Is the Headphone Jack in Mac not working? I have been a Windows user for a very long time, and when I switched to the Mac recently, I could not use the headphone jack on the Mac. I kept wondering what was causing this issue, why I could not connect my external mic to the headphone jack, and whether my headphones were faulty.
This issue can be encountered by anyone using a Mac, not just first-time users. No one wants to be stuck in a situation like this, especially when they want to connect their wired headphones to attend a meeting, watch a movie, or do video editing. If you are also facing this issue, I will be your technical guide here to help you fix this issue. Let’s go through all the steps you can follow to fix Headphone Jack not in Mac not working.
Why is the Headphone Jack in Mac Not Working?
You might be wondering why I am facing this issue. So, to clear your confusion, let’s go through the reason behind the headphone jack not working on Mac before going through the troubleshooting steps to fix it.
- Glitch and Bug: Glitches and bugs on the system can also be the reason behind this issue. Sometimes, even the software updates bring the bugs to the Mac and can cause this issue.
- Incompatible Device: You may face this issue if the wired headphone or mic you are trying to use is incompatible with your Mac.
- Misconfigured Audio Settings: You must configure the audio input and output device settings when you connect a wired headphone or mic. If these settings have not been configured, the headphone jack might not work on Mac.
- Issues with Third-Party Apps: Third-party apps can also cause issues with the headphone jack, and you will not be able to use external headphones or mic on your Mac.
- Hardware Issues: Another common reason behind the headphone jack not working in Mac is the hardware issue, i.e., the faulty headphone jack.
How do I Fix My Headphone Jack on My Mac?
If you are facing issues with the headphone jack on your Mac and you are not able to connect wired headphones or a mic to it, then you can follow the ways mentioned below to fix this issue-
1. Restart Mac
Continuing with the most basic troubleshooting step, i.e., restarting your Mac. Before proceeding with other methods, you must restart your Mac, as it fixes the issue for most users. If this solves the issue, you will save yourself the hassle of following the other steps mentioned. Here’s how to do it-
- Click on the Apple icon at the top left corner, and then click on Restart.
- Now, click Restart again to restart your Mac.
2. Ensure Your Headphones/Mic is Compatible With the Mac
Not all the headphones or the mic are compatible with Mac. Some devices with 3.5 adapters are specifically designed for particular OS like Android and Windows and might not be compatible with Apple devices. You must check your headphone/mic website to see if the product you have is compatible with Mac. If the device is not compatible, then you will not be able to use it through the headphone jack of your Mac.
3. Ensure Your Headphones/Mic is Working Fine
Many times, the issue can be with the headphones/mic rather than the headphone jack of your Mac. How do I check if the issue is the headphone or the mic? It is quite simple, just connect your headphones or your mic to any other device. If they work properly, you can move to the next step in this article. They are probably faulty if they do not work on any other device.
4. Use Headphone Splitter
This proved to be the solution to my issue. Though Mac’s headphone jack support headphone or mic individually, you may face issues when directly connecting them to your Mac. This is when the headphone splitter comes to the rescue. A headphone splitter has two 3.5 mm ports, one for headphones and one for mic.
You can connect the headphone splitter to the 3.5mm jack on your Mac and then connect your headphone/mic to the respective slot on the splitter. This should most probably fix the issue with the headphone jack on Mac.
5. Check Audio Settings
You must change the audio settings when you connect wired headphones or a mic to a Mac. As a Windows user, it was a lot easier as I had to plug my mic and begin using it, but with Mac, I have to check the audio settings every time. Here’s how you can do it-
- Connect your headphones/mic to your Mac
- Click on the Apple icon at the top left corner.
- Now, click on the System Settings option.
- Click on the Sound tab on the left pane.
- Here, you will have two options, i.e., Output and Input.
- If you have a headphone connected, click on Output; if you have a mic connected, click on Input.
- Now, click on the device you have connected to your Mac.
But what if the device I have connected is not listed here? If you don’t see your headphones or mic here, your Mac has trouble recognizing it. In this case, the only solution left is to contact Apple Customer Support, which we mentioned in this article.
6. Restart CoreAudio
Another thing that we recommend doing if the headphone jack in Mac is not working is restarting the CoreAudio. CoreAudio is the Sound Controller of Mac, which controls the audio input and Output on Mac. You can utilize your Mac’s Terminal to do it. Let’s see how-
- Open the Spotlight Search by pressing Command + Spacebar.
- Search for Terminal and press Enter.
- Execute the command mentioned below in the Terminal-
- sudo pkill coreaudiod
- Once you press Enter after entering the above command, you will be asked to enter the password of the admin account; do so.
- Now, close the Terminal and restart your Mac.
7. Update macOS
Sometimes, the issue can be caused if the current macOS version has bugs. You can update your macOS to the latest version to solve the issue.
- Click on the Launchpad icon on the dock at the bottom.
- Then, open System Settings from the Launchpad.
- Inside the System Settings app window, click on General.
- Now, click on Software Update.
- Mac will automatically check for updates; you just have to install the updates available.
8. Update Apps
Sometimes, third-party apps can interfere and cause such issues with the headphone jack of Mac. You should try updating the apps to solve the bugs within the app. Below are the steps to do so-
- Open Spotlight Search by pressing Command + Spacebar keys together.
- Here, search for App Store and press Enter to open it.
- In the App Store, click the Updates tab on the left bar.
- You will see all the updates available here; update all the apps.
9. Uninstall App
If the issue is still not solved after installing the update, then you must uninstall the app you believe is the culprit behind the issue. If the issue was encountered after you recently installed an app, uninstall it. The steps to uninstall apps are given below-
- Open the Finder on your Mac by clicking on the Finder icon on the dock.
- Click on the Applications tab on the left pane.
- Drag and drop the app from the Applications to the Bin to delete it.
If you try to use headphones/mic on a particular app, but it does not recognize your device, you must reinstall it.
10. Contact Apple Support
Sorry to say, but if the above steps didn’t solve the headphone jack issue on your Mac, the jack is probably faulty, and you will have to contact Apple Support to get it repaired. Before contacting Apple Support, we suggest you clean the jack with a thin object like a needle and try connecting your mic/headphones again.
If that doesn’t help, then you must contact the Apple Support. You can contact Apple Customer Support through the Apple Support Page. You can either take your Mac to your nearest service center to get it inspected and repaired.
Bottom Line
The headphone jack not working in Mac troubles many users, especially those using a Mac for the first time in their life. But you don’t have to worry about anything, we are here to help you with it. You can follow the steps mentioned in the article above to fix this issue with the headphone jack on your Mac.
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