MacBook Pro Sound Not Working: How to Fix

Do you have a “No Sound” issue on your MacBook? The good news is that it’s not the end of the world. In this blog post, we will take you through three steps to fix the problem and get your sound back up and running in no time!

Unless the volume control buttons are showing up on your MacBook or appear greyed out when you press F12/F12, there is likely something wrong.

Here’s how to fix that:

Play some music:

To start, make sure there is no sound coming from your Mac by playing something in Spotify or Apple Music. Open Apple Music/Spotify, click on Songs and select any track in your music collection. After you’ve pressed Play, continue to the next step.

Adjust the volume:

The first thing to check is your Mac’s volume. Check by pressing F12- if an overlay displays what level of volume you’re at, then it means that a setting has been changed somewhere (iTunes or Skype). Alternatively, click in the menu bar next to Siri – there should also be a number that shows how loud your speaker/headphones are. Make sure it isn’t turned down too low!

Check a different app:

It is possible that sound is playing in Spotify or Music but not in Safari; this may be because the sound is turned off in Safari. If you are watching a video in Safari and there is no sound, you will find sound controls in the video window, so you should adjust it there. The video may be muted by default, requiring you to choose to hear the sound.

Turn it off and on again:

One of the most common reasons for sound to stop working is that a program crashed and took down your audio drivers. Fortunately, restarting your Mac can often do the trick!

Look for Airpods:

Surprisingly, the AirPods will automatically connect to your MacBook Pro if they’re nearby and you have not manually disconnected them. However, when this happens, sound volume is coming from your AirPods instead of the internal speakers!

Check your ports for debris:

If you’re not hearing anything on your Mac and are using wired headphones, check one of the ports for debris. There may be something blocking the port that could cause a lot of aggravation with sound- from fluff to dust! If it seems blocked, try blowing into the patch or using an air can get whatever is in there out, so your Mac doesn’t think you still have them plugged in as well.

Review your software:

Check you are running the latest update of your operating system and security settings.

Restart the sound controller:

Open Activity Monitor by opening Finder and typing in “Activity Monitor” into Spotlight search. Instead, you can ask Siri to open it as I do. Select “CoreAudio,” then press “X” to quit this process. The CoreAudio process will restart automatically right away so that it may fix any glitches you might be experiencing with your computer’s audio!

Check System Preferences:

Open up system preference and click sound, then go to Output tab. Ensure that Mute next to output volume is not muted (there should be no tick in the checkbox). Now scroll down a bit so you can see where it says Internal Speakers at the top of this window- make sure the Volume slider has been moved all way right!

Are internal speakers not showing up in the sound settings on your Mac? If you have Digital Out instead of Internal Speakers, make sure every cable, such as headphones, is disconnected. Unfortunately, suppose it does not show up. In that case, we assume that there’s a more severe issue and will need to contact Apple Support for assistance.

System Preferences

Update your software:

Check if you have the latest operating system for your device.

Reset the PRAM:

You’ll want to reset the NVRAM/PRAM on your Mac to try and fix some sound-related issues. You will need to take a few different steps when going through this process, but it’s an easy procedure overall. The first step is restarting while holding command, option (or alt), p and r simultaneously. Keep them held down until after the computer chimes for two times–once before starting up again with just one chime afterwards still held down–and then let go of these keys altogether once there has been only one single chimed noise from completing shutting off entirely as well as powering back up completely too!

Reset System Management Controller

Have you tried resetting your System Management Controller? Here’s a tutorial on doing that.

If you cannot solve the issue yourself, it may be time to get your Mac serviced, as this could be a sign of failing hardware.
We hope this article has helped resolve your “no sound” issue on the Mac. If you’re still experiencing problems, or if none of these solutions works for you, then consider taking the Mac back to Apple and have it checked out by a professional. Did any of our methods help? Or do you know another solution that hasn’t been mentioned here? Let us know! Comment below with your suggestions, and we’ll update this post accordingly.

 

 

 

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About S. Santos

I am a tech columnist and blogger by trade, but I'm also an avid tennis player. In my spare time, I enjoy reviewing gadgets and gizmos from the world of tech.