Help with sound setting on iMac please.

LadyDee

Can somebody please tell me what the settings should be on an iMac so that when I'm using wired headphones the sound is muted for the speakers.  After using a PC for decades very simple instructions would be appreciated - the learning curve is very steep.
TIA

AnotherJoe

On mine, plugging in wired speakers automatically mutes the speakers. Just tried it.

When you plug them in do they work yet the iMacs speakers are also working?

AFAIK its a physical thing, theres no setting to adjust/set. Is this a new iMac?

LadyDee

AnotherJoe said:

On mine, plugging in wired speakers automatically mutes the speakers. Just tried it.

When you plug them in do they work yet the iMacs speakers are also working?

AFAIK its a physical thing, theres no setting to adjust/set. Is this a new iMac?

I thought plugging in the headphones muted the sound until my daughter told me she could hear the video I was watching, then I checked and found she was right - the sound is coming both through the speakers and the headphones.
The iMac is new to me, but quite an old model although I believe it had new graphics card and extra ram installed recently.  I inherited it from my daughter and I'm sure she's had it for years.  

AnotherJoe

Maybe try a different wired headphone or try wiggling the current one about.  If its mechanical it might be your connector.

I take it you've tried the usual, eg switch it off and on again?

Or try a NVRAM PRAM reset. See here https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204063

You could also try a SMC reset.

The following seems bizarre but its the Apple approved method.

Shut it down.

Switch it off at the mains.

Unplug the power cord from the back of the iMac <---- important. Back of the iMac, not the plug on the wall.

Wait 5 seconds.

Cross fingers <--- OK thats not in the Apple manual.

Plug it back in, switch on at mains, reboot via the power switch on the back.

Oh, there is also something else you can try if the above doesn't work.

With the wired headphones NOT plugged in, turn the volume down to zero.

Now plug the wired headphones in and turn the volume up.

Turning it up  MAY only work on the headphones, its meant to but obvs there's something kooky about your system.

 

Let us know what happens.

LadyDee

Another Joe, Thank you for all your suggestions - I'll have to wait for a family member to be available to help me get to plugs, borrow anther headset etc. so will probably be after the weekend to report back.

LadyDee

Just reporting that my problem has been solved.
As suggested, switched everything off, unplugged, cleaned connector - reassembled everything and lo and behold all is well again!
Thank you so much for your help.  I should have learned by now to try all the more obvious solutions - but this is an iMac which I am not totally in love with yet, and hence I tend to blame the equipment.  My son-in-law describes my complaints and/or irritations as a "picnic" (took me a while):/