Why is my volume not working on YouTube?
Many users experience issues with no sound or audio not working when trying to watch YouTube videos. This can occur across various devices and platforms, preventing you from hearing the audio for the video you want to watch.
There are several potential causes for YouTube having no sound, ranging from muted settings to driver conflicts. The good news is that in most cases, the problem can be easily resolved with some basic troubleshooting steps.
This guide will walk through the top solutions for fixing no sound or audio not working on YouTube videos. We’ll cover settings changes, browser and Flash troubleshooting, using external speakers, and reaching out to YouTube support if needed. With the right fixes, you can get YouTube audio working again quickly.
Check Volume Settings
Begin troubleshooting your YouTube volume issue by checking your volume controls, both on desktop and mobile. On desktop, make sure the YouTube video player volume slider in the bottom right corner of the video is turned up and not muted. Click the volume icon to unmute if needed. Additionally, ensure your computer’s system volume is turned up and not muted (source).
On mobile devices, start by making sure your phone or tablet’s volume is turned up by using the physical volume buttons or on-screen slider. The YouTube mobile app also has its own volume controls – tap the volume icon on a playing video to access. Check that the YouTube mobile volume isn’t muted or too low (source). If you have an Android device, make sure the “Media” volume is up, not just the “Ring” volume.
If adjusting the volume controls does not restore sound, continue troubleshooting your YouTube no audio issue with the steps below.
Update Drivers
One of the most common reasons for volume issues on YouTube is outdated drivers. It’s important to keep your sound card, graphics card, and motherboard drivers up to date to ensure proper audio functionality.
To update your sound card driver on Windows, open Device Manager, right-click on your sound card, and select “Update driver.” You can search automatically online or manually select the driver from your computer (Source). For graphics drivers, visit your manufacturer’s website and download the latest version. For motherboard drivers, go to the manufacturer website, enter your model number, go to the support page, and install the latest audio drivers.
Updating these key drivers can often resolve YouTube audio issues. Graphics drivers in particular handle video playback, so outdated versions can disrupt audio. Keeping essential hardware drivers current will help ensure flawless YouTube performance.
Check Browser Settings
Sometimes the issue with low YouTube volume can be due to your browser’s settings. Make sure to check that you don’t have any extensions installed that might be interfering with or muting the audio from YouTube videos. In particular, look for any ad blockers, privacy extensions, or video enhancers that may affect playback.
You’ll also want to check your browser’s permissions for the YouTube site. Make sure YouTube is not blocked from playing audio automatically. In Chrome, click the lock icon left of the URL bar and check that sound is allowed. In Firefox, click the speaker icon and make sure YouTube is not muted.
Additionally, go into your browser’s settings menu and confirm that you don’t have the media volume turned down low or muted. In Chrome, go to Settings > Advanced > Content settings > Sound and make sure “Mute sites by default” is unchecked. In Firefox, go to Options > Privacy & Security > Permissions > Sound and confirm “Block audio playback in any context” is unchecked.
Trying testing YouTube in a private/incognito browsing window as well. This will rule out any extensions causing issues. If YouTube audio works fine in incognito mode, it points to an extension conflict in your main browser that needs to be addressed.
Test on Different Devices
One way to troubleshoot the lack of audio on YouTube is to test it on different devices. This can help isolate if the issue is device-specific or not. Try playing the same YouTube video that has no sound on a different phone, tablet, computer, smart TV or streaming device.
If the YouTube video plays normally with sound on other devices, then the problem lies with your original device’s settings or hardware. You may need to adjust the sound settings, update audio drivers, or test different browsers on that particular device.
However, if the video is still mute on all devices, then the issue is likely with your YouTube account, the specific video, or your network connection. It’s not isolated to just one device. You can try logging out and back into YouTube, playing the video on a different network, or contacting YouTube support for account-specific problems.
Testing on different devices helps determine where the audio problem originates. This is a useful troubleshooting step before diving deeper into specific settings and software updates to fix no sound on YouTube.
Check Video Settings
The video quality and volume normalization settings on YouTube can sometimes cause volume issues. YouTube automatically normalizes audio across videos to a similar level. This prevents sudden volume spikes but can also result in some videos playing more quietly.
To adjust these settings on desktop, go to your YouTube account settings and under “Playback” look for “Video quality preferences.” Here you can choose higher quality streaming which may increase your maximum volume. Disabling “Limit data usage” can also help restore full volume levels.
On mobile, go to “Settings > Video quality preferences” and choose “Higher picture quality” to increase maximum volume. You can also turn off “Limit mobile data usage” here. Just be aware of increased data usage with higher video quality streaming.
Adjusting these settings to prioritize quality over data usage can potentially resolve muted or quiet volume from YouTube’s default normalization. Check if it improves the volume in videos that were playing quietly before.
Source: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1410402?hl=en
Reset Your Browser
One way to potentially resolve volume issues on YouTube is to reset your browser settings to default. This clears out any problematic extensions, cached data, or customizations that could be interfering with playback.
To reset Google Chrome, open the browser and click on the three vertical dots in the top right corner to open Settings. Then click “Reset settings” and select “Restore settings to their original defaults.” You will get a confirmation prompt before Chrome resets itself. [1] [2]
For other major browsers like Firefox, Edge, and Safari, there is a similar reset option in the settings or preferences menu. This will clear the cache, cookies, history, extensions, and customizations, essentially restoring a fresh browser state. It’s recommended to restart the browser after resetting. [3]
Resetting the browser often resolves odd glitches, and audio or video playback problems. If volume issues persist after resetting, it’s likely an issue with the website or device settings rather than the browser itself.
Use External Speakers
If you are not getting any sound through your built-in speakers, try connecting external speakers or headphones to your device. This will help determine if the issue is with your device’s internal speakers or something else.
First, plug your external speakers or headphones into the audio output jack of your computer, phone, or tablet. Make sure the speakers are powered on and the volume is turned up. Then, play a video on YouTube and see if you get sound through the external speakers/headphones. If the external speakers work fine, then there may be an issue with the built-in speakers on your device.
On a desktop/laptop, right-click the speaker icon in the system tray and select your external speakers as the sound output device. On a smartphone or tablet, go to Settings > Sound and select the headphones/external speaker as the audio source.
If you still don’t hear any audio from YouTube, even with external speakers connected, then the problem likely lies with your browser, Flash player, or the YouTube website itself. You can troubleshoot further by trying the steps listed above.
However, if the sound works fine when played through external speakers or headphones, then your built-in speakers are likely faulty. Try updating your audio drivers from the manufacturer’s website. If the drivers are up-to-date, your built-in speakers may need service or replacement.
Update Flash Player
Upgrading to the latest version of Adobe Flash Player may help resolve volume issues on YouTube, especially for certain browsers like Firefox and Chrome that rely on Flash for playing videos.
YouTube recommends having the latest Flash Player installed for the best experience on their site. As Adobe Flash Player is updated periodically with bug fixes and performance improvements, having an outdated version can lead to problems with volume and playback.
You can check if you have the latest Flash Player here. If not, visit Adobe’s website to download and install the newest version.
Additionally, there are browser extensions like Flash Player for YouTube that force YouTube to use a specific Flash Player version, which may also help resolve any volume issues.
Updating Flash Player is an easy fix to try that takes just a few minutes. Often, volume problems can arise from using an outdated Flash version that has bugs or lacks support for YouTube’s newest video player features.
Contact YouTube Support
If you’ve tried the troubleshooting steps listed above and are still experiencing no sound in YouTube, your best next step is to contact YouTube support directly to report the bug and seek additional troubleshooting assistance. The YouTube Help Forum allows you to describe your specific device, browser, and situation in detail to YouTube staff and community members who may be able to provide personalized troubleshooting advice.
To contact YouTube support:
- Go to the YouTube Help Forum.
- Select the appropriate category for your issue, such as “Troubleshooting sound issues.”
- Log in to your Google account.
- Provide detailed information about when the no sound issue began occurring, what troubleshooting steps you’ve tried, what device and browser you are using, and any other relevant details.
- Attach screenshots or screen recordings that demonstrate the problem if possible.
The YouTube community support team monitors the forums and will typically respond within 1-2 business days. They can troubleshoot further, escalate bugs, or provide tips based on your specific situation that may resolve the no sound problem.