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No sound on your Mac? Check the output device first

Most 'my Mac has no audio' tickets are the wrong output device selected after a Bluetooth pairing or an external display was plugged in. The fix is a settings check, not a reset.

  • Difficulty Easy
  • Estimated time 5 min
  • Platform macOS
  • Last updated
No sound on your Mac? Check the output device first — schematic diagram

Before you start

Low risk. This change is reversible — you can return to the previous state without professional help or data loss.

Steps

  1. Click the volume control in the menu bar (or press F12) and make sure it's not muted and the slider is up
  2. In that same menu, check 'Output' — if audio is routed to a Bluetooth speaker or an external display with speakers, select your Mac's built-in output instead
  3. Open System Settings → Sound → Output and pick 'MacBook Speakers' (or your expected device), then play a test clip
  4. If you use Bluetooth headphones: disconnect them in the Bluetooth menu and confirm sound returns to the speakers — that proves the routing was the problem

How to verify the fix

A video plays at a usable volume from the speaker or headphones you expect, and the output picker shows that device selected.

If this didn't fix it

Silence on every output including wired headphones — likely hardware; stop resetting settings and check for a loose jack or a failed audio board before deeper work.

Next stop: the related fixes below, or start a guided diagnosis.

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