If you've been plagued by sound issues after upgrading to the latest version of MacOS, let's take a look at the most common MacOS Big Sur audio issues and show you how a little tweaking of your settings can often get things right.
Audio/Sound features don't work at all
This is for those of you who were excited to upgrade but then found out that your audio has completely cut out . In this case, the speakers used before the upgrade had no sound at all. No matter what video or app you choose; you get nothing. So far, you've tried adjusting the volume controls, unplugging and replugging speakers, and trying to play media on different devices, but nothing seems to work.
When MacOS first starts up, it sometimes does weird things with assigning speaker output, which can cause the radio to mute. Fortunately, this problem is easy to fix. Go to System Preferences in the Apple menu and look for the Sound icon. In the Sound settings, you will see a tab called Output. In this tab, you should see an option to select a sound device. Try setting the sound to Internal Speakers. While you're at it, look at the volume bar below to make sure your output volume is turned up and mute is unchecked.
This should restore the audio to your native Mac speakers. "What about my headphones, external speakers, or Apple TV?" you might ask. In the output list, you should see options for all of these devices, as long as they are connected. Choose the one you want to use. As you've probably guessed by now, MacOS -- especially when it's loaded onto a computer connected to an HDMI speaker system -- can get confused about which speaker to automatically select. Manually select your speaker options to work around this issue. You should only need to do this once.
intermittent sound
This can be one of the most frustrating questions. If MacOS randomly cuts off audio and then restores it for no reason, there may be a problem with the way your computer uses memory. First, make sure the problem cannot be narrowed down to any specific application or service. Try restarting that particular program to test it.
If you're having trouble with all audio sources, it's time to reset your parameter random access memory (PRAM), which MacOS uses to retrieve basic settings for your Mac and connected devices. Start by restarting your Mac. When your computer is ready to pull up the black loading screen, press the Option + Command + P + R keys simultaneously. Continue holding down the four keys until you hear the startup sound play a second time (on older Macs) or until you see the Apple logo appear and disappear a second time (on newer Macs). This lets you know your PRAM has been fully reset.
Keep in mind that in addition to restarting the sound, a PRAM reset may also change some of your other settings. You may need to spend some time reconfiguring in System Preferences to reset any previous customizations you had.
Safari sound not working
If your testing shows that the sound issue is primarily in Safari, it could be another setup issue. In this case, the sound might work in other browsers like Chrome, but not Safari.
If you have some software loaded onto your Mac, this problem is usually caused by strange configuration changes that MacOS applies to sound output. You can check your output options if you visit System Preferences > Sound, it will probably list several device options for audio output. If one of these options is SoundFlower or similar anomalies, then this is an indication that MacOS may be using the wrong sound output. Switch the output to the internal speakers or another speaker device of your choice and try Safari again. The problem should have been resolved.
mute problem
Ever since you downloaded MacOS, have you heard random crackling, popping, or other annoying static-like noises coming from your speakers? If you're using external speakers, check their connections and try them on another device (like a smartphone) to make sure it's not the wiring. If the problem seems to be with MacOS, it's time to visit the settings again.
The first step is to visit System Preferences and look for the sound icon, which looks like a speaker cone. Under the Sound Effects section, you'll see a list of effects, followed by several additional settings. You'll find a box labeled "Playback feedback when volume is turned down by two-thirds."
如果还没有，您需要将框切换到关闭位置，然后再次激活它。如果这没有帮助，请确保您检查输出选项是内部扬声器还是您正在收听的任何外部设备。MacOS 在蓝牙设备方面以挑剔着称。有些设备配对没有问题，有些则根本没有。静态是因为卡在中间地带。您有一个已连接的配对设备，但音频质量很差。
有时只需关闭 Mac 和蓝牙设备，然后重新启动它们以清除静电。您还可以在系统偏好设置中的蓝牙设置下删除蓝牙连接，然后像新设备一样重新配对设备。
某些设备不适用于 MacOS。您可以通过查看是否可以将较新的蓝牙设备成功连接到 Mac 来测试问题是否与您使用的蓝牙设备的年龄有关。如果新设备没有问题，您可能需要升级系统。
关于 MacOS 更新的提醒
如果您是经验丰富的 MacOS 或 Apple 用户，您很可能不得不处理更新 Apple 应用程序所带来的修复问题的耗时性。如果您仍然遇到 MacOS 声音问题、AirPlay 问题或其他音频问题，请确保为您的 Mac 安装所有新更新。您可能需要等待 Apple 发布修复这些问题的补丁，但与此同时，您可以搜索帮助主题，看看是否有人在等待补丁时找到了解决方法。