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No Sound on Youtube? Troubleshooting Guide


In this guide, we will walk you through the most effective solutions to solve any audio problems you may be experiencing on YouTube.

Updated September 2, 2020

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Check Your Sound Here

    First, look to make sure your audio/speakers are working in general by using the tool above.

    If it is not, see below for our general solutions (solution number 1).

    If your audio works but YouTube still has no sound, see our YouTube specific suggestions and tips (solutions 2-7).

    Solution 1: General Fixes

    Starting with general solutions can save time later on, and help you cross off the possibility that your issue is a simple fix. These steps will help you verify if your problem is a general one, or if you need to continue on to solutions specific to YouTube.

    *This webcam tool does not function with Safari. Try Chrome or Mozilla instead.*

    Step 1: Look to see if your current speakers are plugged in and turned on.

    Step 2: Scan any connection points for loose or otherwise unstable connections.

    Step 3: See if the volume is turned down on your laptop. If it is, turn it up all the way and verify if they are working.

    Step 4: Go into your settings and select the proper speakers. If you have more than one set of speakers that have been available to the computer, it may be trying to play through the old or wrong set. Also verify that your speakers are connected to each other.

    Step 5: Often there can be issues with the audio driver. Verify which driver works for your sound card, and download the most recent version.

    See below for solutions specific to YouTube.

    Solution 2: Check Mute Button: YouTube

    The most common reason you may not have sound on YouTube is the mute button, which can easily be checked and unnoticed. See below to verify if this is your problem.

    Step 1: Look to the bottom left corner of the video box. If there is a “/“ over the speaker icon your video Is muted. Simply click on the icon. The “/“ should disappear, and your sound should resume. If not, move on to the next option.

    Solution 3: Open YouTube in New Browser/Private Tab

    Sometimes the sound issue has to do with the web-browser settings. To assess this, open a new browser (e.g. if you are using Safari, try using Google Chrome or vice versa). If it works in another browser, you can choose to switch to using the new browser for YouTube, or check to see if there are any pending updates to your preferred browser that could possibly fix the issue. See below for other solutions related to your web browser.

    Step 1: You can try opening a “Private Tab” (Safari) “Incognito Window” (Chrome), or “New Private Window” (Firefox).

    Step 2: If your sound works on YouTube using a private tab, you can try emptying your cached cookies and clearing your browser history. You will lose saved information such as passwords and autofill, but it may fix the sound problem so you don't have to always use a private tab.

    Step 3: To clear browsing data Press shift + Control + Delete simultaneously and click clear browsing data to remove it, or go to your browser settings—> history—> clear browser history.

    Solution 4: Update Adobe Flash Player

    Updating Adobe Flash Player can also sometimes fix the audio issue if it is out of date. Use the steps below to see if this is the problem and how to fix it.

    Step 1: Open a Flash video on another site that does not use YouTube, and if you can hear the audio, the problem is with your YouTube settings (see #1).

    Step 2: If it still isn’t working, go to Adobe Flash Player and download the latest version to your computer.

    Solution 5: Update Audio Software

    If you are using an external speaker, check to see if there is an update available online. Update your speaker and check to see if the audio is now functioning.

    Solution 6: Unmute Browser and Plugins

    One common reason sound may not be working on YouTube is that the sound may be turned down or muted on your Desktop. To verify this and fix the problem, follow the steps below.

    Step 1: Right click on speaker icon at the bottom right corner of desktop.

    Step 2: Select open volume mixer.

    Step 3: Ensure browser and plugin sliders are not muted and are not at the bottom.

    Solution 7: Check Security Software

    Sometimes if you use security software, it can interfere with third-party flash content, especially if it has an active scanning feature. You can go into your security software settings to see if it is verified to allow third-party flash content.
    Best of luck, and thanks for using OnlineMicTest!