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

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.

Plus, if you’ve relied on your earphones and your favorite songs to block off noise as you work, then this issue is bound to hurt your productivity as well.

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. Let’s dive in!

Headphones Only Work in One Ear: Ruling Out Phone or PC Issues

When audio problems crop up, such as static noises or hearing sound in only one ear, it’s easy to assume your headphones are broken. As such, it’s only natural to start considering getting them replaced.

Most of the time, however, incorrect audio settings or a temporary (and easily fixable) device malfunction are at the root of these problems.

So, before discarding your headphones or attempting to repair them yourself, try determining the actual source of the issue first.

Here are some methods that’ll help you figure out if your phone, laptop, or PC is at the root of your audio issues:

• Try another pair of headphones
• Restart the device
• Check the settings
• Update the software and drivers
• Clean the headphone jack

Try another pair of headphones

The quickest way to find out what’s causing your audio issues is by getting a pair of perfectly working headphones or earbuds and connecting them to your device.

If they’re working as they should, you’ll know that the problem truly lies with your headphones. In this case, just follow the tips below for fixing wired and Bluetooth headphones.

However, if the functioning headset also starts playing only in one ear, you may need to remedy them using one of the solutions in the following sections.

Restart the device

Another simple fix you may want to try is restarting your device.

A constant sleep-wake cycle swamps your phone or computer’s RAM with unnecessary logs, cache files, and background processes. This eventually causes a memory leak, leading to errors and system slowdowns.

Restarting your device shuts down all running programs and deletes all caches, effectively refreshing your device. This could be especially helpful if your audio issue occurred after a software update, since certain components are removed or replaced during this process.

Once you’ve done this, check if you can hear from both headphone speakers. If your headphones are still playing in only one ear, check your device’s audio settings by following the steps in the next section.

Check the settings

Having sound in only one headphone or earbud speaker could result from incorrect audio settings. Here’s what you can do to address that:

Adjust the sound balance

Windows’ sound balance function lets you adjust the left and right audio output so that both signals are equally loud and clear. Sound becomes unbalanced when, for instance, the audio signals are directed more towards one speaker than the other. When this happens, you’ll have noticeably softer or no sound at all in one speaker.

To remedy this, ensure both channels are equal by adjusting the sound balance. Here’s how to do that on Windows:

1. Go to Settings.

   

2. Select Sound.

   

3. Under Advanced, click on More sound settings.

   

4. In the Playback tab, double-click on your audio output device.

   

5. In the Levels tab, select Balance.

   

6. Adjust the sliders for left and right audio until they’re identical, then click OK.

   

Disable Sound Enhancements

When you have Windows’ audio enhancements feature enabled, your sound undergoes additional processing to improve its quality further. These enhancements (or audio processing objects, as they’re called) include bass boost, surround sound, loudness equalization, room correction, etc.

As great as that sounds, these extra enhancements can affect playback on your headphones due to how they manipulate the different audio frequencies, sometimes causing no sound output on one side.

To fix this, simply disable the audio enhancements with these steps:

1. Go to Settings.

   

2. Select Sound.

   

3. Under Advanced, click on More sound settings.

   

4. In the Playback tab, double-click on your audio output device.

   

5. In the Advanced tab, uncheck Enable audio enhancements, then click Apply and OK.

   

Update the software and drivers

Outdated software and drivers can cause errors in how your system’s sound card functions. This can lead to various sound problems, from your headphones not being detected by your computer to hearing audio in only one ear. To avoid this, ensure your Windows OS and audio drivers are updated.

Here’s how to update your Windows OS:

1. Go to Settings.

   

2. Click Windows Update.

   

3. Select Check for Updates.

   

4. Once the updates are downloaded, you can proceed to install them.

To check and update your audio drivers, follow these steps:

1. Right-click on the Start menu icon in the taskbar and select Device Manager.

   

2. Double-click Sound, video, and game controllers from the list.

   

3. Right-click your audio output device and select Update driver.

   

Clean the headphone jack

People bring their phones everywhere–from their bedrooms to the rugged outdoors. Eventually, lint and dirt get trapped in the headphone jack. This loosens the connection between the plug and jack, thus affecting audio output.

That said, if your headphones play in only one ear when plugged into your device, but play the usual way when connected to other gadgets, consider cleaning your device’s headphone jack.

One way to do this is by using the pointed tip of a brush toothpick (a.k.a. Interdental brush) to loosen any dirt, then using the brush side to scoop it out.

What to Do When Wired Headphones Only Work in One Ear

Headphone wires are notoriously fragile due to their thinness. As such, it’s one of the most common reasons we find ourselves with one headphone that’s stopped working. This is even more true for those who have a habit of wadding up their headphones’ wire at the end of a listening session.

If you suspect a wiring issue is causing your headphones’ audio problems, here are three ways to diagnose the exact problem and how to solve them.

• Diagnosis: Damaged or disconnected wire near the plug
• Diagnosis: Shorted wire
• Diagnosis: Faulty wiring within the defective earbud

Diagnosis: Damaged or disconnected wire near the plug

When hurrying, some people yank out their headphones by tugging the cord instead of the plug’s plastic base.

Repeatedly tugging on your headphones’ cord strains the weak spot where the plug meets the cord. Over time, this action wears down on the protective rubber casing, exposing the wires to damage and making them prone to shorting. Sometimes, doing this with enough force can even result in a bent headphone plug.

So, if you’re only getting audio in one ear and seeing signs of wear-and-tear near the headphone plug, you’ll need to fix the damaged portion of the wire. To do that, follow the steps below.

How to fix damaged wires

1. Using a knife or cutter, slice through the protective plastic base around the earphone plug and the cord near it.
2. Locate the section with the damaged wires and cut it off.

   

3. Remove the plastic cable around one end of your headset cord.

   

4. Use a match or lighter to briefly burn off the wire’s insulation.

   

5. Solder the wires to the earphone jack following the illustration below.

   

6. Cover the newly joined section with a heat-shrink tube or electrical tape.

   

Diagnosis: Shorted wire

Unlike damaged wires that show external signs of breakage, it’s not always easy to tell if there’s a short in your headphone wire.

Shorted wires occur when a powered wire touches a neutral wire, exposing it to excessive electricity and causing it to short-circuit. This problem typically happens in wired headphones and earbuds if they’re always tangled or wrapped improperly.

You’ll know you have a shorted wire if you can hear static in your audio or if it cuts out when you move the wire. A quick way to fix this is by doing a “wiggle test.” Here’s how:

How to fix shorted wires

1. Plug your headphones into your device and play an audio or video file.
   
2. Locate the short by bending the headphone cord every half inch. Continue doing this until you start hearing sound coming off both headphones.
   
3. Remove the damaged portion of the wire.

   

4. Get the remaining sections of the headphone cord. Slice through both tips of the plastic cord to expose the wires.

   

5. Separate the copper wires (ground wires), insulation (white wires), and the colored wire.
   The colored wire will be red if you are repairing the headset’s right portion or green or blue if you’re working on the left section.

   

6. Cut the insulation wires. Meanwhile, twist the copper wires to keep them together.
7. Use a match or lighter to briefly burn off the enamel at the tip of the colored wires.

   

8. Join the colored wires by twisting them together. Secure these with electrical tape.
9. Link the ground wires in the same way and wrap electrical tape around these as well.
   Ensure that the ground wires do not touch the colored wires.
10. Wrap electrical tape around this newly linked section.

    

Diagnosis: Faulty wiring within the defective earbud

Sometimes, loose or broken wires can occur inside the earbud speaker itself and not along the cord. Similar to the previous issues, faulty wiring arises from poor handling or, in some cases, a manufacturer defect.

Regardless of the cause, this issue will manifest as your earbuds having no sound in one or both speakers or your earbuds’ mic not working. And if there’s no damage to the earbud’s cord, you’ll know the problem is likely inside the earbud itself.

If you’re sure this is the cause of your audio problem, follow the steps below to open and fix the earbud.

How to fix faulty wires inside earbuds

1. Open the earbud casing using a small flat-blade screwdriver. You can also detach your nail clipper’s lever and pop the earbud’s front case or ear tip open.
   Check out this tutorial on Arddy’s Channel to see how to open your earbud shell.
   
   
2. Do not pull at the case to fully open the earbud – doing so can further rip the wires if they’re attached to the front case. Instead, push the cord up through the earbud’s upper housing. This will shove the front case and expose the internal components.
   
3. Resolder the loose wire and let it cool before testing the earbuds.

   

What to Do When Wireless Headphones Only Work in One Ear

Wireless headphones and earbuds eliminate the hassle of untangling messy cords. However, that doesn’t mean you’re free from the issues that cause headphones to play only in one ear.

Here are three common causes of malfunctioning wireless headphones and brief guides on how to fix each.

• Diagnosis: Needs reset
• Diagnosis: Halfway point issue
• Diagnosis: Low battery on one earbud
• Diagnosis: Broken internal wires

Diagnosis: Needs reset

When you aren’t getting audio on one side of your wireless headphones, sometimes a quick factory reset is all it takes to set things right.

Bluetooth connections can become bogged down after a while, especially if your devices haven’t undergone important firmware updates or have multiple paired devices. This eventually causes errors in how your headphones function, leading to audio and pairing issues.

By resetting your Bluetooth headphones, you’re returning them to their default configuration and clearing out all the extra information stored on the device. Basically, it’s like wiping the slate clean.

If you think your Bluetooth headphones need a reset, refer to the steps below.

With that out of the way, here’s what you need to do:

How to reset Bluetooth headphones

1. Press your device’s power button.

   

2. Hold it down until the headset’s light flashes blue or red.

   

3. Pair the headphones again with your device.

   

Diagnosis: Halfway point issue

Most wireless headphones come with detachable cords that let you switch easily from wired to wireless mode. However, if you notice that your audio goes from normal to only working on one side whenever you detach the cord, you may be dealing with a halfway point issue.

Wireless headphone jacks contain small springs attached to metal balls. These act like mechanical triggers that turn off Bluetooth functionality upon contacting a headphone plug’s conductors.

If you’re still not getting sound in one ear after removing the headphone plug, these switches may be stuck in a halfway position, thus causing one of your headphone speakers to malfunction.

Fortunately, the solution is quite simple and is a matter of trial and error.

How to fix the halfway point issue

1. Insert, then remove the AUX plug from the jack.
2. Repeat the first step using various angles. The goal is to try and push the mechanical trigger back into its original position.
3. Test your Bluetooth headphones to see if this resolves the issue.

Diagnosis: Low battery on one earbud

True wireless earbuds have separate battery lives and need individual charging. In some cases, one may drain faster than the other, especially if you prefer using only one earbud to maintain awareness of your surroundings while working or commuting.

Additionally, one earbud (usually the right one) performs more functions than the left earbud. That’s because one earbud manages the connection between the earbuds and your mobile device, while the other earbud simply connects to the first one. So, it makes sense that one drains faster than the other.

That said, this could be another reason you’re not getting audio in one speaker. Luckily, the solution to this is also quite straightforward.

How to fix a low battery issue

1. Place both earbuds in their charging case.
2. Wait until they’re fully charged, then check to see if the audio works in both earbuds.

Diagnosis: Broken internal wires

If one side of your wireless earbuds is silent, despite being fully charged, the problem could be internal.

As mentioned in the previous section on faulty wiring, if there are no visible signs of damage on the earbuds, your audio issue is probably due to displaced wires in the hardware itself, particularly in the control panel where the Bluetooth module is stored.

To confirm this, you’ll need to open up the control panel and check for disconnected wires. Read the steps below on how to repair Bluetooth headphones:

How to fix internal wires

1. Using a pair of cutting pliers or a flat-blade screwdriver, pry open the casing of your earbuds’ control panel.

   

2. Carefully take out the internal components.
3. Locate any broken wires or wires separated from others and reconnect them using a soldering iron.
4. Return the internal components inside the casing.
5. Turn on your Bluetooth earbuds to test if your audio is working normally, then reseal the casing if it’s all good.

How to Reuse Multiple One-Side Working Earbuds

If you have several wired headphones with only one earbud working, you can reuse these so long as they have the same plug type. Just keep in mind that the audio quality may no longer be as good as it was before.

Here’s how to resurrect your old wired earbuds using an audio splitter:

1. Get an audio splitter with two output jacks and plug it into your device’s AUX output.
   
   Not sure which splitter to get? Check out this article to learn more about the different types of headphone splitters.
2. Plug both pairs of one-side working earbuds into the audio splitter’s output jacks.
3. Play an audio or video file to test the sound quality.
4. Keep your earbuds looking neat by trimming off the opposite non-working wires.
5. Insulate the ends of the trimmed wires with electrical tape or heat-shrink tubing.
6. If you want to permanently join the two functioning earbud wires, trim off the non-working wire from one pair of earbuds and dispose of it.
7. Using a cutter, take off the rubber covering of the trimmed section.
8. Next, using a lighter, briefly burn off the wire’s insulation.
9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 on the functioning wire of the other pair of earbuds.
   At this point, you should have one working earbud still attached to its plug and a separate working earbud wire that isn’t connected to anything.
10. Once the wires on both ends are clean, simply twist the same-colored wires together.
11. Finally, insulate the exposed section with electrical tape or heat-shrink tubing.

Recommendation: Durable Headphones

If your headphones or earbuds are always breaking down, you should opt for a pair of more durable headphones. Some essential durability factors to consider include:

• Sturdier materials, such as wood or metal, instead of plastic.
• A rating of at least IPX4 to keep your headphones protected from water splashes coming from any direction.
• A warranty that lasts at least three months.

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

Find Ways to Extend Your Headphones’ Life

If you’re investing in quality headphones or earbuds, you’ll certainly want them to last for a long time. And even if you don’t own a pricey model, it’s a shame to throw out another pair just because one headphone speaker isn’t working.

With the tips above, hopefully, you can now determine if your headphones simply need a quick fix before buying a new one. By repairing your headphones, you can quickly go back to enjoying your music playlist or watching videos, save a bit of money, and reduce electronic waste at the same time.

What are your thoughts on the fixes listed above? Do you have other tips and tricks for repairing headphones with only one earbud working? We’d love to hear about them in the comments section below.