Chrome Has No Sound? How to Fix It on Windows

If Chrome has no sound, open the Windows Volume Mixer and check whether Chrome has its own muted or zeroed slider. That is the most common cause, because Windows remembers a per-app volume even after you restart the browser. If the mixer looks fine, check whether the tab itself is muted and whether the site has sound permission in Chrome.

Chrome playing a video with no audio on Windows

Before you start

Applies to: Google Chrome on Windows. The tab mute, site permission, extension, and Incognito checks apply on Mac and ChromeOS too.
You need: A few minutes, and an administrator account only for the driver step.
Quick check: Play audio in another browser or app first. If nothing on the PC makes sound, the problem is Windows or the speakers, not Chrome.

Why does Chrome have no sound when everything else works?

Chrome carries its own audio settings on top of Windows. Sound can be blocked in three separate places: the Windows per-app volume for Chrome, the mute setting on the individual tab, and the sound permission for that website. A muted output device or a stale audio driver can silence Chrome as well, which is why the checks below run from the most common cause to the rarest.

Is Chrome muted in the Windows Volume Mixer?

Right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar.
Select Open Volume Mixer.
Find the slider for Google Chrome and make sure it is not muted or set to zero.

Chrome only appears in the mixer while it is actually playing something, so start a video first, then open the mixer.

Is the tab or site muted in Chrome?

Right-click the Chrome tab where you expect sound.
If you see Unmute site, click it.

A tab you muted once can stay muted for that whole site, which is why one website is silent while others play fine.

Does restarting Chrome bring the sound back?

Close every Chrome window.
Wait a few seconds.
Reopen Chrome and test the sound again.

This clears audio glitches that appear after the PC wakes from sleep or after you swap headphones.

Is an extension blocking the audio?

Press Ctrl + Shift + N to open an Incognito window.
Visit the same site and check whether sound works there.

Extensions are off by default in Incognito, so working sound there points at an extension.

Chrome Extensions Page

Go to chrome://extensions.
Turn off extensions one at a time and test the sound after each.

Why is there no sound in Incognito only?

This is the reverse of the test above, and it catches people out. If sound works normally but dies in Incognito, the cause is almost never Windows.

The site permission did not carry over. Incognito starts with a clean set of site permissions, so a site you allowed before may be blocked here. Click the icon at the left of the address bar, open Site settings, and set Sound to Allow.
An extension you enabled for Incognito is the culprit. Go to chrome://extensions, open the extension’s details, and turn off Allow in Incognito.
Windows sees it as the same app. Incognito shares Chrome’s Volume Mixer slider, so a muted Chrome slider silences both.

Does the site have permission to play sound?

Click the icon at the left of the address bar on the site that is silent.
Open Site settings.
Set Sound to Allow.

Is Windows sending Chrome to the wrong output device?

Right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar.
Select Sound settings.
Check that the correct output device is selected.
Scroll down to the app volume and device preferences section.
Make sure Chrome is pointed at the output you are actually listening to.

This is the usual culprit when sound disappears right after you connect a monitor, a dock, or Bluetooth headphones.

Why is there no sound in Chrome Remote Desktop?

Chrome Remote Desktop is a separate case, because the audio has to travel from the remote computer to the one in front of you.

Audio only travels one way. You hear the remote computer through your local speakers. Your microphone does not reach the remote machine.
The remote computer must have a working output device. A desktop PC with no speakers, no headphones, and no monitor attached often has no audio device at all, so there is nothing to stream.
Connecting from a Mac or Linux host. Audio forwarding is supported when the remote machine is Windows. Remote Linux and Mac hosts are the usual reason a session is silent no matter what you change.
Reconnect after plugging in headphones. The session picks the audio device when it starts, so end the session and start it again.

Do your audio drivers need updating?

Open Device Manager.
Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
Right-click your audio device and select Update driver.

How do I reset Chrome as a last resort?

Resetting Chrome returns your startup page, new tab page, search engine, and pinned tabs to their defaults and disables your extensions. Bookmarks, history, and saved passwords are kept.

Confirm to reset Chrome

Go to chrome://settings/reset.
Click Restore settings to their original defaults.
Click Reset settings.

If sound still fails after a reset, uninstall Chrome from Settings, Apps, Installed apps, restart the PC, and install Chrome again from google.com/chrome.

Frequently asked questions

Why is there no sound in Chrome but sound in other browsers?

Windows keeps a separate volume level for each app. Chrome can be muted in the Volume Mixer, or pointed at a different output device, while every other app plays normally.

Why is only one website silent in Chrome?

That site is muted or its sound permission is blocked. Right-click the tab and choose Unmute site, then set Sound to Allow in that site’s settings.

Why does Chrome have no sound in Incognito?

Incognito does not inherit the sound permissions you granted in a normal window, so the site may be blocked there. Open Site settings from the address bar and set Sound to Allow. An extension allowed in Incognito can also block audio.

Does resetting Chrome delete my bookmarks and passwords?

No. A reset restores your startup page, new tab page, search engine, and pinned tabs, and turns off extensions. Bookmarks, history, and saved passwords stay.

Chrome went silent after I plugged in headphones. What happened?

Windows switched the default output device but left Chrome assigned to the old one. Open Sound settings and set Chrome to the device you are using.

Chrome has no sound after a Windows update. What should I check?

A Windows update often resets the default output device and can replace the audio driver. Check the output device in Sound settings first, then update the driver in Device Manager.

Related guides

Most silent-Chrome cases end at the Volume Mixer or the tab mute setting, so start there before touching drivers or reinstalling anything. Work down the list in order and test sound after each change so you know which one fixed it.

Last verified: 15 August 2026