Turn your Mac's volume up or down

Why it happens

Most Mac keyboards have volume keys in the top row: F10 mutes, F11 turns it down and F12 turns it up. On some keyboards you need to hold fn for those keys to change the volume. If a key seems to do nothing, the sound may be going to a different speaker, like headphones or a monitor.

How to fix it

1. Press F12 (the speaker with sound waves) to turn the volume up and F11 to turn it down. If they act as plain F11 and F12, hold fn as you press them.

2. On a MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar, there are no F11 and F12 keys. Tap the speaker button in the Control Strip at the right end of the Touch Bar, then slide to set the volume.

3. Or click Control Center in the menu bar, the icon with two small switches, and drag the Sound slider.

   Menu bar›Control Center

4. For finer control, open System Settings, click Sound and drag the Output volume slider.

   Sound›Output volume

5. Want smaller steps? Hold Option and Shift while you press a volume key.

Still not fixed?

1. If the keys do nothing, the sound may be muted. Press the mute key (F10), then volume up, or check that Mute is off in Sound settings under Output.

   Sound›Output

2. Sound playing from the wrong place? In Sound settings under Output, click the speaker or headphones you want.

   Sound›Output

3. If the slider is greyed out, that output, often a monitor connected by HDMI, doesn't let the Mac set its volume. Use the monitor's own buttons or remote.

4. Still too quiet at full volume? Check the volume inside the app you're using, and that Balance in Sound settings sits in the middle.

5. If the built-in speakers give no sound at all, even with headphones unplugged and the volume up, contact Apple Support or a repair shop. The speakers may need a hardware check.