In 2017, Apple sold almost 20 million Macs and became the fourth-largest maker of personal computers globally. The popularity of Macs has risen steadily over the years, thanks to how powerful and reliable these machines are.
Problems with Macs aren’t familiar; however, they do experience occasional glitches. Thankfully, it’s easy to troubleshoot these issues with your Mac.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll tell you how to fix common Mac sound problems. Read on to learn more.
What Causes Mac Sound Issues?
Most audio problems on Macs are due to system errors and hardware damage. In some cases, the issue is due to misconfigured or invalid settings. When it’s a hardware problem, the root issue is usually a defect in the speakers.
As we hinted earlier, most Mac sound problems are easy to fix. In the next section, we cover nine proven solutions for the Mac sound, not working.
- Restart Your Mac
- Check If Volume is Muted
- Choose the Appropriate Audio Device
- Reset the Mac’s Core Audio
- Check for Third-Party App Issues
- Update macOS
- Reset Your Mac’s Non-Volatile Random-Access Memory (NVRAM)
- Check Hardware and Ports
- Contact Apple Support
Restart Your Mac
Restarting your Mac can fix many issues that could be affecting functionality, including audio functions. During the startup process, your Mac’s memory space also gets freed up from junk files.
Here’s the standard restart procedure:
- In your Mac’s toolbar, click on the Apple logo
- Select “Restart” and click on it
- When your computer tells you to confirm, click on “Restart” again
- The laptop immediately begins the restart process
Another way to restart your Mac is by using the shutdown window. Follow this procedure to do so:
- Press both the control and eject keys simultaneously
- When asked to select an option, click on “Restart.”
- The computer begins the restart process immediately
Once your Mac boots up, you can run tests to determine if the sound functions work correctly again.
Check If Volume is Muted
Sometimes, there’s isn’t a big issue with the audio feature at all. It could be that you’ve just muted the computer’s volume. Increase the volume on your Mac by pressing and holding the F12 key.
You could also adjust the volume by using the slider in the menu bar. If you’ve tried the solutions above and there’s still no sound on Mac, check the audio port for any connected headphones or external devices.
Choose the Appropriate Audio Device
The sound issue could also be with the system or a specific app. Unplug and reconnect all audio devices again. If you still can’t hear anything, check the input and output audio device settings. It could be that your Mac selected the wrong input/output device because of conflicts, incorrect configurations, or driver incompatibility.
So how do you change the audio device settings?
- Launch “System Preferences” from the Apple menu
- Select “Sound” and go to the “Input” tab to see the input audio device settings
- Select the right input device
Use the same procedure for output audio device settings.
Reset the Mac’s Core Audio
Core Audio refers to a set of software frameworks that handle all audio needs in applications. These needs include playback, editing, recording, compression, decompression, and signal processing.
On Mac computers, Core Audio is handled by a launch daemon known as CoreAudio. Daemons usually run in your Mac’s background whether you’re logged in or not. When there’s a problem with your Mac’s sound, you can restart the CoreAudio process to fix the problem.
Check for Third-Party App Issues
Sometimes, third-party plugins can cause sound issues on your Mac. With every new release of macOS, there are sometimes incompatibilities between hardware and software. Fortunately, developers often act fast to issue application updates.
However, the operating system for Mac can prove problematic. Every audio unit plugin since the release of macOS Catalina needs to be notarized by the security systems of Apple to work on your Mac.
If the plugins you’re using aren’t notarized, they will not work and could be the reason you’re experiencing audio problems.
Update macOS
With each new macOS update, you’ll notice changes in audio drivers, kernel frameworks, and Unix tools.
But sometimes with these new features comes new problems, some of which may be audio related. Some 2018 Macs, for instance, had USB-related audio issues. Later Macs had improved reliability when it came to USB audio issues.
In other words, when you’re having issues with the sound of your Mac, updating the operating system can help fix the problem.
Reset Your Mac’s Non-Volatile Random-Access Memory (NVRAM)
Your Mac’s NVRAM stores a variety of settings, including audio volume, startup disk selection, and display resolution. By resetting this memory, you can clear up any glitches in these settings.
Check Hardware and Ports
In case you still have audio problems after checking all software aspects, the problem could be with your Mac’s ports or other hardware. You’ll need to examine HDMI, Thunderbolt, USB, and headphone sockets.
Ensure you detach every wired accessory that’s connected to your system. Check whether the cables are fraying or split. If you’re satisfied with the integrity of all accessories, restart the computer and plug them in one at a time.
Once you’ve conducted this check, it’s easy to figure out whether the issue is with the hardware, ports, or cable.
Contact Apple Support
If, after applying all the above solutions, the sound problem still persists don’t hesitate to contact Apple Support. Chances are there’s an advanced system setting that needs reconfiguration to restore your Mac’s audio functions.
You can also visit an Apple Mac service center in your area for further assistance. It could be that your Mac’s audio components need repair.
Fixing Sound Issues on Your Mac Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated
As you can see, there are many reasons your Mac might be experiencing audio problems. Once you identify the root of the Mac sound issue, fixing it shouldn’t be difficult. Of course, you can always seek assistance from the Apple support team when all else fails. Would you like to read more great content like this? Keep visiting our blog for the latest tech tips and news.