How to Fix No Sound in Firefox
Mozilla has announced that Firefox won’t play sound if there is any background tab in Firefox (that has audio content) not interacted by the user for a particular time. In another case, Firefox lowers the audio mixer for that specific tab or all other tabs. Their announcement states,
How to Fix No Sound in Firefox Basic Troubleshooting Method 1: Modify Audio Mixer Volume Method 2: Run Windows Sound Troubleshooter Method 3: Restart Firefox in Troubleshoot Mode Method 4: Allow Audio Permissions in Firefox Method 5: Remove Browser Cache in Firefox Method 6: Turn off Hardware Acceleration (If Applicable) Method 7: Update Extensions (If Applicable) Method 8: Disable Extensions (If Applicable) Method 9: Update or Roll Back Audio Drivers Method 10: Update Firefox Method 11: Refresh Firefox Method 12: Remove Firefox Preference Files Method 13: Reinstall Firefox
Any playback that happens before the user has interacted with a page via a mouse click, printable key press, or touch event, is deemed to be autoplay and will be blocked if it is potentially audible. Apart from this, a few other reasons contribute to the Firefox no sound Windows 10 issue. They are listed below.
Audio Mixer has been lowered out automatically/unintentionally. Corrupt cache/cookies in Firefox. Conflicting add-ons/themes in the browser. Audio permissions in the browser are blocked. Outdated audio drivers. Firefox installation files are corrupt. Outdated browser.
Nevertheless, you can easily fix Firefox won’t play sound issue by following the troubleshooting methods as instructed below. In this section, we have compiled a list of methods that will help you fix Firefox sound not working issue. Follow the methods as instructed in the same order to attain perfect results.
Basic Troubleshooting
Before you move to the next section of advanced troubleshooting methods, here are a few basic troubleshooting tricks that will help you fix the Firefox audio not working issue with very simple steps.
Reboot the PC. Check if the audio is working well on other Firefox sites. Ensure that no other browsers are utilizing audio utility. Close all other background tasks except Firefox. If you are using the Adobe Flash plugin on your computer, ensure it is up-to-date or try reinstalling it. Try connecting different audio devices.
Still, if you face Firefox won’t play sound issue, you can switch to the below listed advanced troubleshooting methods.
Method 1: Modify Audio Mixer Volume
When you install updates for any application or install any programs, your audio settings may be tweaked, leading to no sound in the Firefox browser. You can manually adjust the volume to higher levels as instructed below.
Right-click on the Speakers icon at the bottom right corner of the screen.
Then, select the Open Volume mixer option as highlighted.
Ensure that the audio levels are set to maximum for Device, Application, and Firefox audio levels as shown. Note: You can also adjust the audio levels according to your need.
Method 2: Run Windows Sound Troubleshooter
You may face Firefox sound not working issues if there are any glitches or bugs in the hardware part. Troubleshooting it will help you resolve the same. Perform as instructed below.
Hit the Windows key. Type Troubleshoot settings in the search bar and open it.
Now, click on Additional troubleshooters as depicted below.
Now, select Playing Sound, which is displayed under the Get up and running section as shown.
Now, select Run the troubleshooter.
Select the audio device you want to troubleshoot and click Next.
Wait until the scanning process is complete, and then click on Apply this fix. Then, follow the instructions given in the successive prompts.
Finally, restart your PC to fix Firefox no sound issue on Windows 10. Also Read: How to Fix Firefox Not Loading Pages
Method 3: Restart Firefox in Troubleshoot Mode
To fix no sound in Firefox problem, try restarting it in troubleshoot mode. This will disable all the extensions, turn off hardware acceleration, and use default toolbar settings and themes. Doing so will resolve all the browser conflicts. Follow as instructed.
Press the Windows key. Type Firefox and open it.
Click on the Application Menu.
Select the Help option.
Click on Troubleshoot Mode. Note: You can also press the Shift key while opening Firefox to launch it in Troubleshooting mode.
Confirm the prompt by clicking on Restart.
Again, confirm the prompt by clicking on Open.
Note: To turn off troubleshooting mode, follow Steps 1 & 2 and click on Turn Troubleshoot Mode off.
Method 4: Allow Audio Permissions in Firefox
If the Autoplay audio settings are blocked in Firefox, you may face this issue in new automatic tabs. Here, we have a few short tricks to allow audio permissions in Firefox.
Open Firefox browser and click on Application Menu.
Then, select the Settings option as depicted.
Now, click on the Privacy & Security tab and scroll down to the Permissions section.
Now, click on the Settings… button next to Autoplay, as depicted above.
Select the Allow audio and video option under Default for all websites menu.
Finally, click on the Save Changes button.
Also Read: Fix Firefox is Already Running
Method 5: Remove Browser Cache in Firefox
The temporary corrupt browser cache and cookies in Firefox cause no sound in Firefox issue. Here are a few instructions to delete the browser cache in Firefox.
Launch the Firefox browser.
Then, click on the Open Application Menu icon as shown below.
Then, select the Settings option from the list as depicted.
Now, click on the Privacy & Security tab from the left pane.
In the right pane, scroll down to the Cookies and Site Data section.
Now, click on Clear Data… option.
In the prompt window, uncheck the Cookies and Site Data box and ensure you check the Cached Web Content box, as depicted. Note: Clearing Cookies and Site Data will sign you out from websites, delete offline web content, and clears the cookies. Whereas clearing Cached Web Content will not affect your logins.
Then, click on the Clear button to clear the Firefox cached web contents.
Now, click on the Manage Data… button as depicted.
Type the site name in the Search websites field whose cookies you want to remove.
11A. Select the websites and click on Remove Selected to delete selected data.
11B. In another way, select Remove All to remove all cookies and storage data.
Finally, click on the Save Changes button as depicted.
Click Clear Now in the prompt.
Exit from the browser and reboot your PC.
Method 6: Turn off Hardware Acceleration (If Applicable)
The hardware acceleration settings are intended to carry on any graphical tasks in your browser. If there are any conflicts in the browser, this setting may interfere with the normal process and cause this issue. You can easily resolve them by turning off the Hardware Acceleration option as instructed below.
Navigate to the Firefox browser and click on the Menu icon as shown.
Now, select the Settings option from the drop-down list as shown.
In the General tab, scroll down to the Performance menu.
Then, uncheck the following options.
Use recommended performance settings. Use hardware acceleration when available
- Quit the browser by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Q keys simultaneously.
- Finally, relaunch Firefox. Also Read: Fix Server Not Found Error in Firefox
Method 7: Update Extensions (If Applicable)
If there are any incompatible extensions in your browser, you will face no sound in Firefox. Updates are released to fix the bugs in conflicting add-ons. Here are a few instructions to update Firefox extensions.
As you did earlier, click on the Menu icon in Firefox.
Then, select the Add-ons and themes option as shown.
Then, click on the gear icon.
Now, select the Check for Updates option from the drop-down list as shown.
5A. If there is an update pending in action, follow the on-screen instructions to update the same. 5B. If the extensions are already updated, it will display No updates found message.
Method 8: Disable Extensions (If Applicable)
If updating Firefox extensions does not fix the issue, try disabling the extensions as instructed below.
As instructed in the above method, navigate to the Firefox Add-ons and themes page.
Then, toggle off the extensions (for example, Grammarly for Firefox).
Repeat the same steps for all the extensions one by one and check which extension is causing you the problem. Note: If you have found the problematic extension, then select the Remove option as shown to remove it.
Refresh your Firefox browser. Also Read: Fix Your Connection is not Secure Error on Firefox
Method 9: Update or Roll Back Audio Drivers
The hardware device communicates with the Operating System utilizing device driver files. If there are outdated audio drivers in your PC, you may face this issue. To update the audio drivers, follow the below-mentioned instructions. If updating drivers does not give you a fix to Firefox no sound issue on Windows 10, try rolling back of drivers. Option I: Update Audio Drivers
Type Device Manager in the Windows 10 search menu and open it.
Double-click Audio inputs and outputs to expand it.
Now, right-click on the audio card driver e.g. Microphone (2- High Definition Audio Device) and click Update driver.
Select Search automatically for drivers.
5A. If the driver is outdated, the drivers will be updated to the latest version. 5B. If they are already in an updated stage, the screen displays the following message, The best drivers for your device are already installed.
Restart the computer, and check if you have fixed Firefox sound not working issue. Option II: Roll Back Audio Drivers Follow these steps to roll back driver updates to fix Firefox sound not working issue.
Type Device Manager in the Windows search bar and click on Open as you did earlier.
Double-click on the Audio inputs and outputs from the panel on the left to expand it.
Right-click on the audio driver and click on Properties.
Switch to the Driver tab and select Roll Back Driver, as shown highlighted. Note: If the option to Roll Back Driver is greyed out in your computer, it indicates that your PC does not have the pre-installed driver files or the original driver files are missing. In this case, try other methods discussed in this article.
Click on OK to apply this change.
Finally, click on Yes in the confirmation prompt.
Restart your PC and check if you have fixed Firefox down and not working issue.
Method 10: Update Firefox
An outdated Firefox not only faces Firefox won’t play sound, but also a few other audios and video issues. Always ensure you use an updated version of browsers to avoid any conflicting problems. Follow the below-mentioned instructions to update Firefox.
Open Firefox and click on the Application Menu as shown.
Now, select the Help option as highlighted below.
Then, click on About Firefox as shown below.
4A. If the browser is updated to its latest version, it will display the message Firefox is up-to-date.
4B. If the browser is outdated, click Restart to update Firefox option. After updating Firefox, check if you have fixed Firefox no sound Windows 10 issue. Also Read: Fix Google Chrome Not Updating
Method 11: Refresh Firefox
The refreshing browser will delete the Firefox Extensions and themes, Website permissions, Modified preferences, Added search engines, DOM storage, security certificate and device settings, Download actions, User styles, and Toolbar customizations. This will help you to fix Firefox no sound issue in Windows 10. Here is how to do it. Note: All the Firefox profile data will be stored in the Old Firefox Data folder in Desktop. You can restore your Firefox data to your new profile whenever necessary. You can also delete it if you find it unnecessary.
Launch Firefox and click on the Menu icon as shown.
Now, click on the Help option as shown.
Now, select the More troubleshooting information option as shown.
Now, click on Refresh Firefox… option as highlighted.
Then, click on the Refresh Firefox button as shown.
Then, click on Finish in the Import Wizard window.
Finally, click on Let’s go! option to continue surfing your browsing.
Method 12: Remove Firefox Preference Files
All the Firefox settings and data are stored in Firefox Preference files. If there are any conflicts in these files, you will face this issue. No worries. You can easily remove Firefox preference files to fix no sound in Firefox browser issue by following the below instructions.
Open Firefox and click on the Application Menu button as shown.
Now, select the Help option as highlighted below.
Then, select the More troubleshooting information option as shown.
Now, click on the Open Folder button under Update Folder as shown.
If you have prefs.js files, delete or rename them.
Finally, relaunch Firefox and check if Firefox no sound problem in Windows 10 is solved. Also Read: Fix Chrome Blocking Download Issue
Method 13: Reinstall Firefox
If Firefox is not installed properly or the installation files are corrupt, you will face the no sound problem. To resolve Firefox sound not working issue, you can try reinstalling the browser as instructed below.
Press the Windows key and click on the Settings icon.
Click Apps.
Scroll down and select Mozilla Firefox.
Click Uninstall.
Again, click Uninstall in the pop-up.
Click Yes in the User Account Control prompt.
Now, click on the Next > button in the Mozilla Firefox Uninstall Wizard.
If prompted, click on OK and close all the Firefox processes.
Now, click on Uninstall.
Finally, click Finish to close the wizard.
Type %localappdata% in the Windows search bar and click Open.
Now, scroll down and click on the Mozilla folder. Then, click on the Delete option as highlighted.
Again, type %appadata% in the Windows search bar and open it.
Scroll down and click on the Mozilla folder. Then, click on the Delete option as done earlier.
Then, reboot your PC.
Download the Firefox browser from the official website.
Now, navigate to Downloads and launch the installer file.
Click Yes in the prompt.
Now, click Re-install in the following prompt.
Finally, launch a web page and check if you have fixed Firefox sound not working issue. Recommended:
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We hope that this guide was helpful and you were able to fix no sound in Firefox browser. Let us know which method worked for you the best. Feel free to reach out to us with your queries and suggestions via the comments section below.
