How do I enable sound on Chrome?

Check Chrome’s Sound Settings

The first step is to locate the sound icon in the Chrome toolbar and check if it’s muted. Click on the sound icon and make sure there is no ‘x’ next to it, indicating the audio is muted. If it is muted, simply click the icon to unmute.

You can also go to Chrome’s settings to check for any muted or lowered volumes. Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top right corner. Select ‘Settings’ then go to ‘Privacy and security’ > ‘Site settings’ > ‘Sound.’ Make sure nothing here is muted or turned all the way down.

According to Google’s support article, you can control music, videos and more from Chrome’s sound settings https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/9692215?hl=en.

Check Computer Sound Settings

To enable sound in Chrome, first make sure your computer’s sound settings are properly configured. Start by checking the system volume in Windows. As Microsoft Support recommends, select the volume control icon in the Windows taskbar and adjust the volume slider to the desired level. Make sure the speakers are not muted.

You’ll also want to verify your audio drivers are installed and up to date. As explained on Chron, you can check this in the Sound settings window. Navigate to the Playback tab, select your audio device, and check the status. If drivers are missing or outdated, visit the device manufacturer’s website to download the latest versions.

With system volume adjusted and functioning audio drivers, your computer’s sound settings should be configured properly. You can then isolate the issue to Chrome specifically.

Check Tab Sound Settings

Certain tabs can have their own sound settings that override Chrome’s global sound settings. For example, a video tab may have been muted independently from other tabs.

To check a tab’s sound setting, look for a sound icon in the tab. This is usually a speaker icon that will have a line through it if sound is muted for that tab. Click on the icon to unmute the tab if needed.

You can also right click on a tab and select “Mute tab” to control muting for individual tabs. This tab-specific sound control is independent of Chrome’s global sound setting.

For more information, see this guide on adjusting volume for tabs in Chrome: How to Adjust the Volume of Tabs in Chrome

Check Website Sound Settings

Individual websites may have their own sound controls that override Chrome’s settings. Look for a sound icon or volume slider on the site itself. For example, many video sites like YouTube and streaming platforms like Spotify have their own volume controls on their video or music players.

You can mute or adjust the volume for that specific site, without affecting your overall Chrome sound settings. This is useful if you want to selectively mute tabs playing music or videos in the background.

To find website-specific sound controls, look in the video player or multimedia controls of the site. Many sites have speaker icons for muting, or sliders for adjusting volume. If you don’t see any obvious sound controls on the site, try right-clicking on the video or audio player and checking if there is a “Mute” or volume option in the context menu.

If you are on a website that autoplays audio or video with sound enabled by default, you may need to mute or pause that element to disable sound. Look for playback controls like pause/play buttons or mute toggles on videos and music players.

Check Extensions

Some extensions can mute sound or cause audio issues in Chrome. Go to the Extensions page in Chrome (chrome://extensions) and review your enabled extensions. Look for any suspicious extensions related to sound, audio, media playback, etc. and try disabling them. This Sound Enhancement and Equalizer extensions in particular have been known to cause problems.

As noted on this Reddit thread, the Volume Master extension can result in screeching sounds, so disable that as well. In general, go through your extensions list and selectively disable any unnecessary extensions related to media, sound, streaming sites, etc. to isolate if an extension is the culprit. Restart Chrome after disabling extensions to fully clear any extension-related audio issues.

Try Different Audio Outputs

Sometimes the sound may not come through your normal speakers or headphones. Instead, it could be routing to a different audio output device connected to your computer.

To switch between different audio outputs on Chrome:

Click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner to open the Chrome menu.
Select Settings.
Click Advanced.

Under “System,” click Manage accessibility features.
Under “Audio,” select your desired output device from the dropdown menu.

This will allow you to cycle through various connected audio devices like speakers, headphones, Bluetooth headsets, HDMI outputs, etc. The sound may start coming through on one of those alternate outputs.

According to Google’s own instructions, this is the way to control your audio output device in Chrome.

Reset Chrome Settings

One way to restore sound in Chrome is to reset all of your browser settings to default. This will remove any problematic customizations or changes that may be causing sound issues. According to Google’s support article, resetting Chrome will restore settings like startup, homepage, new tab page, bookmarks, and more back to their original defaults.

Resetting Chrome will also clear all extensions and disabled plugins, which could be interfering with sound playback. However, resetting will remove all customizations, so only use this method if you are having wider issues beyond just sound problems. Back up any necessary data before resetting.

To reset Chrome on desktop, open Chrome and click the three dot menu > Settings > Advanced > Reset settings. On Chromebook or mobile, go to Settings > Advanced > Reset settings. Then click “Reset” to confirm. Chrome will restart with factory default settings, which should ideally restore sound capabilities if improper configurations were the cause.

Update Chrome

An outdated Chrome version may cause sound issues that prevent audio from playing properly. As bugs or compatibility problems arise, Google releases updates to address these problems. To ensure you have the latest fixes, it’s important to keep your Chrome browser up-to-date.

To update Chrome on your computer:

Open Chrome.
Click on the three vertical dots in the top right corner to open the menu.
Hover over Help and click on About Google Chrome.

Chrome will automatically check for updates and download any pending updates.
Once the update is downloaded, click Relaunch to restart Chrome with the new version.

Updating to the latest Chrome version may resolve audio issues you’ve been experiencing. If the problem persists after updating, try some of the other troubleshooting steps.

According to Google’s support article, updating Chrome is one of the first steps to try if you’re experiencing no sound from the browser (1). Keeping Chrome up-to-date ensures compatibility with websites and fixes bugs that may disrupt audio.

(1) https://support.google.com/chrome/thread/10496903/no-sound-from-chrome?hl=en

Try Chrome Incognito

Chrome’s Incognito mode launches a private browsing session that doesn’t save your browsing history. This means Incognito uses Chrome’s default settings each time it opens. Using Incognito can help isolate sound issues since it doesn’t carry over your normal Chrome settings and extensions.

To launch Incognito mode and test sound there:

Open the Chrome menu (3 dots in upper right) and select New Incognito Window.
Visit a website that should have sound like YouTube.

Check if sound works properly in the Incognito window.

If sound works fine in Incognito, an extension or setting is likely causing issues in your normal Chrome window. If there’s still no sound in Incognito, the problem may be system-wide.

You can toggle between Incognito and regular Chrome windows to isolate the problem. Just remember Incognito doesn’t save history or cookies, so you’ll have to sign into sites again.

Reinstall Chrome

If none of the previous troubleshooting steps fix the no sound issue in Chrome, you may need to uninstall and reinstall Chrome as a last resort. Reinstalling Chrome essentially gives you a clean slate which can resolve many software-related problems.

However, before reinstalling Chrome it’s important to back up any important browsing data, settings, bookmarks, history, passwords, and extensions. This ensures you don’t lose anything important when Chrome gets wiped from your system.

To backup your Chrome data:

Open Chrome and click the three dot menu > Settings.
Under “People” click Sync to ensure your browsing data gets saved to your Google Account.
Under “Basics” click “Export bookmarks and settings” to save a local backup.

Once your data is backed up, uninstall Chrome completely from your computer. The exact steps vary by operating system, but generally involve:

Going to “Add or Remove Programs” in Windows or “Apps” in MacOS.
Locating Chrome and clicking Uninstall/Remove.

Following any on-screen prompts to fully remove Chrome and related files.

Finally, install the latest version of Chrome cleanly on your computer from google.com/chrome. Log into Chrome with your Google account so all your data, settings, and extensions can sync back automatically.

Hopefully after reinstalling Chrome from scratch, sound starts working properly again across websites and web apps. If not, your system may have a deeper hardware or driver-related audio issue.