TenSecondCheck

Sound only in one ear?

Turn the volume down, then play the left and right channels below. In seconds you know which side is silent.

Runs in your browser only

Turn your volume down before you start. Every sound begins quietly and you raise it yourself.

Left and right

Frequency sweep

The tone climbs from a low rumble to a high whistle over 20 seconds. Most adults stop hearing it somewhere between 15 and 18 kHz, and hearing nothing at the very top is normal.

What the result tells you

It works here

Both sides play here, so the headphones and the connection work. If one ear goes quiet only in a certain video or app, the recording itself may be one-sided, or that app has its own balance setting.

It does not work here

One side stays silent even here. Try other headphones, or these on another device: if the same side of these headphones stays silent, they are faulty; if everything plays, look at the socket and the settings of this device.

Check in this order

When sound comes from one side only, the cause is almost always one of four things: the plug, the cable, a setting, or the headphones themselves. The test above separates them in a few seconds, so start there and use the steps below to narrow it down.

  1. Play each side on its own. Turn the volume down and press the left and right buttons in the test above. Note which side stays silent. If both sides play here, your headphones and connection work, and the problem is in a particular video or app. The headphone and speaker test has more tools, including a frequency sweep.
  2. Push the plug all the way in. With wired headphones, a plug that is not fully inserted often plays on one side only or sounds thin and hollow. Phone cases are a common culprit: the edge of the case stops the plug a millimetre short. Remove the case and try again.
  3. Wiggle the cable. Play a sound, then gently bend the cable near the plug and near the earcup. If the silent side crackles or comes back for a moment, a wire is broken inside. Replacing the cable, if it is detachable, or the headphones is the only real fix.
  4. Clean the socket and the earbud. Lint in the headphone socket stops the plug from making full contact. Earwax on the mesh of an earbud makes it much quieter. Clean both gently with a dry soft brush or a toothpick; never use liquid inside a socket.
  5. Swap the device. Try the same headphones on another phone or computer, and other headphones on this device. The side that stays silent follows the faulty part.
  6. Check balance and mono. A balance slider pushed to one side silences the other ear. The mono setting does the opposite: it sends the same sound to both ears. Where both are on each system is below.
  7. Adapters. A USB-C or Lightning adapter for wired headphones is a small device of its own and fails more often than the headphones. If you use one, try another adapter before blaming the headphones.
  8. Wireless earbuds. If one earbud is silent, it may be flat or out of sync with its partner. Put both in the case, close it, wait a few seconds and take them out again. If that does not help, remove the headphones from the Bluetooth list, reset them the way the maker describes and pair them again.

On Windows

Open Settings → System → Sound, choose your headphones in the output section and open their properties. There you will find the left and right channel levels; set them equal. In Windows 10 the balance is in the classic Sound control panel, in the device properties under Levels. The mono switch is in Settings → Accessibility → Audio. Some headsets come with their own software that has a separate balance setting as well.

On a Mac

Open System Settings → Sound → Output, select the headphones and check that the balance slider sits in the middle. Stereo can be turned into mono under System Settings → Accessibility → Audio. If you use AirPods, check the battery of each earbud in the Bluetooth settings: one may simply be flat.

On Android

Balance and mono audio live in the accessibility settings, usually in a section about audio or hearing. The exact names differ between phone makers, so search the settings for “balance” or “mono”. For Bluetooth earbuds, the maker’s companion app often shows the battery of each earbud and offers a firmware update.

On iPhone and iPad

Open Settings → Accessibility → Audio & Visual. There is a slider that balances left and right, and a Mono Audio switch; make sure the slider sits in the middle. For AirPods, the battery of each earbud appears when you open the case next to the iPhone.

If both sides play in the test but one ear is silent only in one app, look for a balance or spatial sound option inside that app, and restart it after changing system settings. If you use a headset for calls, check its microphone too with the microphone test.

If it does not work

On your system

  1. Open Settings → System → Sound and check that the right output device is selected — headphones and speakers are separate entries.
  2. Use the volume mixer on the same screen to check that your browser is not muted on its own.
  3. If only one side plays, look at the balance setting for that device and set both channels equal.
  4. Try the headphones in another socket or another device to tell a broken cable from a broken socket.
  1. Open System Settings → Sound → Output and pick the right device.
  2. Check the balance slider on that screen — if it has slipped to one side, one ear will be silent.
  3. For Bluetooth headphones, check they are not connected in call mode, which lowers quality and can mute one channel.
  1. Check the media volume, which is separate from the ringer volume.
  2. Open the Bluetooth settings and make sure sound is going to the device you are wearing.
  3. Look in accessibility settings for a mono audio option, which sends the same sound to both ears and hides a dead channel.
  1. Open Settings → Accessibility → Audio & Visual and check the left–right balance slider.
  2. In the same place, check whether Mono Audio is on — it hides a dead channel.
  3. Check the ring/silent switch and the media volume, which are separate.

Questions and answers

Both sides play in the test, but one sounds quieter to me with every pair of headphones.
Check the balance setting first. If it is centred and the difference stays with every pair and every device, the cause may be your hearing rather than the equipment. That is worth mentioning to a doctor; this page cannot test hearing.
Will mono audio fix a broken earbud?
No. Mono audio sends the same sound to both sides, which helps with one-sided recordings and if you only hear well in one ear. A silent earbud stays silent.
One wireless earbud stopped working after I dropped it. Can I fix it at home?
Charge both earbuds in the case, then reset them the way the maker describes and pair them again. If one still stays silent, the damage is inside and needs repair or a replacement bud.
The sound is only in one ear in a single video. Is something wrong with my headphones?
Probably not. Some videos and call recordings have the voice on one channel only. If the left and right test on this page plays on both sides, the headphones are fine.