How to read your result
Press Left, Right or Both. Each plays a short, soft chime of four rising notes (C5, E5, G5 and C6) that lasts about 1 second. The highlighted speaker on screen shows where the sound should come from.
| What you hear | What it means |
|---|---|
| Each chime comes only from its own side | Your speakers or headphones are working and wired correctly. |
| Left plays on the right and right plays on the left | The sides are swapped: headphones worn the wrong way round, or speaker cables crossed. |
| Left, Right and Both all sound the same | Mono audio is on, or the device has a single speaker. |
| One side is quiet or missing | The balance is uneven, the plug is loose, or one side is faulty. |
Both plays the chime on both sides at once, so it should sound like it comes from straight ahead.
Once you have played Left and Right, the panel asks whether each sound came from the right side. Answer No to see the fix for what you heard.
Turn on Say the side out loud to hear the side name after each chime. The voice plays from both sides, so listen to the chime, not the voice, to judge the side. This option appears only when your device has a built-in voice.
Troubleshooting
I hear nothing
- Check the volume and the mute key, and that the right output device is selected in your system sound settings.
- Bluetooth: make sure the headphones are connected to this device and not to your phone or another computer.
- Press any button again. Browsers only allow sound after you tap or click on the page.
No sound on iPhone or iPad
Turn off Silent mode with the switch on the side, or the Action button on newer models, and raise the volume with the side buttons.
Left and right are swapped
- Headphones: look for the small L and R marks and wear them the right way round.
- Speakers: swap the two speakers, or swap the cables where they plug in.
- Turn off spatial sound or surround effects in your sound settings or audio app, then test again.
Left, Right and Both sound the same
Mono audio mixes both sides together. Turn it off:
- Windows: Settings, then Accessibility, then Audio. Turn off Mono audio.
- Mac: System Settings, then Accessibility, then Audio. Turn off Play stereo audio as mono.
- iPhone and iPad: Settings, then Accessibility, then Audio and Visual. Turn off Mono Audio.
- Android: Settings, then Accessibility, then Audio adjustment or Hearing enhancements. Turn off Mono audio.
Many laptops and phones have speakers too close together to tell apart. Headphones give a clear answer.
One side is quieter than the other
- Push the headphone plug all the way in. A plug that is half in often plays one side only.
- Windows: Settings, then System, then Sound. Pick your output device and set Left and Right to the same level.
- Mac: System Settings, then Sound, then Output. Move Balance to the middle.
- iPhone and iPad: Settings, then Accessibility, then Audio and Visual. Center Balance.
- Android: Settings, then Accessibility, then Audio adjustment or Hearing enhancements. Center the left and right balance.
If another pair of headphones works, the fault is in the first pair, not your device.
Bluetooth headset sounds flat or mono
Many Bluetooth headsets switch to a lower quality mono mode while their microphone is in use. Close call apps and other tabs using the microphone. On Windows, choose the output called Headphones rather than Headset.
Privacy
The test sounds are made by your browser’s built-in audio engine, so no audio files are downloaded and no microphone is used. Spoken side names use a voice built into your device, never an online voice. How it works