Only one AirPod, or one side of your headphones, plays sound on your Mac

Why it happens

The Balance slider sets how much sound goes to each ear, and if it's slid to one side, the other ear goes quiet or silent. It's set separately for each output, so it can be off for your AirPods while your speakers sound fine. A flat battery or a mesh clogged with earwax can also silence one earbud.

How to fix it

1. Put both AirPods in your ears and play something, so you can hear the change as you go.

2. Open System Settings, click Sound, and under Output click your AirPods. Drag Balance until the knob sits in the middle, then listen again.

   Sound›Output

3. Put both earbuds back in the case, close the lid and charge it for 15 minutes. One earbud can run flat while the other still has charge.

4. Clean the quiet one. Gently brush the speaker mesh with a dry, soft brush or cotton bud. Don't use water, sharp objects or anything that pushes dirt further in.

Still not fixed?

1. Check that Play stereo audio as mono is off in Accessibility > Audio. It isn't the cause on its own, but turning it on is a handy stopgap: everything plays in both ears, or in your one working earbud.

   Accessibility›Audio›Play stereo audio as mono

2. Forget the AirPods and pair them again. In Bluetooth settings, Control-click your AirPods and click Forget. Then open the case lid, hold the button on the back until the light flashes white (on AirPods 4, double-tap the front of the case instead), and click Connect under Nearby Devices.

   Bluetooth

3. If only one video or song sounds one-sided, the recording itself may be like that. Try something else to compare.

4. Test the AirPods with your iPhone or another device. If the same earbud is silent everywhere after charging and cleaning, it's a hardware fault. Contact Apple Support about a repair or a replacement earbud.