Last updated on January 23rd, 2024 at 02:31 am
Don’t get a sound on a YouTube video?
The cause could be related to a Windows system problem or a browser-based problem.
If you can’t play audio across all platforms in Windows (media player or video editing software) then it’s likely that it’s a system problem. Otherwise, it’s an issue with your browser.
Let’s look at the browser-related problem first. If you can fix your issue through the first method, then you won’t have to fiddle with your system audio controls.
Browser-Related Audio Fixes
Make Sure YouTube Player Audio Isn’t Muted
This is a pretty obvious solution. But if you’re a beginner to YouTube, you may not realize that there’s a mute/unmute audio function on the YouTube player.
You may have accidentally mute the audio while clicking around the video player.
If audio plays well in other programs or web pages, then you would have to look at this option.
Check to see whether the speaker icon on the player hasn’t been muted. You’ll see a slash sign on the speaker icon if it is.
Click on the speaker icon to fix no sound on your YouTube video.
Or you can do it by hitting the M key on your computer keyboard.
Switch Browsers
If the above methods don’t apply to your case, or if they don’t work, you would have to set your sights on fixing the problem through your browser.
This may be in the instance of a media player being able to play audio but not your browser.
To find out if whether your browser is the cause of no sound on your YouTube video, try another browser. If you’re Chrome, try Firefox.
If you’ve only one browser and don’t fancy installing another one, try the fix below if you’re using Chrome. This should take care of your problem.
How to Fix No Sound on YouTube in Google Chrome
Try Incognito Mode
You may have a hidden issue in your Chrome browser that may be blocking audio playback. To find out whether that’s the case, try launching your Chrome browser in incognito mode.
Go to the Customize and Control Google Chrome section in your browser – the three vertical dots.
Launch a new incognito window and try to play your YouTube video to see if sound appears.
If you can play your YouTube video with sound in incognito mode, then you can start clearing the cache of your browser to see if you can fix the problem.
Unmute Web Page Audio
You want to check whether Google Chrome is blocking audio from web pages.
To do this go to the settings menu in Google Chrome.
In the settings menu, click on Site Settings.
On your Site Settings menu, scroll down to the Additional settings section. Click on Sound.
If you see this screen, click on the unmute button to enable sound.
When you click on the button, the sound gets turned on.
This will usually fix no sound on a YouTube video.
System-Related Audio Fixes
Check Whether System Sound is Turned Off
The first thing you should do is check whether your system sound is turned off. Before that, try playing some audio with your media player. If no sound comes out, then it’s most probably a system problem.
To fix this problem, first, check whether you’ve muted the system sound accidentally.
This can happen through your keyboard. You may have accidentally pressed the mute sound key.
Most keyboards come with volume control keys with speaker icons that allow you to increase, decrease, and mute audio.
Usually, the mute video key can be toggled off and on. On some keyboards, if the sound is muted, a red warning light comes on.
Hit the key to see if the volume comes on.
If you can’t get the unmute key working through your keyboard, try adjusting the volume level on the Speaker/Headphone volume control button.
You’ll find this on the bottom right-hand corner of the taskbar, close to where time is displayed.
If you see a cross mark on the speaker icon, it means the volume has been turned off.
Click on the button and drag the slider to remove the cross sign.
You’ll find that the speaker icon on the taskbar is turned on as well.
Raise the Volume Level in the Volume Mixer Console
Go to the speaker icon on the taskbar and right-click on it.
Then click on Open Volume Mixer.
Check to see if the Volume level of your speaker is turned off or extremely low. If so, drag the level up.
Troubleshoot Audio Settings
If the above fixes don’t work for you, it does no harm to troubleshoot your audio settings.
Here’s how you do it.
In the windows search bar, type Troubleshoot.
You’ll find Troubleshoot settings highlighted. Click on Open on the right panel.
On the next window, click on Additional Troubleshooters.
Next, click on Playing audio.
Click on Run the troubleshooter.
Once the troubleshooter has finished running, follow the directions that it issues. The message may vary, depending on your issue.
