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May 24

Fixing a MacBook Stuck on Mute

hacks, wtf?, photos, usability, education

Occasionally, my MacBook Pro will get "stuck on mute"1 if I pull the headphones out too quickly. When you try to increase or decrease the volume, you see this:

image of "no audio control" icon in Mac OS

When this happens a red LED shines out of the headphone jack:

image of red LED shining out of the headphone jack of an MBP

With some clever Googling, I found out that what is happening here is that the MacBook is stuck on digital optical out (that is, it thinks you have a fiber-optic line -- for high-fidelity output -- stuck in the laptop).

The frustrating thing is that when you open the Mac OS Sound preference pane, it simply confirms that it is stuck and won't let you change it to the normal speakers (called "Internal Speakers"):

image of the Mac OS Sound preference pane stuck on digital out

The articles linked above explain that this appears to be due to some sort of stuck sensor in the headphone jack and that, most of the time, sticking a toothpick or matchstick in the headphone jack (or blowing with compressed air) can get it to reset itself.

However, I found a way to fix it without blowing or sticking anything in your heaphones jack (something you'll appreciate if you do want to use the thing for optical out!).

Here's what you do:

  1. Plug your headphones back in.
  2. Play a bit of sound through them (e.g., a song), then stop the sound.
  3. Make sure Preferences is quit.
  4. Launch Preferences and open the Sound pane.
  5. While the Sound pane is open and set to Headphones, pull out the headphone plug from the jack.
  6. It will reset itself to "Internal Speakers" and you are good to go.

My theory is that running the Sound preferences pane fresh does some sort of check on the sensors that clears this up. Others noted that you can launch Garage Band and this same check is performed and that can fix it too (but Garage Band is a seriously lame sound editing tool... I uninstalled it in favor of Amadeus Pro a long time ago).

1 (Technically, this isn't "mute" as that is just the volume icon with the indicator all they way greyed out whereas this one has the indicator at full audio but the speaker icon greyed out.)

Tags: audio, hacks, mac, photos, sound, stability, usability, wtf

174 comments

  1. § cesar Email said on : 08/23/10 @ 17:40
    as I was reading this post to fix the same problem it cleared up on its own. Thanks for the post.
  2. § Michael Peters Email said on : 08/28/10 @ 19:54
    Dude, THANK YOU

    THANK YOU

    THANK YOU
  3. § steph Email said on : 09/15/10 @ 16:19
    I have been looking everywhere for a solution for this problem. All I am finding, however, are solutions for when the headphones are still playing sound. My Macbook is not playing sound, on the speaker nor through the headphones. Anyone have any solutions?
    Thanks SO much for your time
    Steph
  4. § joe® Email said on : 09/17/10 @ 13:04
    And, I should note, that my scheme here doesn't always work. So, boo.
  5. § rv Email said on : 09/17/10 @ 22:28
    THANK YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
  6. § Choco Email said on : 11/02/10 @ 09:17
    OMG!!! Thank you!!!!! Thank you!!!!! THANKYOU!!!!
  7. § lynn Email said on : 11/24/10 @ 00:18
    Sorry, this didn't work for me. When I pulled out the headphones, the dialog box did not change to "Internal Speakers". Anyone know what to do now?
  8. § George Email said on : 12/02/10 @ 19:52
    No... didn't work :(
    Any other ideas?
  9. § Heidi Email said on : 12/08/10 @ 13:27
    Fabulous - just before going to see a movie this happened, but thanks to this post, I solved the problem in 5 minutes.
  10. § Eric Email said on : 12/31/10 @ 08:11
    I did it wrong the first time, THEN read more carefully! Worked like a charm! This problem would have made me crazy!!!!
    Thanks! Eric
  11. § Lisa said on : 06/22/11 @ 03:57
    I don't have a red light showing through the headphone jack, and I've never used the headphone jack before today, trying to fix the problem. I can't even hear music through the jack.
  12. § Amanda Email said on : 07/12/11 @ 00:45
    Thank you so much! I didn't stop the sound the first time and it didn't work. Make sure you pause the song (I did it in iTunes), made sure it was on "Output" on the sound tab and it reset. Thank you thank you thank you!
  13. § Ariel said on : 08/02/11 @ 17:50
    You're the best. Thanks!
  14. § Don Goble Email said on : 08/18/11 @ 16:48
    You rock! You just saved my day.....wow!
  15. § HD Email said on : 08/24/11 @ 03:31
    Thanks a ton bro, you gotta pause the music or it won't work. Took a couple tries but deff made my night.
  16. § Musaed said on : 08/25/11 @ 00:10
    thank you, its worked great
  17. § Mark den Elzen Email said on : 08/30/11 @ 01:45
    THANK YOU!!!
    Why does Apple (or who ever) not bring a update for this problem since apperently so many people are suffering the same issue.....
  18. § macbook said on : 09/04/11 @ 17:17
    thanks so much
  19. § Cynthia Email said on : 09/23/11 @ 09:40
    This was a lifesaver! Sound was not even coming through the earphones. I shut down my MacBook Pro first, restarted and it solved that problem. Then proceeded per the instructions. Worked like a charm! Thanks!
  20. § JK said on : 09/29/11 @ 13:43
    This problem happened after I used a set of powered speakers with the computer for the first time. I tried fixing the problem as above plugging the power speaker jack back in. didn't work. Then I tried again plugging in my iPhone's headphone jack instead. Then it worked! I guess some jacks are more compatible with the MacBook than others.
  21. § Conor Email said on : 10/09/11 @ 06:49
    sometimes restarting your mac will clear this issue too. It's strange whatever is going on on the inside.
  22. § nadya Email said on : 10/14/11 @ 00:23
    Dude, you're a genius and thanks alot! :) THANK YOU!
  23. § jason Email said on : 10/15/11 @ 19:19
    dude OOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMGGGGGGGGGG ur a lifesaver this is my school laptop and i thought i was gunna have to pay a repair
  24. § Ted Email said on : 10/21/11 @ 03:42
    Didn't work for me. It switched to digital output. But still has red jack and muted sound.
  25. § IT2 Email said on : 11/06/11 @ 00:18
    The above didn't work for me, nor restarting. This worked for me: In "System Preferences" > "Sound" I moved the "Output volume" slider from midway to max, then checked and unchecked the "Mute" box next to max. The red light went out and "Internal Speakers" appeared in the list where it should be. Try it with or without the headphones plugged in, whichever works.
  26. § Chris said on : 11/15/11 @ 13:22
    OMGGG....finally the red lights gone...had to try it a couple of times, but the problem's been fixed
  27. § Bryan Email said on : 11/20/11 @ 03:43
    DOES NOT WORK!
  28. § Brooke said on : 11/20/11 @ 23:14
    THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS!!!! You are awesome.
  29. § Kathleen Email said on : 11/21/11 @ 05:34
    Another thank you to go on the list. So grateful; like others I had to try it twice, but very relieved. Good to read alternative options in comments too. Best wishes from Lisbon, Portugal
  30. § joe® Email said on : 11/21/11 @ 11:21
    Joe here, blog owner.

    For what it's worth, the procedure I've outlined above doesn't always work for some reason. If you've read this far, I'd suggest trying IT2's solution from a few lines up.
  31. § Kaylee Email said on : 11/21/11 @ 20:04
    THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
  32. § Guru Email said on : 11/23/11 @ 13:24
    Thanks you saved my day!
  33. § SupportingPlayer Email said on : 11/24/11 @ 10:15
    Fantastic! I was going bonkers but it worked. Sending a happy hug.
  34. § Margaret Email said on : 12/02/11 @ 21:14
    Can you handle another expression of gratitude? Have had the problem in the past, didn't remember what I'd done to remedy, tried this and it didn't work and second time it did. Thanks much for sharing!
  35. § Michele Email said on : 12/03/11 @ 14:00
    Woo Hoo! Took a few times. Like others, I missed the part about turning off the sound. Finally worked with IT2's solution. With headphones in, hit mute on and off, pulled out the headphones and I have speakers again!
  36. § deja Email said on : 12/03/11 @ 17:39
    didn't work...darn
  37. § Ramone Email said on : 12/04/11 @ 16:15
    thank you so much for your help...
  38. § Jason said on : 12/16/11 @ 20:26
    Just had this exact thing happen. Did a quick google search and came across your site.

    The fix worked exactly as you described Joe.

    Thanks!
    Jason
  39. § Greg Email said on : 12/16/11 @ 21:26
    This didn't work for me. I unplugged the headphones and it set itself back to optical. :P
  40. § Greg Email said on : 12/16/11 @ 21:29
    IT2's solution did not work either. I think the little switch in the jack is actually stuck/malfunctioning.
  41. § Greg Email said on : 12/16/11 @ 21:33
    Whoa....I just fixed the problem, after none of the above worked, by just plugging in and unplugging the headphones like 15 times.
  42. § Gnome Email said on : 12/22/11 @ 00:06
    UNPLUGGING AND PLUGGING THE ORIGINAL JACK THAT CAUSED THE PROBLEM OVER AND OVER AGAIN WILL EVENTUALLY SOLVE THE PROBLEM. IT TOOK MULTIPLE TIMES, BUT MUST BE THE ORIGINAL HEADPHONES OR EXTERNAL SPEAKERS THAT CAUSED THE INITIAL FAIURE
  43. § satrat Email said on : 12/25/11 @ 06:38
    May thanks, only thing that worked for me - cheers
  44. § jude Email said on : 12/26/11 @ 22:05
    sadly, it did not work for me. If I pull out headphones, yes, it changes to digital out, but then the icon greys out again and I am once again unable to alter the sound levels. However, I am please that I can at least use headphones or speakers cuz I am currently deep in a rustic cabin deep in the rainforest and my laptop is my sole amusement once the sun goes down. I will try someone else's suggestion of plugging and unplugging the external speakers fifteen times next as that was what was last plugged in. thanks all.
  45. § Teresa Email said on : 12/27/11 @ 18:58
    Thanks so much for putting this up. I would have never been able to work that out! Thanks again.
  46. § bk Email said on : 12/30/11 @ 00:14
    you friggen rock! thanks
  47. § S Email said on : 01/06/12 @ 02:43
    Thank You!!
  48. § Adrian Email said on : 01/10/12 @ 16:07
    None of these worked for me, but eventually I jammed a plastic tube (the inside of a pen) into the socket and rotated counterclockwise. After a few tries it worked! Definitely a stuck switch. Got the idea from here: http://forums.macrumors.com/archive/index.php/t-237405.html
  49. § Lyra Theresa Email said on : 01/12/12 @ 20:20
    Thank you! :)
  50. § Peter Stranks said on : 01/16/12 @ 16:11
    Thank you so much. I was going crazy!
  51. § Gad Email said on : 01/17/12 @ 17:36
    Saddly, It didn't work! :'(
    Please PLEASE I am so desperate and it has been like this for a few days!
    Help me!
  52. § suzy Email said on : 01/20/12 @ 10:16
    THANK YOU!!! =}
  53. § Christy Email said on : 01/27/12 @ 16:11
    THANK YOU!
  54. § Kirsten Email said on : 02/04/12 @ 15:48
    Thanks!
  55. § laura said on : 02/10/12 @ 04:36
    thank you!!!
  56. § dee said on : 02/16/12 @ 14:38
    I LOVE YOU!

    This has been annoying me for a few days now and with your advice, YOU fixed it for me in less than a minute!
  57. § kristen Email said on : 02/16/12 @ 23:22
    aaaah i was about to give up, but comment 35 worked for me perfectly!
  58. § Jake Email said on : 02/17/12 @ 21:41
    I had initially called Apple about this problem, and they wanted me to pay $50 for Apple Support!! Ridiculous!!! i found this post and tried what you had said and it was a no go. However the Toothpick trick DID work!! :)
  59. § kelssssss Email said on : 02/26/12 @ 21:25
    THANKS DUDE YOU DA BOMB!
  60. § dj said on : 02/28/12 @ 02:52
    AWESOME!! Thanks so much.
  61. § Badger Email said on : 02/28/12 @ 15:37
    Brilliant!
  62. § LN said on : 03/02/12 @ 02:04
    awesome link! tried IT2's way, your step by step solution and plugging the headphones 25 times but none of the above worked. the mighty toothpick did the trick. I thank you so much for this link! wouldn't have thought of this for the longest time thank you thank you
  63. § Vic said on : 03/05/12 @ 12:17
    Thank you so much. I had called the apple help line but they wanted to charge £35 for this advice.
  64. § Petra said on : 03/07/12 @ 15:48
    THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! :D
  65. § Lisa Email said on : 03/11/12 @ 21:26
    Your help was unbelievably perfect.
    I messed with it for hours and finally followed EVERY step precisely. DONE and I;m happy
    I'm in Anguilla right now with no Skype and no Apple Support. Now I can play my music.
    Thank you for your excellent help !!!!


  66. § Laura Email said on : 03/12/12 @ 18:45
    THANK YOU! I am so happy! Fiddled with it for ages! And the only way I could find this was by print screening the mute sign and using google image search! :') but yeah, thanks man!
  67. § ajit Email said on : 03/13/12 @ 23:16
    very useful - thanks for the tip. worked like a charm.
  68. § holly Email said on : 03/14/12 @ 19:07
    THANK YOU SO MUCH THIS WAS SO EASY TO FOLLOW AND WORKED A TREAT!
  69. § max Email said on : 03/18/12 @ 16:08
    A fix: after a lot of fiddling with no success, I discovered that when I plugged into the sound output with headphones and changed my sound settings to use audio port for sound INPUT, the internal speakers kick in. Had an old set of bad headphones, cut off the jack, and used that jack plugged in, with the INPUT setting, and get speakers to work. When I want to go to external speakers or headphones, I switch to OUTPUT setting, remove jack, and insert headphones etc. Or buy a jack at Radio Shack for a few bucks if you have no defective phones laying around? a workaround that works?for me. Good luck!
  70. § Carolyn said on : 03/18/12 @ 23:41
    I had to try a couple of different times, paused the music, then unplugged the headphones, but it did finally work! Thanks so much!
  71. § Danielle Email said on : 03/20/12 @ 17:54
    Thank you!
  72. § Mr P Email said on : 03/23/12 @ 20:21
    I followed the rules and it didn't work. I did a slight variation in that whilst the song was playing in i-tunes i pulled the headphones out and it then started to play through my internal speakers again! I am happy camper once again!
  73. § Mr. W said on : 03/26/12 @ 19:39
    Thank you SO much. So helpful. I spent 10 minutes sticking toothpicks in my headphone jack.
  74. § BeeBuzz Email said on : 03/28/12 @ 10:22
    Thank you so much! I've looked everywhere!
  75. § AJ Email said on : 03/28/12 @ 23:03
    dude thanks a million! i never post on these things, but must say that you saved me a trip to the apple store. THANK YOU!!
  76. § dify Email said on : 03/29/12 @ 17:33
    Hey, so I tried every thing, toothpick in/pen/... no luck.
    tried restard/ apple+option+r+p restart...no luck
    tried batterie out, 5 sec on power button...no luck.

    any other ideas ?
  77. § Philip Email said on : 04/05/12 @ 23:27
    This worked for me, eventually, but had two do it twice. Failing for you? Try it thrice. ;)
  78. § Knút Email said on : 04/06/12 @ 08:48
    thanks a bunch sir!
  79. § Arnoldo Vidal Email said on : 04/07/12 @ 16:38
    Thanks you very much, i had been trying to fix this problem two months ago, now it is fixed...
  80. § Dano said on : 04/09/12 @ 18:38
    Dude. You're awesome. I was just about to give up and schedule an appointment at an Apple Store. You just saved me a like 4hrs. Thanks!
  81. § victor Email said on : 04/10/12 @ 08:36
    thank you. You saved me a lot of time.
  82. § JKL Email said on : 04/13/12 @ 18:50
    THANK YOU ALSO...!!!! Had no idea where to start trying to fix this problem!

    I thought I had followed your steps but it didn't switch to display "internal speakers" but I pushed the headphones in/out once and suddenly it switched from "digital" to "internal speakers" in the prefs pane - hallelujah!!!

    Thanks again bro'!
  83. § Simone Hunger said on : 04/14/12 @ 11:51
    Thank you! that would have taken forever for me to figure out! Thanks!!!
    -Simone, Oakland, California
  84. § Ellis SHapiro--Banrum Email said on : 04/14/12 @ 17:28
    Thank YOU SOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  85. § Demi Email said on : 04/15/12 @ 07:54
    Why is this working to everyone but me? :((

    I did exactly what you said..
  86. § jm Email said on : 04/20/12 @ 18:29
    Genius, thank you!!!
  87. § Kate said on : 04/22/12 @ 00:19
    I tried, I failed, I tried again, repeated those steps a few times, and boom! speakers! thanks all!
  88. § Bex Email said on : 04/22/12 @ 04:02
    Thank YOU SO MUCH!!!!! You are a lifesaver woohooo
  89. § Megan Email said on : 04/27/12 @ 20:48
    You are a total legend!!!!! Thank you sooooo much!
  90. § Shogun Email said on : 05/02/12 @ 18:42
    fucking legend
  91. § Amy Email said on : 05/03/12 @ 06:24
    Just to say thank you! People if this solution isn't working on its own, please try it again and then restart your comp, restart hadn't worked before but after this, magic!!!! Your a star, ta!!
  92. § Shari Email said on : 05/03/12 @ 21:45
    You ARE a rockstar!!! THANK YOU!
  93. § vrushali said on : 05/05/12 @ 00:46
    thank you... worked like magic!! you are a star....!!
  94. § Lexi Lund Email said on : 05/05/12 @ 08:15
    This trick didn't work from me. On another web forum though I found a trick were you use a tooth pick and it didn't work either. I decided to try with the end of a bobby pin and I put both chunks at the end of the bobby pin in. It worked after turning it counter clockwise a few times.
  95. § marley Email said on : 05/05/12 @ 22:49
    THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH ! I got scared because it wasnt working..LOL thanks(:
  96. § neha said on : 05/06/12 @ 07:27
    THANK YOU SO SO MUCH
  97. § oggy said on : 05/13/12 @ 12:48
    Had to do this a few times for it to work but it is back on - Thank you!! :)
  98. § Mike Email said on : 05/16/12 @ 08:21
    Mine had a bit of dust over the optical sensor so this didn't work. A cotton bud* did, so try that- just be gentle!

    (*Q tip on the wrong side of the atlantic I believe)
  99. § Jay Email said on : 05/16/12 @ 09:53
    You'll be happy to note that I didn't even need a proper jack.. I was stuck on mute with the red light, put the inside of an old biro in since it was sitting near.. turned preferences off... then on... then sound... output... pulled the biro out and BINGO!... SOUND!... you're a champion Joe.
  100. § cmes Email said on : 05/17/12 @ 17:43
    Only rebooting worked for me.
  101. § neighborhoodsupport@gmail.com Email said on : 05/21/12 @ 23:32
    Hi, sorry to see so many people have this problem - the problem two fold - cheap parts and bad engineering. At least some of the jack detection is hardware based, so although everybody wants to believe clicking and unclicking will fix it, if you really have the problem, it won't. I have an actual proven fix that doesn't require replacing the jack or the logic board - although it disables the digital out, so this may not be for you. Its a permanent fix, and is reversible. Email me for more details.
  102. § john Email said on : 05/24/12 @ 12:14
    omg thank you. the only helpful answer online!
  103. § Sky Email said on : 05/24/12 @ 19:21
    Eventually it worked! This was extremely helpful! Thank you!
  104. § Nat Email said on : 05/26/12 @ 01:24
    That's worked!! Thank you so much!!! :))
  105. § joe Email said on : 05/27/12 @ 23:34
    hey i don't know why yours works but it didnt for me and i tried the other way you referenced and what i found by digging a toothpick around in there is that there is some spring loaded door in there and obviously it's getting stuck so whether you use the headphones or a toothpick or what in my case it was a simple case of jimmying the door back down to its closed circuit position. thanks for the article though i was lost!!!!!
  106. § John Clifford Email said on : 05/29/12 @ 15:13
    I solved this on macbook pro 2011 by plugging in a usb headset. ( the one that came with Dictate )

    After plugging in usb headset, the slider for volume in system preferences was responsive and I could uncheck mute button.

    Then volume in system bar was not greyed out and everything worked.

    Also I did not have red light issue described above.

    Not sure what caused this but i was using iTunes and Toast Titanium 11 to convert flac to apple lossless and importing to itunes before this glitch appeared.
  107. § Jolene Email said on : 05/29/12 @ 17:15
    You're a genius! I was so frustrated and Apple wanted me to pay to ask a question. So glad I found your page. :) Thanks again!
  108. § Rick Email said on : 05/29/12 @ 21:51
    Thank you so much for sharing your expertise! This worked perfectly for me.
  109. § martin Email said on : 05/31/12 @ 02:30
    worked like a charm.. although i had to try it several times and i had to quit itunes not pause it to fix it.. otherwise it wouldn't work for me.
  110. § laura Email said on : 05/31/12 @ 11:20
    Thankyou, I was using my boyfriends macbook and thought I had broken it! This worked like a charm and he never has to know, phew!
  111. § cindy Email said on : 05/31/12 @ 19:47
    THANK-YOU SOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!! I just kept doing what you said and it worked after a couple tries!!!! Thanks!!!!!!
  112. § andrew j steel Email said on : 06/01/12 @ 02:10
    Thanks so much!
  113. § Ali Handal said on : 06/06/12 @ 00:42
    THANK YOU! I had to try it a few times, but it worked eventually. :)
  114. § Loai Hamad Email said on : 06/07/12 @ 02:11
    THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
  115. § neil kodner said on : 06/07/12 @ 09:03
    thank you-this solved my problem! Thanks for sharing these instructions.
  116. § Victoria Email said on : 06/07/12 @ 20:01
    it did not work :( any other solutions?
  117. § Jim Email said on : 06/14/12 @ 16:26
    had the same problem... THANKS!
  118. § Thanks Email said on : 06/17/12 @ 08:47
    thanks for the help on the audio issue with the MAcbook PRO !!!!
  119. § Gerilyn said on : 06/17/12 @ 22:06
    I tried everything. The original post and everything in the comments. Eventually the toothpick broke off inside. After I fished it out, it worked perfectly. No more AKG headphones for me.
  120. § Thomas A. Email said on : 06/18/12 @ 00:05
    Thank you! It worked!!
  121. § sha Email said on : 06/18/12 @ 00:28
    hi guys, unplugging and plugging my headphones several times worked for me.
  122. § kazbah Email said on : 06/18/12 @ 00:53
    Thank You!! You rock. Saved me a trip to the genius bar.

    I didn't have the red light in the headphone jack, but did have all the other symptoms and this worked like a charm.
  123. § Adam Email said on : 06/20/12 @ 07:38
    A big thank you for the post, and too Michele who helped clarify the instructions further: "With headphones in, hit mute [... in the sound preferences] on and off, pulled out the headphones and [... then the] speakers [... work] again!" This is what finally made the process work for me! Thanks again!
  124. § James Retling Email said on : 06/25/12 @ 10:03
    I am adding this to my knowledge base of Mac fixes and I thought I'd share it with you.

    Recently, my MacBook Pro got "confused" and I could not turn the speakers on. I used a "System Management Control Reset" or "SMC Reset" to fix it.

    This will work on Macs as far back as 2005.

    Here is the procedure:

    Shut down the computer. Make sure the power supply is plugged in (If a MacBook or MacBook Pro).

    Hold down the keys "Shift+Control+Option+Power" at the same time for 10 seconds.

    If done correctly, the computer does not power on at this time and stays dark.

    Next, hit the power key to turn and the computer, and immediately
    reset the PRAM by holding down the keys "Option+Command+P+R"
    and continue to hold them done until you hear the startup chime a second time.

    Then release the keys. The system should be back to normal now.
  125. § Monza Email said on : 06/28/12 @ 14:10
    many many many thanks!!! u saved the day!
  126. § Bob Email said on : 06/29/12 @ 16:16
    You saved my life.
  127. § nicky said on : 06/30/12 @ 14:57
    It worked! thank you
  128. § Amanda Email said on : 07/03/12 @ 09:19
    Thanks so much! I really didn't want to stick a toothpick into my mac! Worked like a charm. Thanks again!
  129. § Pan Email said on : 07/04/12 @ 22:15
    Solved it, but the instruction didn't work for me so I tried the following:
    1) Plug earphone in
    2) play movie, sound should be coming from earphones
    3) while playing movie, set sound to mute by pressing keyboard mute
    4) open pref > sound > output
    5) Unplug earphone
    6) Unmute
    7) the output setting should change immediately and sound should becoming from speaker

  130. § cody Email said on : 07/07/12 @ 02:54
    THANK YOUTHATNKYOU THAKFDHKNYOU!
    I was struggling for soooooo long going through every perference.. finally I got pissed off enough to google the problem! THANK YOU!
  131. § MuazMastor Email said on : 07/13/12 @ 03:37
    Why i can't I try it four 5 times,and I still can't make to internal speaker.Why?
  132. § Duncan said on : 07/13/12 @ 19:24
    Dude I was trying to fix this problem for months! I finally fixed it using this method! Thanks!
  133. § myra said on : 07/15/12 @ 09:18
    thanks for the help!!!
  134. § Eric Khoury Email said on : 07/18/12 @ 14:34
    THANK YOU!!!
    THANK YOU!!!
    THANK YOU!!!
    THANK YOU!!!
    THANK YOU!!!
    THANK YOU!!!
    THANK YOU!!!
  135. § Magnus Email said on : 07/20/12 @ 07:07
    thank you so much!!!!
  136. § ashish barmase Email said on : 07/20/12 @ 15:44
    Not Worked for me. But I can confirm that it has nothing to do with round audio port. inserting toothpick, matchstick on only make problem worse. This is because my mac book pro is intel based and i windows 7 on it as well. audio just work fine on windows.. with or without headphones. no issues. but on mac i am facing exactly same problem as described here. just a difference that "red light" some time glows some time not.
  137. § IsaKo said on : 07/21/12 @ 05:14
    Thanks so much, tried a few times and got it right. Using Itunes seemed to work.
  138. § Ryan Email said on : 07/25/12 @ 16:17
    Didn't work for me....
  139. § Matt said on : 07/26/12 @ 13:40
    Thanks a lot - first time!
  140. § Ingeniosus Email said on : 07/26/12 @ 15:02
    Legend, Couple Trials and I was good to go
  141. § wendy Email said on : 07/27/12 @ 00:08
    OMG THANK YOU !!!!
  142. § GregO said on : 07/27/12 @ 02:46
    Ok here's what worked for me... I followed Greg's advice of just plugging and unplugging. It only took about 5 times, with the Sound window open, and it reset to internal speakers.
  143. § Juan Figueredo Email said on : 07/27/12 @ 08:49
    Hi! youre awsome...after searching for hours useless blogs and commets you made it simple. Fixed and everything running perfectly
  144. § Bernard Email said on : 07/27/12 @ 14:14
    Thanks a lot for this man !!! I've been fighting with this problem for days !!!! God bless you !!!

    Bernard (Senegal, West Africa)
  145. § Cameron Email said on : 07/28/12 @ 18:45
    Sweet cheers man, if does not work first time, just wiggle headphone cable in and out a few times then it works :)
  146. § adam Email said on : 07/30/12 @ 19:34
    booyakahshot! Worked like a charm. thank you.
  147. § Caroline Lomeli Email said on : 08/01/12 @ 00:28
    Thank you!!!!!! This was exactly my problem! Works just great now.
  148. § Glen Email said on : 08/01/12 @ 05:36
    Legend
  149. § Xzavier Moore Email said on : 08/01/12 @ 18:50
    Thank you so much !
  150. § Kaitlin McDonald Email said on : 08/03/12 @ 21:57
    I tried but when you said it will say headphones i can't click on the choices it's like grey ish so it won't change
  151. § Peaslepuff said on : 08/06/12 @ 20:46
    Didn't work. Go fucking figure.
  152. § shazimmy said on : 08/07/12 @ 10:12
    thank you! i tried your method and didn't work, but then opened garageband and that worked. thanks!!!! : )
  153. § kartik Email said on : 08/07/12 @ 19:21
    LEGEND!!!!!!!
  154. § Alana Email said on : 08/08/12 @ 08:47
    THANK YOU!!!!!
  155. § kt Email said on : 08/17/12 @ 00:55
    Thank you! This is the first problem on my computer that I have ever fixed. I was just going to bring it to the store tomorrow, but I really wanted to watch Colbert.
  156. § Betty Email said on : 08/17/12 @ 10:35
    #124 James: THANK YOU. Nothing worked until I tried this.
  157. § rv said on : 08/17/12 @ 13:31
    bravo!!! thnx a ton mate ! sholy wrks !
  158. § brian said on : 08/19/12 @ 23:28
    Thanks! All my troubleshooting is done with the mouse or keyboard. It didn't occur to me to just unplug the headphones.
  159. § lakshmi Email said on : 08/20/12 @ 06:17
    thanks a lot :D
  160. § miguel Email said on : 08/20/12 @ 16:18
    The original procedure did not work for me. I noticed that I got a Bluethooth error. So, I shut of the BT and the speakers started to work.
    I did not see a BT device that may be causing a problem. Hope it helps
  161. § jack Email said on : 08/24/12 @ 09:35
    but this cannot solve my problem...........it is not showing internal speaker option now what would i do......plz mil in account....plz.plz
  162. § jack Email said on : 08/24/12 @ 09:37
    this is not helping me
  163. § Ibra Email said on : 08/24/12 @ 15:19
    You sir, are a total genius, not to mention a saviour. Much love
  164. § Alex Email said on : 08/28/12 @ 18:27
    Thanks mate. Legend.
  165. § amu Email said on : 08/28/12 @ 21:45
    it wont work when i plug in the headphones
  166. § Andre Souza said on : 08/30/12 @ 06:58
    FANTASTIC!!!!! :) Thanks
  167. § Ziggy Peake Email said on : 09/01/12 @ 14:14
    I have been a Mac owner for 25 years and have never experienced this issue. Thanks for the excellent advice and well constructed answer.
  168. § Stephanie Magennis said on : 09/03/12 @ 22:30
    You rock! Thanks for the info!
  169. § muzbjaz Email said on : 09/04/12 @ 23:56
    wooohooo gracias viejo!!!!
  170. § Petter Email said on : 09/15/12 @ 09:00
    Thank you soo much! That was very well explained and now my problem is solved! :)
  171. § Tom said on : 09/19/12 @ 21:55
    FYI, on my brand new MAcBook Pro, this did not work to fix it, but starting garage band and then playing some music from an opened project finally turn the music back on. If I did not play music from the project, it would not work yet.... weird issue that mac should really fix asap!!
  172. § Chandni Email said on : 09/25/12 @ 07:18
    THANK YOU SO SO MUCH!!!
  173. § Isaiah Email said on : 09/26/12 @ 13:28
    You rock dude!.. .thanks for saving me $19.99 + tax per incident from the Apple guys!
  174. § Julia said on : 09/26/12 @ 22:50
    thank you SO MUCH! this saved so much time. i wouldn't have figured this out
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