How to test your speakers or headphones
- Set your system volume to a comfortable, low level.
- Press Left, then Right. Each sound should come only from that side.
- Press Both to check the center image.
- Run the frequency sweep to hear the range from deep bass to high treble.
Left and right swapped or missing?
If the left tone plays on the right, your headphones are on backwards or a cable or adapter is wired in reverse. If one side is silent, check the balance slider in your sound settings (Windows: Settings → System → Sound → your device → Left/Right; macOS: System Settings → Sound → Output → Balance), then try another cable or port.
Some phones and laptops use a single mono speaker. In that case Left and Right both come out of the same place, and that is expected.
The frequency sweep and your hearing
Young people can typically hear from about 20 Hz to 20 kHz. The upper limit falls with age, and many adults stop hearing tones above 14–16 kHz. Small laptop and phone speakers often can't reproduce much below 100–150 Hz, so the start of the sweep may be silent on them even though your hearing is fine. Keep the volume low: high-frequency tones can be uncomfortable.
No sound at all?
- Check that the system and browser tab aren't muted. Look for a crossed-out speaker icon on the tab.
- Make sure the right output device is selected (Bluetooth headphones often take over automatically).
- Unplug and reconnect wired headphones, or re-pair Bluetooth ones.
- On iPhone, turn off Silent mode. On Android, raise the media volume rather than the ringer.