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User profile for user: sidshapiro
sidshapiro Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

catalina (10.15.7) sound volume control not working

Hello. Just recently my sound volume control is not working. To be clear, it is the volume control -- both the keyboard control AND the audio control dialog. Sound comes out, the mute button works, and using the volume slider will mute the sound and turn it back on, but the volume will not change - sound is either on or off, but I can't change the volume. This is true for the internal speak as well as a connected bluetooth speaker. I'm no aware of any software update, nor does rebooting make any difference. One day it simply stopped working. This is a mac mini late 2012. Any ideas? Thanks

Mac mini, macOS 10.15

Posted on Jun 2, 2023 10:55 AM

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User profile for user: D.I. Johnson
D.I. Johnson
User level: Level 7
24,611 points

Posted on Jun 3, 2023 1:52 PM

If a simple reboot of your Mac doesn’t fix things, see if the problem still happens in Safe mode (press and hold the shift key down at startup). It can take much longer to safe boot (10 min) so be patient.

How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support 


Safe mode is non-destructive to user data. It’s not a cure-all, but very often corrects weird software behavior by forcing the OS to do cache clearing and other housekeeping. When you're in safe boot, the machine will not be at its best performance, especially with graphics, but that's expected.


Does the problem persist while in Safe mode?


Often not required, but consider allowing the Mac to "soak" in Safe mode for a couple hours to allow maintenance routines and processes time to complete, then exit safe mode by restarting your Mac normally and re-evaluate the issue again.


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Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: D.I. Johnson
D.I. Johnson
User level: Level 7
24,611 points

Jun 3, 2023 1:52 PM in response to sidshapiro

If a simple reboot of your Mac doesn’t fix things, see if the problem still happens in Safe mode (press and hold the shift key down at startup). It can take much longer to safe boot (10 min) so be patient.

How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support 


Safe mode is non-destructive to user data. It’s not a cure-all, but very often corrects weird software behavior by forcing the OS to do cache clearing and other housekeeping. When you're in safe boot, the machine will not be at its best performance, especially with graphics, but that's expected.


Does the problem persist while in Safe mode?


Often not required, but consider allowing the Mac to "soak" in Safe mode for a couple hours to allow maintenance routines and processes time to complete, then exit safe mode by restarting your Mac normally and re-evaluate the issue again.


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catalina (10.15.7) sound volume control not working

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