No sound at all
There is no sound coming from my laptop speakers. How do I fix it?
Written by The CommonFixes team · fact checked by CommonFixes review desk
Last updated
Short answer
The computer is usually sending sound to the wrong place, such as a monitor over HDMI or a Bluetooth speaker in another room. The quickest thing to try first: check the output device — Click the volume icon and open the list of outputs. Choose Speakers rather than a monitor, a headset or a Bluetooth device. Most people are done in about 10 minutes.
Full walkthrough below: 5 steps for Windows and Mac, rated easy.
Sounds like this
- •Silence from speakers
- •Red cross on the volume icon
- •Sound works in headphones only
Why it happens
The computer is usually sending sound to the wrong place, such as a monitor over HDMI or a Bluetooth speaker in another room.
Work through these in order
0% done- 1
Check the output device
Click the volume icon and open the list of outputs. Choose Speakers rather than a monitor, a headset or a Bluetooth device.
- 2
Check the volume in three places
The system volume, the app volume in Volume Mixer, and any physical volume wheel or mute key on the keyboard.
- 3
Run the sound troubleshooter
Right click the volume icon and choose Troubleshoot sound problems. It fixes wrong default devices automatically.
- 4
Restart the audio service
Press Windows and R, type services.msc, find Windows Audio, right click and choose Restart.
- 5
Reinstall the audio driver
In Device Manager expand Sound, video and game controllers, right click your audio device, Uninstall device, then restart.
If none of that worked
If the headphone jack works but speakers do not, the speaker connector inside may be loose. That is a small hardware repair.
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Who wrote this and how we checked it
The CommonFixes team
Writer and researcher
We are a small group of people who spend our days repairing laptops and desktops for family, friends and small offices. Every guide here starts with a problem someone actually brought to us, and we only write down the steps that put the machine right.
- Everyday repairs
- Windows and Mac
- Plain language
CommonFixes review desk
Technical editor
Before a guide goes live, a second person walks through it on a real machine and checks each instruction against the maker's own support pages. Anything we cannot confirm is removed rather than guessed at.
- Fact checking
- Safety warnings
- Source links
This guide was last updated on 10 August 2026. If a step no longer matches what you see on screen, tell us on the contact page and we will test it again.
A gentle reminder: back up anything you cannot afford to lose before major repairs. If a step ever feels risky, stop and ask a technician. There is no shame in that.