Speakers not working − How to fix audio problems

A reason why speakers are not working on Skype are the Skype audio settings. Skype allows you to choose a speaker or a microphone in case if there are more speakers or microphones connected to your device. If you can't hear a voice during a call or the other side can't hear you, check your Skype settings in order to see if everything is correctly set, because it's possible that your current speaker or microphone aren't selected.

To alter the Skype settings, follow the steps below:

1. Click on the three-dot icon and select Settings.
2. Then select Audio & Video.
3. If you have 2 or more microphones, test them to check which one is correct.
4. Click the button Check speakers, and if you hear a sound it's obviously the right device. But if you don't, select another speakers device and test it again.
5. When you are finished with testing click Save.
   
   

Also when you make a call, ensure that your speaker and microphone aren't muted. 

Maybe the reason why you don't hear anything is because the speaker is muted in the Volume Mixer.

To check if this is the case:

On Windows 7:

1. Click on the speaker icon in the bottom right corner of the screen;
2. Click on Volume Mixer;

If you use Windows 8.1, or Windows 10, right-click on the Speakers icon and select Open Volume Mixer;

Here you can find every problem that uses speakers. If any program was muted, you will need to unmute it and the speaker issue will be resolved.

Muted speakers is a common problem when you don't have any sound.

First, go to the bottom right corner of your screen and if there is a red mark on the Speakers button, click on it and unmute it.

If that didn't help then:

1. Click the Start button (Windows logo key) and go to Control Panel (Windows+X -> Control Panel for Windows 8 & 10). 
2. Choose Sound, select the playback device you use, and go to Properties.
3. Go to Levels tab and if the sound icon is marked with red, click on it to enable the sound. Check also if volume levels are set to low. 
4. Then click Apply and OK.

If you can't hear a sound on your Android device, it's possible that the volume level is set to 0. If this is the case, all you need to do is to press the Volume Up button and there adjust all the sound levels.

You can press the volume up button anytime, even if apps are opened.

If you have low quality calls (drops in and out frequently, muffled, crackling, or no sound at all), maybe you use an outdated version of Skype. Make sure that the other side also has the latest version. 


Windows:

From the Skype menu go to Help -> Check of Updates. 

Android:

Go to the Play Store and search for Skype. When you open it, click on Update if available.

iOS:

Go to the App Store, search for Skype and click on Update if available.

MacOS:

When you open Skype, on the sign-in screen click on Download the latest version now.

The Microsoft team developed a set of tools, known as troubleshooters, that will help you diagnose what the issue is caused by, and how to fix it effectively. There are troubleshooters for virtually every aspect on your computer, CPU, network, video and more, which will help you save precious time you would spend to fix the issue, or if the troubleshooter fails, it will guide you where to search the solution, by showing you an error code.

To run the troubleshooter, right-click the audio icon (the speaker) in the bottom right corner of the screen, and select Troubleshoot sound problems.

The instructions below will work if you use a Windows 7 PC.

1. Click the Start button (Windows logo key) and go to Control Panel.
2. Go to Troubleshooting and select Troubleshoot audio playback, and then follow the steps.
   
   

Or watch this video which shows how to use the troubleshooter on your Windows 7 PC.

Maybe the reason why the speaker doesn't work on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is because the volume level is 0. Perhaps, you have accidentally held the volume down button without noticing. If this is the case, all you need to do is to turn up the volume using the Volume up button.

Note: If your device won't ring, then it is possible that you have accidentally moved the silent mode switch (located above the volume up button). In this case, you will just need to flick the switch.

It's possible that there is nothing wrong with your Mac, and that sound is coming through a different medium. If your Apple computer is not set to play sounds from the right device, you won't hear any sound.

If you have some audio devices connected to your Mac, remove them before trying to solve the issue. 

1. Open System Preferences;
2. Click on Sound;
3. Select Internal Speakers under the Output tab;
4. Raise the volume slider if it is low, or unmute if it is already muted;
5. Select the speakers if they aren't selected.
   
   

This also applies to your headphones because Mac OS considers them internal speakers when you plug them in.

NVRAM or non-volatile random-access memory is small amount of computer's memory which stores many informations such as: Speaker volume, Screen resolution, Startup disk selection, Recent kernel panic information. 

You can reset NVRAM in order to fix the issue with your speakers volume. Do this also if you don't have sound after installing new graphic (video) card on your Mac, or you cannot fix your sound issue when upgraded to OS X Yosemite.

Click here for a detailed explanation on how to do it.

If you exhausted all solutions on your Windows, but none of them worked, then go with the System Restore.

Check first if you have restore points created before. To do this:

1. Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete or Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Click on File -> New Task ( Run...) and in the dialog box type: rstrui.exe. Then click the OK button and you will see the System Restore.
   
   

Make sure to select one of restore points from which you won't lose important data. If you don't see any restore points, you can't do anything about it.