Headphones Not Working

Headphones not working usually means the computer or phone is still sending sound somewhere else, the plug is not fully in, or Bluetooth has connected the headphones in the wrong mode. Plug them in and play the headphone test. A voice says left and right in each ear, so in a few seconds you know whether you have no sound at all, sound on one side only, or sound coming from the wrong device. The fixes below cover Windows 11 and 10, Mac, iPhone, Android and headphones plugged into a PS5 or Xbox controller, roughly in order of how often they solve it.

Quick checks

• Push the plug in until it clicks. A phone case or a thick laptop edge can stop a plug a few millimeters short, which gives silence or one side only.
• Controls on the headphones. Check the inline volume wheel and mute switch on the cable. Wireless headphones used with a cable sometimes play nothing until they are charged and switched on.
• Try another device. If the headphones work on your phone, they are fine and the computer is the problem.
• Bluetooth off for a moment. The computer may be sending sound to a pair of Bluetooth headphones in your bag.

Windows does not switch to your headphones

1. Select the speaker icon on the taskbar, then the arrow next to the volume slider, and pick the headphones. In Windows 10, select the device name above the slider. The full list is in Settings, System, Sound.
2. Do not worry if you see no device called Headphones. On many laptops, Realtek audio shows a single output called Speakers that switches to the jack by itself when a plug goes in.
3. If sound still comes from the laptop speakers with the headphones in, the jack is not detecting the plug. Clean it and check the plug type, as described in headphone jack not working.
4. On Dell laptops, Waves MaxxAudio asks what you plugged in. Choose Headphones, or Headset if it has a mic.
5. On desktops, try the green jack at the back. Front jacks depend on a cable inside the case, and the Realtek Audio Console can ignore them if Disable front panel jack detection is set wrongly for your case.

If the headphones are missing from the output list entirely, open the classic Sound window (Settings, System, Sound, More sound settings), right-click the Playback list, tick Show Disabled Devices and enable them.

USB and USB-C headphones

A USB headset has its own sound chip, so Windows treats it as a separate device for both sound and mic.

• Select it as the output in the speaker menu, and as the input in your call apps.
• Use a USB port on the computer itself. Hubs and monitor ports often lack the power for headsets with lights or noise cancelling.
• Check the headset's own volume wheel, and its maker's app if you installed one. Those apps can mute the headset or send game and chat sound to different channels.
• USB-C to 3.5 mm dongles come in two kinds. Active dongles, such as Apple's, contain a tiny sound card and work on Windows, Mac and Android. Cheap passive ones only work with phones that output analog audio over USB-C, so on most PCs they play nothing.

If Windows does not react at all when you plug the headset in, see usb device not recognized.

Bluetooth headphones connected but no sound

1. In Windows 11, open Settings, Bluetooth & devices. The headphones should show Connected music or Connected voice, music. If they only say Paired, select them and choose Connect.
2. Pick them in the output menu on the taskbar.
3. Many headphones connect to one source at a time. Turn off Bluetooth on your phone or disconnect it there.
4. If they still play nothing, remove the device, put the headphones back in pairing mode and pair again.

Music turns mono and muffled in calls. When an app opens a Bluetooth headset's mic, the headset switches to its hands-free mode, which carries narrowband mono sound. Choose the laptop's own mic in the call app and the headphones stay in stereo.

For AirPods that pair with a phone but not with a computer, the guide on airpods not connecting to laptop has the fixes and the reset steps for each model. Pairing failures in general are in the bluetooth not working guide.

Only one side plays

1. Push the plug fully in and turn it slowly while sound plays.
2. Check balance. In Windows 11, Settings, System, Sound, the headphones' page, left and right channel sliders. On a Mac, System Settings, Sound, Output, Balance. On iPhone, Settings, Accessibility, Audio & Visual, Balance.
3. Check that Mono audio is off, unless you want it, in Windows Settings, Accessibility, Audio (Ease of Access, Audio in Windows 10).
4. Play the left right audio test and gently flex the cable near the plug and where it enters each earcup. A side that cuts in and out as you bend it has a broken wire.
5. With wireless earbuds, put both back in the case to charge for 30 seconds, then take them out together.

Headphones not working on a Mac

1. Open System Settings, Sound, Output. Wired headphones in the jack appear as External Headphones. Select them and raise Output volume.
2. For Bluetooth headphones, open Control Center, select Sound and choose them from the list.
3. If External Headphones is selected but silent, push the plug in fully and try another pair to rule out the jack.

iPhone and Android

iPhone. iPhones since the iPhone 7 have no headphone jack. Use Apple's Lightning to 3.5 mm adapter on Lightning models and the USB-C to 3.5 mm adapter on iPhone 15 and later. Open Control Center, tap the AirPlay icon on the music controls and make sure the headphones are chosen. Then check Settings, Accessibility, Audio & Visual for Balance and Mono Audio.

Android. On phones with a jack, clean it and push the plug fully in. On USB-C phones, use a dongle with its own sound chip if a passive one gives silence. Android has mono audio and left and right balance under Settings, Accessibility.

Headphones plugged into a PS5 or Xbox controller

PS5 DualSense

1. Plug the headphones into the 3.5 mm jack at the bottom of the controller.
2. Open Settings, Sound, Audio Output. Set Output Device to Headphones Connected to Controller.
3. Set Output to Headphones to All Audio. With Chat Audio, only voice chat reaches the headphones and the game stays on the TV.
4. Raise the headphones volume under Settings, Sound, Volume, or from the Sound card in the control center.
5. If the mute button blinks orange, sound is muted as well as the mic. Press it again.
6. Update the controller in Settings, Accessories, Controllers.

Xbox Wireless Controller

1. Push the plug fully into the jack on the bottom edge. Xbox One controllers made before mid-2015 have no jack and need the Xbox Stereo Headset Adapter.
2. Press the Xbox button, go to the audio section of the guide, and raise the headset volume. Slide the chat mixer toward the game side if you only hear chat.
3. Check Settings, General, Volume & audio output for the headset format and party chat output.
4. Update the controller in the Xbox Accessories app, then try a different controller to rule out its jack.

When it is a hardware fault

Test the headphones on another device, and another pair on yours.

• The headphones fail everywhere. Most wired headphones break at the plug or where the cable enters an earcup. If the cable is detachable, a new cable fixes it. Otherwise claim the warranty with the receipt or serial number, or replace them.
• Every pair fails on one device. The jack or the device's audio is at fault. A worn jack is covered in the headphone jack guide, and a USB or Bluetooth headset works around it.
• One earbud dead after a reset. The bud's battery or driver has failed. Makers sell single replacement buds for many models, so ask before you buy a whole set.

To check that both earcups and the mic of a headset work after a repair, run the headset test.

Headphone questions