M4 MacBook Air has a headphone jack issue

Question

Level 1

14 points

M4 MacBook Air has a headphone jack issue

My M4 MacBook Air headphone jack stops working after a while and I have to restart my computer and plug and unplug my headphones every few days to get it to work. How can I get app to put a bug fix for this its really annoying and its really disrupting my workflow. Hope Apple engineers can have a bug fix soon. Seems that this has been happening with MacOS back 2022. Is there a way I can on my own fix this issue permanently without having to restart MacOS everytime.

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 15.5

Posted on Jul 10, 2025 5:07 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Jounin93 Author

Level 1

14 points

Sep 8, 2025 1:17 PM in response to Jounin93

Hey guys update I was about to fix my issues by doing this:

I don’t see a past chat from you specifically about fixing the audio headphone jack on a MacBook. But I can walk you through the steps now if you’d like. Here are some fixes you can try:

🔊 How to Fix MacBook Headphone Jack Issues

1. Check Sound Settings

Go to System Settings (or System Preferences) > Sound > Output.
Make sure Headphones (or "External Headphones") is selected instead of internal speakers.
Adjust balance and output volume.

2. Plug/Unplug Trick

Insert and remove your headphones a few times—sometimes the Mac gets “stuck” thinking headphones are still plugged in.

3. Reset Core Audio

Open Terminal and type:

sudo killall coreaudiod

Then press Enter (you may need to enter your password).
Audio services will restart automatically.

4. NVRAM/PRAM Reset

Shut down your Mac.
Turn it on and immediately hold: Option + Command + P + R.
Keep holding for about 20 seconds, then release.

5. Check for Dust/Debris

Shine a light into the jack.
Use a soft brush, compressed air, or a wooden toothpick (gently) to clear lint/dust.

6. Try Another Pair of Headphones

Rule out whether the issue is with the headphones themselves.

7. macOS Update

Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install any pending updates.

In my case : sudo killall coreaudiod fix it

Reply

Answer 2

Jul 10, 2025 5:51 PM in response to Jounin93

First, let’s see if this issue happens in Safe Mode:

Shut down your Mac.
Press and hold the power button on your Mac. As you continue to hold the power button, your Mac turns on and loads startup options. When you see Options, release the power button.
Select your startup disk. It's named Macintosh HD, unless you changed its name.
Press and hold the Shift key, then click the “Continue in Safe Mode” button below your startup disk.
Log in to your Mac. You might be asked to log in again.

If the strange behaviors do not occur, then it may possibly be a software issue.

If the issue doesn't continue in safe mode:

Leave safe mode by restarting your Mac normally, then try to reproduce the issue.

If the issue doesn't return, it might have been resolved by the other things that safe mode did at startup, such as checking your disk and clearing caches.

If the problem persists, then let’s try this:

Those are all the troubleshooting tools that I am able to provide.

Good luck! 👋🏼😉

Reply

Answer 3

Sep 8, 2025 12:27 PM in response to Jounin93

I also had a same issue with my latest M4 Macbok Air where the issue use to fix everytime on a restart but then come back after a day or two.

I tried all the

safe reboot
clearing caches
cleaning the Aux port etc
Had to take the laptop to Apple store 4 times with them running reset, replacing the Audio chip, main chip. But still the issue was not fixed. Guess they never found what was the root cause.

Eventually they offered me a "refund" and I returned the laptop. Hope they find the root cause soon.

Reply