Welcome back, in today’s video I’ll be showing you how to fix headphones that aren’t working
in MacOS. We’ll be covering a range of common fixes in this video;
however, it is possible that the issue is caused by something very specific,
in which case these might not help. Of course, there is always the possibility
that your device is broken, but we will cover how to check that in the video.
These methods should work on any Mac, including MacBooks and on any version of MacOS. Remember
to leave a like and feel free to subscribe if the video helps, let’s get into the methods.
We’ll start by trying to find out where the problem is occurring, by looking at the device
itself and the hardware. It’s best to first test your headphones or audio output on another device.
You could plug them into your phone for example. If they work on another device, then we can
confirm that the issue is with software or the ports on your Mac. If they do not work on
another device, then it is likely that there is physical damage to the headphones or the cable.
In this instance, you should check your warranty or contact the manufacturer.
The next thing we need to focus on is the connections and ports.
First check that you have the correct wire and it is connected to the correct port on your Mac,
its best to disconnect and reconnect it now if you haven’t already.
You could always try using another port if you can, in case that is at fault. Check that none
of the connections or ports are broken or dirty and if you can, try switching cables.
Before we move on, it’s worth checking to see if there is a volume control or mute option on the
headphones or wires themselves. Ensure that if there is, they aren’t muting your device.
The next few things to mention only relate to those of you using wireless headphones.
So, if yours are wired then you can skip ahead a few seconds.
The things to check with wireless headphones are that they are paired correctly.
Make sure they are in range and that Bluetooth is turned on. This can be done by clicking on
the options icon to the left of the date and time in the top right. Try disconnecting them and then
reconnecting or pairing them again. Make sure they are fully charged too. If they still don’t work,
then you can continue with the video to see if some of the next potential solutions fix it.
If all the cables and connections appear to work okay, and there’s no volume control
on the headphones themselves, then we’ll now look at some of the fixes on our Mac.
Within macOS, it might be worth restarting first although it’s up to you if you want to do this a
bit later, in case some of the other fixes work. Whenever you want to restart, go to the Apple logo
in the top left and then choose restart. The next thing we’ll do is check that the
correct device is selected in the sound output settings. To do this,
go to the Apple logo in the top left and choose system preferences. In system preferences,
click on sound and now in the sound settings, go to the output tab although you may be in there by
default. You should now see a list of all of the sound output devices currently connected. Make
sure you select your headphones or whichever device you want to use from this list.
If you don’t see your device, it is not being detected. You can still continue with some of the
fixes in this video however it is likely that the problem is physical with your Mac or headphones.
When you have selected your device, first make sure that the balance is central.
This might be the reason only one side of your headphones work. Also, make sure that the output
volume slider is not at the far left, indicating it is muted. Ensure that the mute checkbox is not
ticked. If it isn’t, you could always try muting and unmuting your device to see if that helps.
The next possible solution is to think about any recent changes to your Mac that might have
caused the issue to start appearing. This could be new hardware that you have added or connected,
or new software. Think back to when you first had the problem with your headphones and if
you did make any changes at that time, try reverting things to how it was. This is quite
unlikely so it’s not worth focusing on too much, although if you remember getting a new piece of
software at the time, try uninstalling it to test if that was it for example.
A quick tip I read online was to open GarageBand and then close it, apparently this might help in
resetting some of the audio settings. It’s worth a try just in case. Another quick tip
would be turn off Bluetooth if you don’t use it to either connect your headphones or another device,
the reason being is that it might be interfering with your headphones.
You might want to research your specific make and model of headphones to check if
there is a problem with them, either in general or in specific situations.
There is also the chance that your headphones may require additional software to work properly. This
is unlikely but just search for your make and model online as if that is a problem,
I’m confident others will have experienced it too. There is the slim possibility that your headphones
may not be working altogether for another reason, such as them needing a power supply. Again, check
online to see if this is the case, a good place to look would be the headphone manufacturers website.
Unfortunately, those are all the tips I have. If you think the problem is physical
with either your headphones or Mac then check the warranty or see if there are any repair options.
As always I will keep the description updated with any new solutions I find and if any of
you find a fix in the future then it would be great if you could return to the video and post
it in the comments to help others. If you have any questions, then let me know. If you found today’s
video helpful remember to leave a like and feel free to subscribe for more tips in the future.
Be sure to stick around to see some of my other videos that you might be interested in.
Thanks so much for watching and I will see you in another video!