How to Fix Chrome Sound Issue in Windows?

February 9, 2023

When you can’t hear anything, it takes a lot of the joy out of watching videos on YouTube. Here is how to fix Chrome on Windows so that you may once again hear sound.

Do you not hear any sound when you try to play a video in Chrome on your device? Do you only experience this problem with streaming websites, or does it occur with every page you visit?

If this is the case, there is likely a problem with either your audio hardware, your device, or your browser. The point is, what are some possible solutions to this problem? If you are unable to hear the sound when watching your favorite show on Chrome, there are a few things you can attempt to fix the problem.

Why Does Chrome’s Sound Function Suddenly Stop Working?

Why Does Chrome's Sound Function Suddenly Stop Working

The inability to hear sound in Chrome could be caused by a number of factors, such as malfunctioning audio hardware, muted websites, sound settings turned off in the browser, muted browser sound in Windows volume mixer, obsolete sound drivers, problems with extensions, or a cache and cookie backlog.

Unmuting the website, enabling Chrome sound, unmuting the browser from the volume mixer, running the sound troubleshooter, updating sound drivers, disabling extensions that are causing interference, clearing your browser cache, and resetting Chrome are the most efficient ways to fix sound issues in Chrome on Windows.

1) Reset Google Chrome

You’ll need to follow these procedures in order to reset Chrome:

Simply select the three dots that appear vertically in the top-right corner of the screen.
Visit the Settings menu.
Simply select the Reset and Clean-up option.
Simply select the option to Restore settings to their default values.
Click the “Reset settings” option that appears in the pop-up menu.

When you reset Chrome, all of its settings will be restored to their original state, the problem with sound in Chrome will be fixed, and the overall performance of your browser will be enhanced. However, this does come at a cost because all of the adjustments you have made to your browser will be removed, and you will have to begin using it from scratch.

2) Check Sound/Music on Various Other Websites

To begin, try playing sound on websites other than the one where it isn’t playing, such as another website. Once you have determined that the issue is exclusive to one website, you can unmute that tab or page so that you can once again hear sound on your device. This is the procedure to follow:

Launch the page in a new browser so that you can see that the sound is not functioning.

To close the tab, right-click on it.

Select “Unmute Site” from the drop-down menu.

If the sound is not muted previously and the issue continues across Chrome, the issue is not with Chrome and needs to be investigated further. In that event, you should proceed with the corrections listed below.

3) Make sure there aren’t any problems with the actual hardware.

It’s possible that the issue lies not with your browser but with your audio gear. Because of this, you ought to check to see that your audio hardware is operating appropriately. Therefore, you should check the functionality of your audio gear on another device, such as your cell phone.

Verify that an audio device’s compatibility with another device isn’t limited to just Chrome or your full operating system if it works on that device. If your operating system as a whole is silent, the issue is most likely at the device level. Refer to our advice on how to fix audio that is not working on Windows if this is also the situation for you.

However, if the audio works on your device and other browsers but not on Chrome, the problem is with Chrome itself and not with the device or the other browsers. In order for you to start implementing the remaining changes. Before you go ahead and do that:

Try restarting your browser to see if that resolves the issue.

Perform a quick restart of your computer to rule out the possibility that the issue was caused by a momentary glitch (see how to restart Windows).

When these two solutions to the problem don’t work, it’s time to move on to the other possible solutions to the problem.

4) Is the Sound Volume Mixer working properly.

You are able to mute your speakers, your entire system, or the sound coming from specific browsers when you use a Volume Mixer. The following are the measures that need to be taken in order to prevent Chrome from being muted in Volume Mixer:

Chrome can now play audio and video files with the sound turned on.
Click the speaker icon in the bottom right corner using the right mouse button.
To open the volume mixer, click the Open button.
Unmute Chrome and set the volume to 100 if it is already muted before continuing.

Alternately, suppose the volume wasn’t muted in the Volume Mixer. In that case, you should attempt a few more system-level adjustments, such as running the sound troubleshooter and updating the sound driver. If the volume wasn’t muted in the Volume Mixer, then you should use the Volume Mixer.

5) Check Sound Settings in Chrome.

If the problem occurs consistently across all instances of Chrome, it’s possible that you turned off a feature that allows websites to play sound. In order to verify, please proceed as follows:

Click on the three dots that appear vertically in the top-right corner of the screen.

Visit the Settings menu.
Go to the left sidebar and select Privacy and Security from the menu.
Click the Site Settings button that is located in the pane on the right.
Continue scrolling down until you reach Additional Content Settings, then click on it.
Navigate to the options for the Sound.
Choose Sites can play sound instead of the option that says Don’t allow sites to play sound.

Check Sound Settings in Chrome.

In addition to that, Chrome gives you the ability to muffle a select number of websites by enabling the customized behaviors option and adding the websites in question to the list of websites that are not allowed to play sound. In light of this, check to see that you have not banned any websites that maybe do not play sound.

Check Sound Settings in Chrome.

If there were no websites that were prohibited, and the sound settings were not turned off, then you should make sure that the Volume Mixer setting for Chrome’s sound is not set to zero.

6) Check to update Sound Drivers

Follow the instructions below in order to update the driver for the sound card:

Right-click on This PC, and then select Manage from the menu that appears.
Navigate to the Device Manager option on the left side of the sidebar.
Increase the number of options available in the Sound, Video, and Game Controllers category.
Select the sound driver with the right mouse button, then select Update driver.

Nothing has changed despite the fact that the driver was updated, right? It’s time to eliminate a few more problems that we haven’t already checked.

7) Start the Sound Troubleshooter program

Microsoft Windows comes equipped with built-in troubleshooters that can automatically identify and resolve the majority of system faults. Problems with the sound can also be fixed using the same troubleshooting methods. Therefore, you should execute it to confirm that a fleeting issue with the system is not temporarily silencing your Chrome browser.

The following steps need to be taken in order to run the Sound troubleshooter:

To open the Settings app, Press Win + I.
Proceed to the System Settings menu.
Click the Sound option in the sidebar on the left.
Simply navigate to the right-hand pane and select the troubleshooting button.

You will then be presented with the Get Help window, in which you will be prompted to provide permission for the system to perform a rapid scan. To begin troubleshooting the sound issue, select Yes in that box to begin a fast scan. If you hear a beep, you can rest assured that the issue does not originate with the system.

8) Delete all History and Cache from the Browser

Your browser may become inaudible over time if its history is cluttered and there is a buildup of cached data. You can eliminate this risk by deleting the history and cache from your browser. To accomplish this, please proceed as follows:

To open the history page in Chrome, use the Control key along with the letter H.
Simply select “Clear browsing data” in the sidebar on the left.
Mark the checkboxes for Cached pictures and files, browsing history, Download history, Cookies, and other site data.
Hit Clear data.

9) Disable Interfering Extensions

The audio playback functionality of Chrome may also be affected by add-ons or extensions that you have installed on your browser. Have you enhanced the sound in your browser by installing any sound-enhancing extensions? This may be where the issue originates. Disabling the potentially disruptive extensions one at a time is the most effective method for eliminating this possibility. To accomplish that, please proceed as follows:

Launch Google Chrome.
To access the Extensions menu, select More tools from the drop-down menu that appears when you click the three vertical dots located in the upper-right corner of the screen.
By sliding the toggle to the left, deactivate each extension in turn, and then check to see if the sound is functioning properly after each change.
After temporarily disabling an extension, if the sound returns to its previous state, click the Remove option to permanently delete the extension.

If turning off the extensions does not solve the problem, proceed to my final word.

Quick Links:

Do you still not hear any sound when you use Chrome?

You should try a few other remedies as a last option in the event that Chrome is still unable to speak. This will allow your browser to regain its voice. Among these are running a scan for malware on your computer’s system, cleaning out your browser, and reinstalling Chrome on your computer. You will be forced to use a different browser regardless of whether or not that solution is successful.