Mac speakers are silent even though volume looks turned up
Your speakers are probably muted or the audio is being sent to Bluetooth headphones instead. Click the volume icon in the top right corner and unmute if you see a muted speaker symbol. If the volume shows muted or at zero, drag it to the right.
When your Mac's built-in speakers go silent, it's because the volume is muted, turned all the way down, or the audio is being sent to a different device like Bluetooth headphones. We'll check the volume icon, unmute if needed, and make sure built-in speakers are selected as the output device.
- ✓Have a video or music app ready to play something to test with
- ✓Make sure you're not in Do Not Disturb mode which silences notifications
- ✓Check that you don't have Bluetooth headphones paired and selected as output instead of speakers
Fix-IT-Bot will walk you through each step, just tap, no typing needed.
Skip, I just want a technicianCommon mistakes to avoid
- Not realizing Bluetooth headphones are selected in audio output — always check the Sound menu to see which device is active
- Assuming the whole system is silent when just one app is muted
- Not checking if Do Not Disturb is enabled
Signs you need professional help
- You've unmuted the volume, switched to built-in speakers, and checked the app, but you still hear absolutely nothing — or you see sound is playing in System Settings but zero audio comes out of the speakers.
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