contact Apple support and, if possible, make an appointment at the Genius Bar of an Apple Store. If that’s not possible, Apple will advise you on the best course of action to get your audio working again.
There is no doubt that our Mac devices are our most prized possessions. We use our Macs not only for work purpose but also for entertaining ourselves. Starting from watching movies in our leisure time to listening to our favorite track, our Mac does it all for us. However, there are times when you may not be satisfied with the audio performance of your device. There can be so many reasons why the audio output of your Mac is performing poorly. For instance, the settings are not right or maybe the app you are using is not good enough. No matter what the reason is you can make use of a speaker volume booster app in order to boost the audio quality of your Mac device. You can get a number of options to choose from out there. However, you need to make sure that you are choosing the right one.
Features Of A Volume Boosting App
The main function of a volume boosting app or a music volume booster is to boost the audio output of your Mac device. These apps are particularly developed to be used in your Mac platform. So you need not to worry about their compatibility. Speaking of volume boosting apps, you can get a number of options out there. Some are free while others are paid. But the main thing is that not all volume booster apps available out there are good enough. Therefore, you need to make it a point to find the best volume booster app for your Mac. Speaking of which, some of the main features of these volume booster apps include the following.
- Most of the volume booster apps available out there are known to come with a user-friendly interface. This makes it easier for the user to handle the app. the apps are developed in a way so that the users don’t find it difficult to handle it.
- With the help of these volume booster apps, you can boost the volume of your Mac device. This allows you to have a better audio quality experience. Listening to music becomes all the more fun with the use of these apps.
- There are two types of volume booster apps you can go for. One that is free and the other which is a paid app. It is needless to say that the paid app is better than the free ones. This is because the paid app is equipped with more features that you can use.
- These apps allow you to control the sound effects and video sound on your Mac. This means that you can adjust the sound of your videos, movies, and music according to your own preference.
- These apps are particularly developed to be used on your Mac device. Therefore, there is no need for you to worry about the compatibility of the app with your device.
These are some of the main features that a volume booster app is equipped with. If you wish to enjoy your music in a better way make sure you download one of these apps and make the most of it.
Now that you know the basics of a volume booster app, hopefully, it will be easier for you to use it on your Mac.