If you’re having issues with no sound when watching Facebook videos, there are a few quick things you can try to get your sound back. The most common reasons for Facebook videos having no audio include your volume settings being muted or turned down, issues with your speakers or headphones, or a problem with the particular video file itself.
Check Your Volume Settings
The first thing to check is your device’s volume settings. Make sure the volume on your computer, phone, or tablet is turned up high enough to hear audio. Videos will be mute if your system volume is set to 0 or too low.
On a computer, check the volume icon in your taskbar or system menu bar. Make sure it’s not muted and the level is up. On a phone or tablet, use the volume buttons to check the media volume is up.
You’ll also want to verify that the Facebook tab or app volume is turned up. Facebook plays videos at the system volume level, but sometimes browser tabs can have their own mute settings. In Firefox or Chrome on a computer, check the tab volume icon to ensure that individual tab is not muted.
On mobile, try adjusting the in-app volume slider in Facebook’s Settings menu for maximum volume. If you have an Android device, be sure the “Media volume” slider is turned up under Sound settings.
Check Your Speakers or Headphones
If your system volume is fine, the next thing to check is your speakers or headphones. Video sound relies on having working audio output hardware.
Try testing your computer or device’s speakers or headphone jack with another audio source like music or a YouTube video. If those work fine, then there may be an issue specifically with Facebook video sound.
But if there’s no sound at all from your speakers or headphones on other sources, then there is likely a hardware problem. Speakers can stop working if disconnected, damaged, or disabled. Headphone jacks can collect dust and debris over time and need cleaning.
For desktop computers, check that powered external speakers are turned on and connected via cable or Bluetooth. Laptops sometimes switch between built-in and external speakers, so try toggling your audio output settings.
If your headphones or earbuds are not working, try other ones or test them on another device. Their connecting plug may be dirty or broken. Wireless Bluetooth headphones need to be charged and paired to get audio.
Restart Facebook App
A simplerestart of the Facebook app or page can also help get video sound working again. This resets any software glitches that may be preventing audio from playing correctly.
On mobile, close the Facebook app from your phone or tablet’s app switcher. Then reload it and try playing videos again. On desktop, close the Facebook tab and all browser windows, then reopen a fresh tab.
While restarting, also try force quitting other apps that could interfere with Facebook’s audio, like YouTube or Spotify. Multi-tasking sometimes causes conflicts between sound from different apps.
Update Facebook App
If bugs in the Facebook app itself are causing video mute issues, updating to the latest version may help. Facebook regularly releases fixes and patches for audio problems and other glitches.
On Android devices, open the Play Store app, go to Menu > My Apps & Games, and tap Update next to Facebook. On an iPhone or iPad, go to the App Store, tap your profile icon, choose Update All, and check that Facebook updates.
On desktop browsers, make sure you have installed the latest updates. In Chrome, go to Menu > Help > About Google Chrome to see your version and update status. In Firefox, go to Help > About Firefox. Desktop apps like Facebook Desktop and Messenger Desktop also need to be updated manually or set to auto-update.
Allow Autoplay
Facebook and most other social media apps require enabling autoplay to automatically start playing videos with sound. Check that autoplay is allowed on both desktop and mobile devices.
On mobile devices, go into Facebook’s Settings menu, find the Videos section, and ensure Autoplay Videos is switched on. On desktop browsers, access Settings > Videos and enable Autoplay Videos.
Also check your browser settings. In Chrome and Firefox, search for “autoplay” in the settings to ensure autoplay is turned on globally. On Safari for Mac, enable auto-playing videos in Safari > Preferences > Websites.
Allow Flash
Though most Facebook videos are now HTML5, some older uploaded videos may still rely on Adobe Flash. Make sure Flash Player is installed and enabled if you are trying to play these vintage videos.
In Chrome, allow Flash at chrome://settings/content/flash. On Firefox, enable Flash at about:addons. Safari requires enabling Flash at Safari > Preferences > Security. Note that Flash is no longer supported on mobile browsers.
Clear Cache
Corrupted temporary data can sometimes break video functionality. Clearing your browser or Facebook app cache forces cached videos to be redownloaded, potentially fixing missing audio.
In the Facebook app, try going to Settings > Account Settings > Clear Cache. On iOS, delete and reinstall the Facebook app to wipe the cache. On Android, go to system settings and wipe the Facebook app data and cache.
In Chrome, access Settings > Privacy and security > Clear browsing data. Choose Cached images and files. In Firefox, go to History> Clear Recent History and select Cache. Safari has a Reset Safari option under Advanced preferences.
Check Video File
In rare cases, the video file itself uploaded to Facebook may have no sound or corrupted audio. Testing the raw video file outside of Facebook on a media player can help troubleshoot.
If the original video plays fine in Windows Media Player, VLC, QuickTime etc. then the problem lies with Facebook’s processing. But if the raw video is also mute, then it was damaged or exported without audio from its source.
Re-encoding the video before re-uploading to Facebook can repair some audio issues. Try converting to a standard format like MP4 using free software like Handbrake or Movavi Video Converter before posting.
Enable HTML5 Playback
Facebook relies on HTML5 video capabilities to play videos. If your browser has HTML5 disabled, it can prevent videos from working properly.
Make sure HTML5 video is enabled in your browser settings. In Chrome, go to chrome://settings/content/videoPlayback and enable HTML5 by default. In Firefox, go to about:config and make sure media.webspeech.synth.enabled is set to true.
Also check for any browser extensions that block HTML5. Some security and privacy extensions like NoScript can disable HTML5 if not properly configured. Try selectively disabling extensions to see if one is causing problems playing Facebook videos.
Update Browser
Outdated web browsers can lack full support for HTML5 videos. Make sure you are running the latest version of your browser for the best Facebook video compatibility.
In Chrome, go to Menu > Help > About Google Chrome to see your version and check for updates. With Firefox, go to Help > About Firefox. Safari and Internet Explorer also need to regularly update to their newest versions.
If you are using an older unsupported browser like Internet Explorer 10 or below, it is recommended to upgrade to a modern browser. Facebook videos perform best in the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari.
Update Graphics Drivers
Correctly configured graphics and audio drivers are key for processing and playing video files. Outdated or generic Windows drivers can sometimes interfere with Facebook browser playback.
Check for new GPU drivers from the manufacturer of your graphics card, such as AMD or Nvidia. In Windows Update, look for new driver updates from your sound card manufacturer like Realtek.
Testing the Facebook website in all browsers after a driver update can help rule out driver-related bugs. Updated drivers optimize video performance and resolve many glitches.
Try Facebook Videos Troubleshooter
For desktop browsers, Facebook provides an interactive troubleshooting tool that checks for common video playback problems. The Facebook Videos troubleshooter can automatically detect and apply fixes.
To use the tool, go to the Facebook Help Community page, and under Common Questions, find the “Why aren’t my videos playing correctly” article. Click on the Run Troubleshooter button to start the interactive checker.
The tool will check your browser security settings, plugins, graphics drivers, and Facebook settings. It provides step-by-step solutions such as allowing autoplay or enabling Flash. The troubleshooter can resolve most video playback issues.
Contact Facebook Support
If you have tried all other troubleshooting steps and Facebook videos still have no sound, you can contact Facebook’s customer support for further help.
In the Facebook app or website, go to the Help Center page and click Need More Help? Choose the option for “Report a Problem” and fill out the form with details about the video with no sound.
You can also try posting in the Facebook Help Community forum boards asking others for advice. The official @Facebook or @FacebookApp Twitter accounts may also be able to assist or escalate video sound problems.
As a last resort, defective video files or encodings may require re-uploading replacement versions with intact audio. Facebook support can help determine if corrupted video uploads are causing the missing sound.
Conclusion
Facebook videos with no sound can resulting from browser issues, app glitches, or device configurations. Following steps like checking volume levels, testing speakers, clearing caches, and updating software can help resolve many instances of missing audio.
Troubleshooting your setup and verifying the video file itself plays properly outside Facebook are key first diagnoses. Problems specific to Facebook may require fixes like allowing autoplay, enabling Flash, installing new graphics drivers, or using Facebook’s troubleshooting tools.
Persistent video sound problems can be escalated to Facebook support to determine any problems with defective uploads. With the right troubleshooting, most causes of Facebook videos having no sound can be identified and corrected.