Why Are My MacBook Speakers So Quiet? [SOLUTION]

MacBooks usually have excellent speakers. Considering the outstanding quality, I was shocked to notice the speakers were so quiet.

What might be the problem in such an instance? Might it be a software issue? Is something wrong with the audio output on the macbook pro speakers?

Why Are My MacBook Speakers So Quiet?

Your MacBook speakers are probably quiet because your volume settings have been changed, your MacBook needs a software update, or other sound settings have been changed. Most issues have simple solutions like restoring the original settings. 

Some of the solutions you can try out include:

Check the Device Volume First

First, check if your volume levels are fine. The volume on the top right corner is the universal indicator of how loud your MacBook speakers are.

But, please note that this isn’t the only indicator. Because sometimes you can still have low/quiet sound even though the slider is as high as possible. 

And many times, you will find that it’s not on low. So using this slider alone won’t help with adjusting your volume levels.

Ensure the Sound Is Working Fine

Now, make sure your speaker is working fine. 

The simplest way to verify if they are working well is that you’ll hear them when you touch the earphone jack on the side of your MacBook.

If there’s no sound, the problem most likely lies elsewhere. 

The speakers’ physical components are broken or could be a software issue.

If you can’t even hear the sound in your speakers, you need to check if that’s a software problem.

Are There Other Applications Overriding the Volume Settings?

Try playing some music using an app like Spotify. The song might be quiet or play at a low volume even if the slider is set to MAX.

Now, open up System Preferences (you can press ⌘ + Space Bar to bring it up.)

Next, click on Sound. In here, use the slider and set it to MAX volume.

Now launch Spotify again and see if you can hear the music better; this indicates that some other app may be overriding your volume settings.

Note that Spotify has a setting called “Sharing.” Set it to OFF if you don’t want to share the music you listen to.

Verify if the Sound Is in Your Mac’s Hardware

You can also verify if the sound is not in your Mac’s hardware. 

After you plug in and launch your MacBook, click on the Apple logo at the top left corner of your screen and select About This Mac. 

You’ll see a bar at the bottom with white icons indicating various parts of your computer utilities.

Click on Hardware, and you’ll see a box that says Your Speakers. If the speaker is absent, then the problem lies elsewhere.

See if you can hear the sound in any other part of your Mac, like the headphone jack or even on a different MacBook.

If not, then your speakers are most likely broken.

Check to See if Your MacBook Has Its Hardware Up-to-Date With The Latest Version

First, make sure you have up-to-date software. To do this, launch the App Store and click on the Updates tab.

Once you are up to date, do an Internet search to ensure your hardware is up-to-date; this can be a simple task, and it’s easy to forget to update them.

Note: Updating your software can take a while, so it’s best if you are connected to Wi-Fi or have a stable internet connection.

Check for Software Problems

Did you make any changes to your MacBook? And if so, did you restore it to factory settings?

This can be a serious cause of the sound volume problem. 

Even an update from the App Store can mess with the volume level. 

If you didn’t restore your Mac and installed software or apps manually, then that’s one possible cause of this problem.

Restore Your MacBook to Factory Settings

Restoring your Mac to factory settings is a good way to check if there are any software problems. 

You can do this by pressing the ⌘ + R key combination within the Recovery Mode of your Mac. 

Follow the on-screen instructions to restore to factory settings.

Restart the Sound Controller

If your Mac has a circular icon in the top left corner, it means that it’s restarting the sound hardware. 

The sound won’t be working after this.

You’ll have to wait until it’s done, and your sound controller will be back up and running. 

You can quit out of the apps that you’re running.

Run Maintenance Scripts

They help to declutter the MacBook; this can free up space on your hard drive and improve performance. 

You might want to run these if you are still having a problem with the sound.

There are plenty of programs that have maintenance scripts for your Mac. 

Of course, you’ll have to use an appropriate one for your operating system.

Also, make sure you download the files suitable for your operating system before you do anything else.

I used one called CCleaner to clear out some unneeded files and free up space on my MacBook. 

Make sure that you choose the appropriate setup for your system.

Delete Unnecessary Files and Apps

Occasionally, some apps get left behind when a user deletes some files or updates its software. 

For example, if you just upgraded your operating system, you’ll have to remove any unused software that came with the upgrade.

While you can use the Uninstaller for your operating system, for example, for deleting files and apps, I prefer a simple file management program.

There are plenty of programs out there in the App Store that can help you delete files. 

You need to download the one that has the app you want to uninstall and install it.

Final Thoughts

We’ve listed some of the common solutions that can help with the issue of the MacBook speakers being so quiet.

If you are still having problems with it, then the next logical thing to do is take your MacBook to Apple and ask them to look at it.

I think it’s easier and quicker to restore the system to factory settings. 

Uninstalling files manually can be tedious, especially if you want a quick fix. 

I’ve done that before, and I can say that these programs work well even on my older MacBook Pro.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What can cause the speakers on my MacBook to be so quiet?

Here are some common causes of the sound being silent on a MacBook that I can think of.

A. Your microphone is not working.

It’s always an interesting question to ponder whether or not the microphone is working properly, even though we hear it being used in videos when we do interviews and such. Without seeing the microphone’s little red light lit, we can’t tell if it’s working.

B. The volume is too low.

This is a common one that every Mac user deals with, especially on MacBook laptops. We don’t know why it happens, but it does. There are many ways to fix this, but the best part is that it doesn’t happen often.

C. The hardware broke down inside your Mac.

This can be a serious problem and one that you should verify with a repair shop or even Apple itself. It’s good to let them check the hardware before you get it replaced because sometimes the speakers may just be broken, and they will work again with appropriate software and hardware updates.