Green Room

Fix · Google Meet on a Mac

Google Meet audio not working? Hear your call again.

If Meet is quiet, the sound is usually going to a speaker you aren't using, or the browser tab is muted.

Quick check first: Play a tone on the free speaker test in the same browser. If you hear it, your speakers work and the fix is in Meet (steps 1 and 2). If not, start with the Mac checks.

Fix it in Meet

  1. Pick the speaker in Meet.Click More options › Settings › Audio and choose a speaker. Before you join, use the speaker button on the preview screen.
  2. Test it.Click the speaker control and choose Test speakers. If you hear the sound, Meet is playing to the right place.
  3. Unmute the tab.If the Meet tab is muted in your browser, you won't hear anything. In Chrome, right click the tab and choose Unmute site.

Your monitor is the speaker

Google's help calls this out: if you use a monitor, make sure it isn't your selected audio output.

Bluetooth

Google says to turn on Bluetooth and connect to the right audio device. AirPods can quietly connect to your phone instead of your Mac.

Then check your Mac

If Meet looks right and the sound still doesn't work, go through these in order.

  1. Check your Mac's output.Open System Settings › Sound and click Output. Select the speakers or headphones you're listening on, raise the Output volume, and make sure Mute is off.
  2. Reconnect Bluetooth headphones.AirPods can switch to your iPhone or iPad when you use it. Connect them to this Mac from the Sound section of Control Center or Bluetooth settings, then pick them again.
  3. Reconnect wired speakers.Unplug USB speakers or a headset and plug them back in, or try another port. A display with speakers can take over the sound when you plug it in.

Test it outside Meet

The free speaker test runs in your browser, with nothing to install. If your sound works there, your Mac and the hardware are fine, and the fix is in Meet's settings above.

Speaker testLeft, right, and a sweep to check every speaker. Webcam testLive preview, resolution, frame rate, and lighting. Microphone testLive meter, then hear yourself back.

On a Mac? See where Meet's sound is really going.

Green Room shows which app has each speaker open, and warns you when Google Chrome is playing somewhere that isn't your setup. For Meet, that's your browser, like Google Chrome. When AirPods drop into call mode, it tells you and offers your Mac's own mic so the sound comes back. One click puts your setup back. Free, with no account.

Download free See how it works

Questions

Why can't I hear anyone on Google Meet?

Meet may be playing to another speaker, often a monitor. Open More options › Settings › Audio and pick the speaker you're listening on.

How do I test my speakers in Meet?

Click the speaker control and choose Test speakers, on the preview screen or during a meeting.

Meet sound is fine in one browser but not another. Why?

The tab or site may be muted in that browser. In Chrome, right click the tab and choose Unmute site.

Other fixes

Google Meet camera not workingMeet runs in your browser, so the camera has to get past two gates: the browser's permission for meet.google.com, and macOS's permission for the browser. Google Meet mic not workingMeet hears your mic only if the site, the browser, and your Mac all allow it. Zoom audio not workingIf the meeting is silent, Zoom either hasn't joined audio or is playing it somewhere you aren't listening, like a monitor or AirPods in another room. Teams audio not workingSilence in a Teams meeting usually means Teams is playing to a different speaker than the one you're listening on. Discord audio not workingWhen Discord goes quiet, check whether you're deafened, which Output Device it's using, and whether one person is turned down. FaceTime audio not workingFaceTime can play to its own output, separate from the rest of your Mac.

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