same problem here with a late 2008 MacBook (now called pro), fixed it with the halved Q-tip trick. Thanks guys!
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No sound out of MacBook speakers & red LED in Headphone jack
- Thread starter SCMaverick
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no sound from computer speakers, volume control frozen
I tried all of the remedies suggested in the forum to no avail. After plugging in a speaker cord for Netflix TV/computer viewing I noticed my speakers were working and I could control my volume button. While in town I picked up a cheap external speaker cord and plugged it in and voila, the internal speaker works, I can hear them, and control the volume. http://images.macrumors.com/vb/images/icons/icon3.gif
I tried all of the remedies suggested in the forum to no avail. After plugging in a speaker cord for Netflix TV/computer viewing I noticed my speakers were working and I could control my volume button. While in town I picked up a cheap external speaker cord and plugged it in and voila, the internal speaker works, I can hear them, and control the volume. http://images.macrumors.com/vb/images/icons/icon3.gif
I joined up MacRumors specifically to thank every one on this thread. I've also had the speakers on my MacBook Pro not working and the red light beaming. At first very concerned, but thanks to all you folk I have tried the qtip ie cotton bud, the match sticks, the headphones in and out fast, slow, wiggly and hard, the hair clip, the paper clip, the optical jack, deleted 2x .plists. Hour after hour - Nothing!
Finally the pin. still nothing. And then the red light went off. The speakers started up. But as I removed the pin - silence and red light again.
Finally I solved it by getting the pin in the right spot, as the speakers fired up and the red light went out I shut down the computer while holding the pin in place.
When I started again all was working back to normal. I haven't dared to try the headphones again.
Hope this added note will help another who is struggling. And thanks again.
Finally the pin. still nothing. And then the red light went off. The speakers started up. But as I removed the pin - silence and red light again.
Finally I solved it by getting the pin in the right spot, as the speakers fired up and the red light went out I shut down the computer while holding the pin in place.
When I started again all was working back to normal. I haven't dared to try the headphones again.
Hope this added note will help another who is struggling. And thanks again.
Tried everything and no luck!
Would my last choice be to replace the left I/O board? That's really unfortunate because that's a $100 fix! Damn you apple!
Would my last choice be to replace the left I/O board? That's really unfortunate because that's a $100 fix! Damn you apple!
Got this problem in a public event yesterday, got round it with a silly amount of cables. Found the red light this morning, red the psots and fixed the problem. In a difficult world, being bale to go here and be part of a community that helps gets me through. Thanks people
The REAL solution...
It is true that sometimes you can get results by cramming things into your audio jack. However the results are likely temporary and the problem usually returns as soon as you use headphones or an external speaker again. The solution is to fix the audio jack (imagine that!). There is a mechanical feature (a mechanical switch) to the jack that directs the signal. That switch is malfunctioning and needs to be repaired properly. It requires disassembly and expertise to do it properly. I fix these daily. for Apple stores and other repair shops in my area. Let me know if anyone wants help.
It is true that sometimes you can get results by cramming things into your audio jack. However the results are likely temporary and the problem usually returns as soon as you use headphones or an external speaker again. The solution is to fix the audio jack (imagine that!). There is a mechanical feature (a mechanical switch) to the jack that directs the signal. That switch is malfunctioning and needs to be repaired properly. It requires disassembly and expertise to do it properly. I fix these daily. for Apple stores and other repair shops in my area. Let me know if anyone wants help.
My ultimate fix was swapping the entire left I/O board on my MBP. Found an eBay store (AppleComponents) that carried my particular spec I/O board for $75 shipped and did the fix myself thanks to iFixit.com's awesome guides.
I'd say go these two routes if you're really desperate and sick of not having any sound!
I've got this issue as well on my 09 macbook where I've got the red light and am not getting sound from speakers or headphones, I've tried a q-tip and a toothpick but nothing seems to work. Any other suggestions when neither of these work or any specific steps.
Exact same issue with my mid-2008 MBP. I tried the matchstick method unsuccessfully several times and was about to give up when I saw another reader had suggested jiggling towards the top - and what do you know, it worked!
I hope this is an issue Apple has fixed on newer models.
I hope this is an issue Apple has fixed on newer models.
The solution
The solution is to properly repair the jack. The reason that sometimes playing with the 3:00 side of the jack works is because that is where the switch is. It is a spring switch so springing it more with a toothpick will only make it worse long term. The $75 replacement part is not a bad deal because that is about what it costs to repair it anyway. However that it not an option on a MacBook as the audio is attached to the motherboard. Contact through PC Gecko if you want some help.
The solution is to properly repair the jack. The reason that sometimes playing with the 3:00 side of the jack works is because that is where the switch is. It is a spring switch so springing it more with a toothpick will only make it worse long term. The $75 replacement part is not a bad deal because that is about what it costs to repair it anyway. However that it not an option on a MacBook as the audio is attached to the motherboard. Contact through PC Gecko if you want some help.
Ditto.
Just to add another data point, early MacBook Pro, pushing with pen liner or hair clip did not work, tried rubbing and wiggling all around, in and out to find the sweet spot where a microswitch might be stuck. I guess the trouble is it is stuck in and needs to come out so pushing it will only sometimes work. Then I tried a bit of cotton wool twisted on a stick soaked with some methylated spirits (alcohol). I rolled that around the inside of the hole and it came out distinctly discoloured, the light went out and the speakers are restored. So, I think that is consistent with the gunk in the hole gumming up the switch hypothesis.
Another solution
I think I have stumbled upon a different fix for this problem that doesn't require penetrating your MAC.
You simply plug some headphones into the jack, put your display to sleep(either with a hotcorner or by pressing the power button and selecting "sleep"), wait a couple seconds, then pull the jack out. When you wake your computer up, it should be working.
I have been trying to recreate this problem so that I can test it thoroughly, but i cant get the optical to turn on(red light) again.
this also works for when your mac's display goes blank after having a secondary display plugged in when your mac goes to sleep.
I think I have stumbled upon a different fix for this problem that doesn't require penetrating your MAC.
You simply plug some headphones into the jack, put your display to sleep(either with a hotcorner or by pressing the power button and selecting "sleep"), wait a couple seconds, then pull the jack out. When you wake your computer up, it should be working.
I have been trying to recreate this problem so that I can test it thoroughly, but i cant get the optical to turn on(red light) again.
this also works for when your mac's display goes blank after having a secondary display plugged in when your mac goes to sleep.
Sound Came Back...after about a year.
So my internal speakers stopped working around 9-12 months ago, along with it the all-too-familiar red light in the headphone jack. Tried all the toothpick (actually recommended by an Apple tech), headphone in-and-out, paper-clippy, throw salt over-your-shoulder ideas posted out there; all to no avail. Nothing would get that switch inside to pop back from it's position, and let my computer know that there was nothing plugged into the jack. After all that and NEAR A YEAR of no internal speakers, they started working again the other day.
I think what happened was that I had neglected to notice that my headphones were plugged in still when I tried to put my laptop in the case, and slightly tweaked the headphone jack port when the headphone jack hit the side of the case. Whatever you do, don't let anyone convince you that it's a logic board or I/O board failure. It seems very likely an obnoxious flaw in the jack's design, and I'm not surprised many people can get it working again by poking around and getting the switch inside the jack to return to its position.
So my internal speakers stopped working around 9-12 months ago, along with it the all-too-familiar red light in the headphone jack. Tried all the toothpick (actually recommended by an Apple tech), headphone in-and-out, paper-clippy, throw salt over-your-shoulder ideas posted out there; all to no avail. Nothing would get that switch inside to pop back from it's position, and let my computer know that there was nothing plugged into the jack. After all that and NEAR A YEAR of no internal speakers, they started working again the other day.
I think what happened was that I had neglected to notice that my headphones were plugged in still when I tried to put my laptop in the case, and slightly tweaked the headphone jack port when the headphone jack hit the side of the case. Whatever you do, don't let anyone convince you that it's a logic board or I/O board failure. It seems very likely an obnoxious flaw in the jack's design, and I'm not surprised many people can get it working again by poking around and getting the switch inside the jack to return to its position.
No sound external speakers- Super easy fix
I read several suggestions on Forum. Some people stuck matchsticks, paperclips etc.., and one said the sensor was dirty. So I blew into the jack and "Poof" instant sound. Saves everyone from sticking perilous items into our audio jack.
Happy Listening.
I read several suggestions on Forum. Some people stuck matchsticks, paperclips etc.., and one said the sensor was dirty. So I blew into the jack and "Poof" instant sound. Saves everyone from sticking perilous items into our audio jack.
Happy Listening.
safety pin hook + deepest clip = FIX
YAY! Apple wanted me to replace the logic board - brought it in - he looked at it - priced me at $450 - but because of this thread, i didn't give up hope.
WHAT EVENTUALLY WORKED FOR MY MACBOOK:
For me the trigger was bottom left (when you are looking at the screen) so towards you. I drew a crude drawing, because i'm positive this is what flipped it and mine was VERY stubborn with just giggling (pen shaft, q-tip, bobby pin, paper clip, rubbing alcohol)
I used a safety pin that i made a little hook on the end. When i got it at the right clasp inside, and start trying to catch it the light started going on and off and then OFF and then SOUND!
My drawing:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...0168825306304.300375.599361303&type=1&theater
YAY! Apple wanted me to replace the logic board - brought it in - he looked at it - priced me at $450 - but because of this thread, i didn't give up hope.
WHAT EVENTUALLY WORKED FOR MY MACBOOK:
For me the trigger was bottom left (when you are looking at the screen) so towards you. I drew a crude drawing, because i'm positive this is what flipped it and mine was VERY stubborn with just giggling (pen shaft, q-tip, bobby pin, paper clip, rubbing alcohol)
I used a safety pin that i made a little hook on the end. When i got it at the right clasp inside, and start trying to catch it the light started going on and off and then OFF and then SOUND!
My drawing:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...0168825306304.300375.599361303&type=1&theater
internal speaker reset- "jumper cable method"
When this happens, I just take headphone speaker jacks and briefly plug one end into the headphone input (of the laptop) and the other end into the speaker input (of the laptop) while playing a song from my itunes library....and the internal speakers start working. Who'd a thunk?
When this happens, I just take headphone speaker jacks and briefly plug one end into the headphone input (of the laptop) and the other end into the speaker input (of the laptop) while playing a song from my itunes library....and the internal speakers start working. Who'd a thunk?
YAY! Best Forum Everrrrr!
This was SO helpful! I literally signed up for this forum just to tell everyone how easy it was!!!
My nonworking speakers have been driving me nuts for months!
I followed everyones advice and used a matchstick (to no avail) to dig around in the jack and then switched to a plastic drink sword. The tiny sword flipped the microswitch in no time and I finally have SOUND! First time in months!
I guess drinking and smoking are helpful for *SOME* things
Cheers!
This was SO helpful! I literally signed up for this forum just to tell everyone how easy it was!!!
My nonworking speakers have been driving me nuts for months!
I followed everyones advice and used a matchstick (to no avail) to dig around in the jack and then switched to a plastic drink sword. The tiny sword flipped the microswitch in no time and I finally have SOUND! First time in months!
I guess drinking and smoking are helpful for *SOME* things
Cheers!
This worked
catchmeifucan24 posted this somewhere. Can't remember...this has worked for me twice now. To avoid this problem reoccurring try not to sleep your computer with aftermarket speakers plugged in along with an active usb device.
This is catchme's fix:
I noticed there were a number of people who were having problems with the digital audio being stuck on which didn't allow the main computer speakers to work.
I figured out how to fix this, or, it at least worked for me.
First, plug in a USB device (iPod, hard drive, etc..) (I used an iPod)
Next plug headphones into the headphone slot, then uplug them. This should turn off the optical light.
Like i said this did work for me, I am making no promises but I had tried everything, and this did it.
catchmeifucan24 posted this somewhere. Can't remember...this has worked for me twice now. To avoid this problem reoccurring try not to sleep your computer with aftermarket speakers plugged in along with an active usb device.
This is catchme's fix:
I noticed there were a number of people who were having problems with the digital audio being stuck on which didn't allow the main computer speakers to work.
I figured out how to fix this, or, it at least worked for me.
First, plug in a USB device (iPod, hard drive, etc..) (I used an iPod)
Next plug headphones into the headphone slot, then uplug them. This should turn off the optical light.
Like i said this did work for me, I am making no promises but I had tried everything, and this did it.
same problem. picking the jack with a plastic pick worked like a charm. mine is a white macbook. the sensor is located in the internal wall of the jack which is opposite to the lcd screen. this should make it easier to "hit the target".
This was a little tricky for me to work out. I tried the bobby pin, matchstick, ball point pen thingy, jiggling headphones, tricking computer by switching volume up and down whilst slowly pulling out the headphones and paperclips. I had even put on the non-stop 3 hour nyancat song on youtube so that I would notice when it started working. None of these things were working and to be honest my frustration was making me a teensy bit aggressive (being gentle with the MB wasn't working out all to well for me).
I was just about to give up when I read your post, zeraldo. I now knew where to "stick" the paperclip. I only had to nudge the area you where talking about and I heard a little "Nyan". In all my excitement I let go of the paperclip and it went quiet. I tried once again and this time it worked straight away. As I am writing this "Nyan nyan nyan" is singing away in the background - and my headphones aren't even plugged in.
I am so soo so happy right now. You guys are the best. Bless your cotton socks.
FIXED - Hardware Fix (requires soldering skillz)
Toothpick trick did not work for me, or anything similar. So, I took it apart to get a look at the logic bord. I reverse-engineered the connections I could access from the bottom of the PCB under the audio jack. While doing so, I found that you can jump two connections (one is sleeve ground and the other I believe is a connection from the switch inside the jack. After doing so, the headphone jack will not work as an audio output for either analog or optical, but the internal speakers will work fine. This is b/c the switch is basically bypassed, the macbook will never know whether there is a headphone plugged in to the jack or not. This fix is fine for me, especially since I had no other option b/c I'm out of warranty and I'm not spending $400 on a new logic board haha.
BTW, I'm a Ph.D. Computer Engineering student, I didn't just do this all willy-nilly out of the blue, haha. You do need a decent sodlering iron to do this and you must make sure you have a very small gauge wire (insulated). This fix can always be undone... if you need to for some reason. Below is an imgur link to a couple photos I took of the area and connections to jump.
NOTE: This is one a late 2008, a1278 MacBook unibody. The macbook pros may be slightly different, but you can figure it out with a connectivity meter and some fiddling maybe. They also could be exactly the same, I don't know.
http://rmn87.imgur.com/macbook_audio_jack_fix#SvfTV
Toothpick trick did not work for me, or anything similar. So, I took it apart to get a look at the logic bord. I reverse-engineered the connections I could access from the bottom of the PCB under the audio jack. While doing so, I found that you can jump two connections (one is sleeve ground and the other I believe is a connection from the switch inside the jack. After doing so, the headphone jack will not work as an audio output for either analog or optical, but the internal speakers will work fine. This is b/c the switch is basically bypassed, the macbook will never know whether there is a headphone plugged in to the jack or not. This fix is fine for me, especially since I had no other option b/c I'm out of warranty and I'm not spending $400 on a new logic board haha.
BTW, I'm a Ph.D. Computer Engineering student, I didn't just do this all willy-nilly out of the blue, haha. You do need a decent sodlering iron to do this and you must make sure you have a very small gauge wire (insulated). This fix can always be undone... if you need to for some reason. Below is an imgur link to a couple photos I took of the area and connections to jump.
NOTE: This is one a late 2008, a1278 MacBook unibody. The macbook pros may be slightly different, but you can figure it out with a connectivity meter and some fiddling maybe.
They also could be exactly the same, I don't know. http://rmn87.imgur.com/macbook_audio_jack_fix#SvfTV
The drawing helped a lot. I'd tried all of the other suggestions without success. I used a tiny crotchet hook. I'm not sure I'm game to use the headphone jack again. Thanks to everyone for their help.
it worked !!
the idea of sticking a small object into the jack worked i gently pulled at each sensor until the red led light turned out , i used a pin tho , my macbook is now working
another way that works , is to place your headphones into the jack and remove them whilst volume is on , this often disabbles the headphone function , thanks a bunch tho
the idea of sticking a small object into the jack worked i gently pulled at each sensor until the red led light turned out , i used a pin tho , my macbook is now working
another way that works , is to place your headphones into the jack and remove them whilst volume is on , this often disabbles the headphone function , thanks a bunch tho