How to fix the no sound problem on a Chromebook

Some users have reported that their having audio issues with their Chromebook. Either the sound is completely silent or it’s cutting in and out intermittently. There are a variety of problems that can cause this for both sound coming from the speakers and sound coming from headphones. If you’re listening only through the built-in speakers and not headphones then skip to Fix #4.

Otherwise follow each step in order until your sound is fixed! Good luck!

Fix #1: Make sure the headphone are securely plugged in

This seems like a silly and obvious solution but I’ve seen this problem fixed a few times because the headphones weren’t fully inserted into the headphone jack on the chromebook. Make sure you really insert and push the headphones in, chromebooks seem to have strange audio jacks so give it a good push until you hear the click.

Fix #2: Try a different set of headphones or earbuds

For some people the fix is just that simple. The problem lies with a pair of broken headphones rather than with the chromebook itself. So try a different set and see if that works for you.

Fix #3: The “close lid” solution

  1. Unplug your headphones.
  2. Close the lid of the chromebook and wait ten seconds.
  3. Plug in the headphones.
  4. Open the lid. The chromebook will re-scan for audio devices and should find your headphones.

OR, if that doesn’t work:

  1. Turn off your chromebook.
  2. Plug in the headphones
  3. Turn on the chromebook. The chromebook will re-scan for audio devices on startup and should find your headphones.

Fix #4: Check sound settings

Look to the lower right corner of your screen. There you will see a series of icons. Click on your account picture at the very right. A window will appear showing you information about your chromebook. Make sure that the audio is at a high volume. If it’s muted, unmute it. And make sure that the output is set to the proper destination; headphones if you want to listen through headphones, speakers if you want to listen through speakers.

Fix #5: Clear the cache

Clearing the cache on the chromebook can resolve some audio issues. To clear the cache do this:

  1. Click on the chrome setting button in the browser in the top right corner (it looks like three horizontal lines).
  2. Click Tools and then Clear browsing Data.
  3. Specify that you want to clear information From the beginning of time.
  4. Make sure only Empty the Cache is selected.
  5. Click Clear Browsing Data.

Turn the chrome book off and then on again and try the sound now. If it still doesn’t work then move onto Fix 6.

Fix #6: Disable all extensions

The sound issues could be the result of a faulty extension. To solve this you need to disable all of them. Check if the sound now works. If it does then the problem was one of those extensions. Now you need to re-enable each extension individually while checking the sound between each enable. Once the sound breaks again you’ve found your culprit.

You can find instruction for disabling extensions here: https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/2589434?hl=en

(Note: if this doesn’t work then remember to turn on your extensions before moving onto Fix #7).

Fix #7: Browse as guest

Turn off your chromebook and then turn it back on. At the login screen select Browse as Guest. This will allow you to run the chromebook without any special settings that might have been added after the fact. Try to play sound now. If it works there is some broken setting or component in your regular login. To fix this permanently you’ll need to reset your chromebook. Go to Fix 8.

Fix #8: Completely reset your chromebook

This step will completely wipe your chromebook so you need to backup all of your data first. Again: this will erase EVERYTHING and bring your chromebook back to the state it was when you bought it.

  1. Click on your account picture in the lower-right corner of your screen.
  2. Click on Settings. A window will appear.
  3. Click on Show Advanced Settings at the bottom.
  4. Find the “Powerwash” label and click Reset.
  5. In the window that opens click Restart.

Once the chromebook restarts you will be presented with the setup window. Go through the setup and enter your google account information. Try to play a sound now, if it works then success!

Have any more ways to fix broken sound on the chromebook? Let us know in the comments below.

192 thoughts on “How to fix the no sound problem on a Chromebook”

  1. thank god spilled some water on computer and while cleaning keyboard i pushed a lot of buttons and freaked but this cleared it up thx

  2. my volume button doesnt seem to work if i were to lower the volume it would mute the computer, and if i were to up the volume it would only un mute. i went into settings and upped the volume but it would only go down again. plz help, i dont know what to do

  4. fix#4 did the trick! i was bummed..thought the jack was broke. im back up and running. thanks!

  5. My chromebook doesn’t have “tools” in the 3 horizontal lines thing. Anyone help?

  6. I went to guest and still nothing. I was using my headphones one night, woke up it’s like my computer doesn’t even know the earbuds exist. It wont read them in guest either. I’ve tried several pair and I’m starting to think my computer broke, :'( Hope thats not true. Any help?

  7. I had this problem. Speakers worked. Plugged in Headphones. No sound. #4 sort of was the Resolution – when I clicked on the bottom right statusbar (where the clock etc. is) I noticed it… When headphones were plugged in, it was defaulting the sounds setting to mute. Clicked unmute.. problem fixed. It must have been retaining the mute setting from the last time I plugged them in.

  9. I tried everything, even power-washing thinking it was worth it, RIP. But now I’m determined to fix it.

    It makes no sound no matter what i do, except when i plug in my headphones and it works perfectly, does anyone have any idea what could be wrong, or how to fix it, I’ll try almost ANYTHING!!!!

  10. I tried everything on the list, even did power wash 3 times. Nothing has resolved the issue. I’ve only had the Chromebook for 2-1/2 months, so I’ve called the manufacturer and am returning for repair.

  11. My volume button doesn’t work, if i were to lower the volume it would mute the computer, and if i were to turn up the volume it would only unmute it. I went into settings and turned up the volume but it only went down again. Please help, I don’t know what to do.

  12. Asus Chromebook cat jumped on computer and sound mutes. This has happened several times, 3 in a row. ONly fix is to turn off power and turn back on- tried mute and unmute and volume control, refreshing browswer, closing and opening, logging off and on user. nothing but turning off computer will reset it.

  13. Thanks! Fix #4 fixed my problem. You stated: “And make sure that the output is set to the proper destination,” Don’t know how it got switched to “headphone” but now set on “speaker internal” and audio works!

  15. My Samsung chromebook slid off the couch today onto the hardwood floors and now the sound
    volume does not work. I cleared the cache, I checked the sound/volume under the settings to make sure the output was correct…I have adjusted the volume up and down and tried to play songs from a few sites and no sound at all! Any help? I hope I have not ruined my computer. Thank you. I don’t know what to do.

  16. Same with me @Faith I have samsung Chromebook, AND mine slid off couch and now has no sound… SAME SITUATION!!!

  18. all i did was restart my chromebook and it worked perfectly so dont try to do all this stuff cause its not necessary

  20. My volume button doesn’t work, if i were to lower the volume it would mute the computer, and if i were to turn up the volume it would only unmute it. I went into settings and turned up the volume but it only went down again. Please help, I don’t know what to do.

  22. I have no sound on my Chromebook Acer Have had the device a week, and tried everything Please help, I am very frustrated. Rhanks

  23. help me!!! I’m browsing as a guest and i accidentley pressed avlot of keys now the sound wont work and i dont know what to do!!! help me!!!!

  24. Just bought this chromebook and 5 days later no sound from the internal speakers or from the headphones… I tried all of the steps above and still nothing….it is a lenovo 100s chromebook-11IBY model name:80QN. PLEASE HELP

  25. volume problem, all of a sudden, since about oct/nov 2015: 1-slider returns to zero on its own 2-neither earphones nor built-in speakers work. 3-audio settings showing NOTHING available for input or output; completely blank. 4- bluetooth audio works & displays as BOTH INPUT & OUTPUT under audio settings. have done all tips & tricks (extensions, guest acct, restarts, powerwash, recovery, open/close, etc) to no avail. beta channel switch only thing left to try. live chat w/samsung & nothing helped.

  27. having the same problem where volume returns to zero on its own and neither earphones nor bultin speakers work. Nothing is available for input/ output for audio settings. I’ve done all the tricks listed, anyone have any other ideas?

  29. I’ve been having this issue lately – several times today. Closing and opening the lid fixed it for me. Thanks.

  31. Completely unrelated, but my chromebook does this weird thing where plugging it in initially leaves the sound tinny and out-of-focus, but fiddling with it for about 10 minutes usually fixes it… Anyone know what’s going on?
    Also, alissa, you were probably dealing with a different problem internally than everyone else. Don’t speak up if you don’t know a thing about computers, ’cause there’s 101 ways to cause the same problem and 101 different ways you can fix it.

  35. Suddenly have no sound on my chromebook. It is probably something simple….HELP!Carolyn

  36. #4 fixed it for me. I just had to click on the sound icon and swith Output to headphones.

  37. The sound doesn’t work at all on my, I tried these fixes but when I turn up the sound using the volume buttons it changes it from mute to unmute, and when I turn it up using the scroll as soon as I close that it goes back to not making any sound. Please help!

  38. i have a Chromebook laptop one year old and three year olds were playing and banging the key boards on my laptop i opened my laptop and i wanted to listen to some music just to realize the sound stop working i did a lot of research to try to figure out what happened then i found this website i turned my computer off 20 times and nothing finally i put ear phones in my laptop and turned it off and then my sound worked at fist when i realized my sound wasent working my you tube wasent working either but then i fixed it by playing with the menu but whenever i went on a website that had sound it didn’t work

  39. A little water damage may have occurred and now my Samsung Chromebook volume will not work. This caused my laptop to also work slightly slower. The audio from the built-in speakers and any headphones I decide to plug in do not work. There is also an issue with the volume keys. When I hit the lower volume key, it automatically mutes my laptop. When I try to raise the volume, the key does not work. PLEASE HELP.

  42. Thank you so much a great wee step by step not quite sure which step fixed it but got to step 7 closed the lid and then Bingo!! Brilliant job thank you and so easy to follow

  43. it didnt work… my computer speaker was working fine last night and this morning then i turned the volume all the way up and my left speaker started rattling and now it wont even work… it worked for a few seconds when i taped the top on the computer then quit.. what could be wrong with it??

  49. Thank you so much! Step 4 seemed to work because my audio was set to speaker not headset. So thank you very much.

  50. thank you so much!! you have completely saved my life, i did not realise i could change the output destination from my headphones to my speakers i must have pressed it by mistake but now my chromebook is working perfectly :)

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