Headphones Only Work in One Ear: Common Causes and Easy Fixes - Headphonesty

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When your headset is playing only in one ear, rule out possible device setting issues then follow these quick fixes to get your earphones working again.

Having headsets playing only in one ear can be frustrating, especially if listening to music or watching videos is part of your daily routine. If you’ve relied on your earphones and your favorite beats to block off noise as you work, then this issue is bound to hurt your productivity as well.

Buying or ordering a new pair is easy. But you may not be ready to give up on your expensive headset just yet. Or perhaps you simply don’t like the idea of throwing away hardware that may still be fixed.

Below are several tips and quick fixes you can do if only one of your earbuds is working. With these tips, you can have a working pair of headphones in just a few minutes. You don’t have to wait for your orders to be delivered, leave your house to buy one, or make do with one working earbud.

Just like other audio problems like headphone static, when headsets are only playing in one ear, many quickly assume that their earphones are broken. So they start shopping around for a replacement or looking for spare headphones at home.

But before discarding your earphones or attempting a repair, make sure that the issue doesn’t lie with your audio source.

Rule out the possibility that you’re hearing out of one headphone due to your audio settings or a temporary device malfunction that can be easily resolved. Follow the steps below to check whether the problem is being caused by your phone, laptop, or PC.

The first step is to get a pair of perfectly working earphones and connect them to your device. If they are working fine, then you know that the problem truly lies with your headset. In this case, follow the tips below for fixing wired and Bluetooth headphones. But if the functioning headset also starts playing only in one ear, you need to check your device’s audio settings.

Another simple fix you may want to try is restarting your device. This may prove especially helpful if the issue occurs right after a software update.

After restarting your phone or PC, check if you can hear out of both earbuds. But if the headset is still playing in only one ear, start checking your device’s audio settings.

Headsets may play only in one ear depending on your audio settings. So check your audio properties and make sure that the mono option is turned off.

In addition, make sure that voice levels are balanced on both earbuds. You can check this by clicking on the Sounds icon on your computer, going to Levels, and then selecting Balance. The voice levels must be equal on both sides of your headset.

People bring their phones everywhere–from their bedrooms to the rugged outdoors. Eventually, lint and dirt can get trapped in the headphone jack and affect the audio output. This causes a loose connection between your headphone port and the jack.

If your headset plays only in one ear when plugged to your device but works just fine in other gadgets, consider cleaning your phone or PC’s headphone jack. Carefully loosen the dirt with the pointed tip of a brush toothpick, then use the brush side to scoop these out.

There are a number of reasons why wired and wireless headphones may start working only on one side. As such, you must pin down the source of the problem first before trying out any of the quick fixes below.

When in a hurry, some users yank out their headset’s jack from their mobile phones and laptops. Others disconnect their headsets from devices by tugging at the cord instead of pulling from the plastic base. This can also result in a bent headphone plug. 

These habits can damage the wires near the headset’s jack. Over time, your headphones may start working only in one ear whenever the cords are twisted or bent. To resolve this, follow the steps below.

Another reason for headsets only playing in one ear is a shorted wire. This issue usually happens when earphone cords are always tangled or wrapped improperly. Follow the steps below on how to locate and fix shorted earphone wires.

Sometimes, a loose or broken wire can cause your earbuds to play only in one ear. Once you’ve determined that the issue isn’t caused by a broken or shorted wire along the cord, follow the steps below to open and fix the earbud.

Wireless headphones can save you from the hassle of untangling messy cords. However, these won’t spare you from issues that may cause headsets to play only in one ear. Below are 3 common causes of malfunctioning wireless headphones and guides on how to fix each.

When one side of your earbuds isn’t working, sometimes a quick factory reset is all it takes to resolve your Bluetooth headset’s connectivity issue.

If your headphones are functioning well when the aux cable jack is plugged in but start working only on one side when you shift to wireless mode, you may be dealing with a halfway point issue.

These issues occur when one of the jack port’s mechanical triggers is stuck halfway, causing one of your headphone speakers to malfunction.

If one side of your earphones still won’t work despite being fully charged, start checking for damaged or displaced wires in the hardware. Read the steps below on how to repair Bluetooth headphones.

Note though that the audio quality may no longer be as good as it used to.

If you wish to skip the trouble and buy a new pair of headphones instead, make sure to read our tips on what to do with broken headphones.

If your headphones are always breaking down, you should consider investing in a pair of more durable headphones, with frames constructed of wood or metal rather than plastic. If the headphones have an IP rating, check to verify if it is at least IPX4. And, of course, choose one with a warranty that lasts at least three months.

Check out our recommendations from our “Most Durable Headphones” article: 

If you are investing in quality headphones, you want to be able to use these for a long time. And even if you don’t have a pricey pair, you may not want to throw yet again another hardware just because one earbud isn’t working.

With the tips above, you can determine if your earphones simply need a quick fix before buying a new one. Aside from saving you some money, repairing your headset lets you help reduce electronic wastes. Most importantly, you can quickly go back to enjoying your music playlist or watching videos.

What are your thoughts on the fixes listed above? Do you have other tips and tricks for repairing headphones with only one earbud working? Share these below.

I looked over all the methods (for the wired ones) and my headphones have none of those problems but only one side works. could you help?

Idk

bloody dingus
THEN WHY RESPOND

your headphone jack may have some issues. id look into that

i have tried different headphones and they all work on other devices but only one side works on my pc

My headphones work on my phone but the right ear is cut out when I’m on my PC. I have had this PC for around a month and it has been in clean conditions. Any suggestions?

you might need to clean the jack because thats happened to me or the headphones are the problem because some headphones only work on certain devices

everything is good with my jack and everything else just left side i cant hear it i tried everything i could to fix it it only works when i put it halfwy

My merlin earbuds both are working good. but not the same time. if Left is work then right side stop & Vice versa. how to fix this problem? please help me. my contact no. is 9987469278

if you post your phone number people can trace it to your home address.

Oh God, thank you so much for this! I went to my settings on my Mac and somehow the balance had shifted all the way to only the right headphone. After I switched it back to the middle, it started working perfectly. Thank you so much, I am indebted

Hey, thank you so much for this amazing website. I have a JBL live 650BTNC and it had the half way point issue. Followed the steps and wallahhhh!! Now it’s fixed????

Me who’s just trying to get my right earphone to work so I can listen to music: Why DoeS NoTHiNg wOrK?!

Same, I tried to do everything. Even I checked in the HeadPhone’s system and nothing actually work bruh.

I looked over all the problems, and I can’t seem to figure out what is going on. I can’t test my earbuds in someone else’s device because mine is the only one with this type of jack. What do I do?

My earphone is only working from one side I tried restarting my phone to see if it was that but it’s not and I’ve checked a few other articles and it’s still not working I’ve tried everything they’ve said

I have indy vevo blue tooth headphones and i have tried ones with wire’s but i can inky hear out of one ear does anyone kniw what i do

Me tooo I have got problems on my headphones , I just brought it yesterday, My wireheadphones just working on the left side not in right side , i mean , the occured thing is when i first connect to pc its working on the right side , but when i connect to the tab its working on the left side , untill then its working on the left side even if on the pc , Anyone have any solution ???/

Same I also have the same problem but my left side is not working and right side is working!

same!

Huge shoutout to Barsin for leaving a comment above who had the same halfway point issue as me on JBL Live 650BTNC and because of whom I could find this page.

both right and left of my headphones are doesn’t work sometimes. and sometimes only one is working could you help me?

my earbuds work without the ear cushions….when you put the ear cushions the sound become very low that i can hear even in full volume

The left side of my headphones doesn’t work I’ve opened the case so I can see the speaker and it looks fine apart from the fact it has disconnected from the case…

my senheiser earphones ( right) isnt working. how to fix it

Sincere thanks for this website developer truly bless for my headphone 1 year problem fix in 5 sec

I am sure my ear phones are not charging. Do I need new Batteries if so where do I get them.

Just buy new they are $100 max

my problem is the wire extremely close to the plug, the plug is not rubber so i can cut it to get to the few copper wires.

My hearphone dosent not work one side only in music ???

Thank you very much I went and bought another pair of headphones because I thought my first headphones were broken but when I came home from the store with the 2nd bought headphones I read this article and got the problem fixed.
I must return one of them now.

I’ve got two headphones w. 6.3mm jacks and bought a 3.5 to 6.3 connector.
The connector has three sections, so should be left/right and ground for stereo I assume.
It is the same design as my 3.5mm earphones, just bigger, so it corresponds.

When I plug in the connector and the 6.3mm headphones, only the right side works. I‘ve got two such connectors, so it’s unlikely that the connectors are at fault.
Band I can confirm that both headphones work on both sides otherwise.

Somehow none of the above solutions seem to match this problem.
Anyone any ideas?

thanks alot of information

Now I know why my wired headphones are broken because. They are fucking cut in half

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