How do I unmute YouTube?

ByJael Lawler

Sometimes when watching YouTube videos, you may find that the audio is unexpectedly muted. This could be due to your settings being changed or a temporary glitch. The good news is that it’s usually easy to unmute a YouTube video. This article provides a step-by-step guide on how to unmute videos on YouTube across different devices and browsers. We’ll cover checking your YouTube and browser settings, troubleshooting tips, and when to reach out to YouTube support. With the right troubleshooting, you can resolve muted YouTube videos and enjoy listening to content as the creators intended.

Check Video Settings

When troubleshooting issues with sound on YouTube videos, the first step is to verify the video’s sound settings. At the bottom right corner of the YouTube video player is an icon that looks like a speaker. If the speaker has an “x” through it, the video is muted.

To unmute a YouTube video that’s muted, simply click the “x” icon so the icon is just a speaker. This will enable the sound for that individual video. The video player controls allow users to easily toggle sound on and off for videos on YouTube (Tella.tv, 2021).

Unmute Single Video

If you’re watching a YouTube video and there’s no sound, the easiest fix is to unmute that specific video. YouTube will remember your mute preference on a per-video basis. So if you muted a previous video, the next videos you watch may start muted as well.

To unmute a single YouTube video that has no sound, simply click the speaker icon in the bottom right corner of the video player. The icon will have a line through it when the video is muted. Clicking it will remove the line and unmute that video. You can then adjust the volume slider to your preferred level.

As a reference, see this guide from SoftwareKeep: How To Fix When You Have No Sound on YouTube. They recommend clicking the speaker icon to unmute the video if you have no sound.

Unmuting each video individually is a quick fix if the sound disappeared partway through watching YouTube. It ensures the current and next videos you watch will have sound enabled.

Unmute Autoplay Videos

If you are watching videos in a YouTube playlist with autoplay enabled, the videos may start muted by default to avoid sounds blasting as each video starts. To unmute autoplay videos, simply click the speaker icon in the bottom right corner of the video player once the next video begins. This will unmute that individual video.

You can also disable autoplay on playlists entirely to avoid muted videos. Click the autoplay toggle switch below the playlist name to turn it off. Now videos will only begin when you manually initiate them, and the sound will work normally.

According to a StackOverflow discussion, adding “?autoplay=1” to the end of an embedded YouTube video URL will force autoplay with unmuted sound. However, this only applies to individually embedded videos, not playlists.

Disable Sound Effects

Some desktop environments and operating systems play system notification sounds that can inadvertently mute your YouTube videos. For example, Windows 10 has sound effects enabled by default for events like new notifications, warnings, and more. These system sounds will mute any other audio playing on your computer, including YouTube videos.

To disable system notification sounds:

  1. Open the Start menu and go to Settings > System > Sound.
  2. Under App volumes and device preferences, locate the app causing sound effects (e.g. Get notifications from Microsoft).
  3. Drag the volume slider all the way to the left to mute.

This will stop system sounds from interrupting and muting your YouTube videos. You can also explore your operating system’s sound settings to disable or mute any other bothersome sound effects.

Adjust Computer Volume

Before trying other troubleshooting methods, make sure your computer or device’s master volume isn’t muted or set too low. This prevents all audio from playing, including YouTube videos.

To adjust your volume on Windows, look for the speaker icon in the system tray in the lower-right corner of your screen. Click this and make sure the volume slider is not muted or set too low.

On Mac, click the Apple logo in the top-left corner and open System Preferences. Click “Sound” and ensure nothing is muted and the volume is up.

On smartphones and tablets, use the physical volume buttons to turn the volume up. Additionally, go into Settings and ensure media volume is turned up and not muted.

If adjusting the master volume does not unmute YouTube, the problem likely lies with your browser, the site, or specific videos. But it’s always worth checking your computer’s volume first before troubleshooting other issues.

Check Browser Permissions

One common reason YouTube videos may not have sound is if you have not given your web browser permission to play audio. Browsers like Chrome and Firefox may block sound on sites until you specifically approve it.

To allow YouTube to play sound, you need to give your browser permission. In Chrome, click the lock icon in the address bar and then click Site Settings. Under Media, make sure the “Sound” permission is set to “Allow.” You can also click “Add” under Media to add youtube.com as a site with explicit permission to play sound.

In Firefox, click the lock icon and choose Site Permissions. Under Media, make sure “Autoplay sound” is set to “Allow Audio.” You may need to refresh the YouTube page after updating permissions.

If you are using a different browser, check its settings to ensure you have enabled permission for websites to play audio and video. Once you give your browser permission, YouTube videos should begin playing sound again.

Update Browser/YouTube

One of the most common reasons you may be unable to unmute a YouTube video is having an outdated browser or YouTube app. YouTube regularly releases new updates to its website and apps to fix bugs and add new features. However, if you don’t keep your browser and YouTube app up-to-date, you may miss out on critical patches that affect your ability to unmute videos.

Make sure you are using the latest version of your browser, such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge. You can usually update your browser by going to the settings menu. On Chrome, for example, click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner and select “Help” then “About Google Chrome” to check for and install any available updates.

The same goes for the YouTube mobile app on your iPhone, Android, or other device. Open your device’s app store, search for YouTube, and check that you have the latest version installed. If not, update the app to get the newest fixes and features.

According to YouTube’s system requirements, your browser should also meet the minimum standards to work properly with YouTube. Using an extremely outdated or unsupported browser can prevent videos from unmuting correctly.

If updating your browser and YouTube app does not resolve the issue, your next step would be trying a different modern browser or switching devices to determine if the problem stems from your specific hardware/software configuration.

Try Different Browser

If you are unable to unmute or get sound from YouTube videos in Chrome, trying a different browser may help resolve the issue. Browsers like Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Opera, or Safari could play YouTube videos correctly while Chrome is having problems.

Test the video in another installed browser on your computer to see if sound works properly. This helps determine if the problem is isolated to Chrome or a more general browser issue interacting with YouTube.

If the video plays fine in a different browser, the problem likely lies with your Chrome installation, settings, or extensions specifically. You can then focus troubleshooting efforts on Chrome to identify and correct the cause of the no sound problem.

However, if the video remains silent across multiple browsers, the underlying cause is less likely tied to a single browser. At that point, you may need to investigate your computer audio/speaker setup, YouTube account settings, video file corruption, or other system-wide problems unrelated to the browser.

In short, verifying playback in another browser is an easy step to help narrow down the root of the no audio issue affecting your YouTube viewing experience.

Contact YouTube Support

If you are still having issues unmuting videos after trying all the troubleshooting steps, you may need to reach out to the YouTube Support team for additional help.

You can contact YouTube Support through the following methods:

The YouTube Support team may be able to provide individualized troubleshooting, account support, or technical assistance to help resolve any outstanding issues unmuting YouTube videos.

Reaching out directly can help get your problem escalated and resolved quickly if needed. Be sure to provide detailed information on the issues you are experiencing to help the YouTube Support team address your case.

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