Speaker test

Play one side at a time to catch a silent channel or swapped left and right.

Why test the channels separately?

Play music normally and both sides sound at once, which hides a weak channel or a swapped pair completely. Sending sound to one side at a time makes the problem obvious.

Before you start

Set the volume to something moderate. The tone plays quietly so nothing startles you.
Connect the headphones or external speakers you want to test, or unplug everything to test the built-in ones.
Watch for a Bluetooth device that has auto-connected and is stealing the output.

Each channel plays on its own. Check your volume before you start.

Left

Did the sound come from the left only?

Right

Did the sound come from the right only?

Results stay on this screen and are not saved.

Not sure what the result means?How to check laptop speakers — crackle and a dead side

If the sides are swapped

This is far more often a wiring or settings issue than a broken speaker. Check whether the earpieces are in the wrong ears, whether the balance slider in your sound settings is pushed to one side, and — with external speakers — whether the cables are crossed.

If you hear nothing

Check the system volume and whether the browser tab is muted. A muted tab plays nothing at all.
Confirm the output device is the one you intend. Sound slipping to a monitor or a Bluetooth speaker is common.
Play any video or track first to confirm the device makes sound at all.

Worth listening for too

Distortion or crackle near maximum volume
Buzzing from the chassis on low notes
One side noticeably quieter than the other

Before you decide on a return

Since audio problems so often come down to settings, ruling the list above out before you contact the seller saves everyone time. If the symptom survives all of it, note exactly when it happens.

Checking a whole machine?

Run every browser check in one flow instead of opening them one at a time.

Start the full check

Keep going with another checkMouse test