Troubleshooting Linux Audio

When sound doesn't work on you Linux machine, don't panic. On any operating system, there are at least four separate volume controls for sound:

• Hardware: the hardware device, such as volume knobs on speakers, for instance.
• OS: the operating system audio configuration controlling which device attached to the computer should play sound.
• Desktop: the desktop master volume control, usually identified with a speaker icon in a system tray or menu bar.
• Applications: each individual applications producing the sound you expect to hear.

The same is true for Linux.

If you cannot hear sound from your Linux machine, stay calm, keep a level head, and perform these simple troubleshooting steps, in this order:

First, do a “dummy check” on your hardware:

• If you're not hearing sound from your speakers, are you headphones plugged in by accident?
• Is the volume turned on your speakers or headphones?
• Are your speakers plugged in?
• Are you speakers on?

It's worth verifying that your “problem” isn't your own absent-mindedness, so check your hardware first!