When you connect a laptop to an external display via HDMI, the system often defaults to sending both video and audio through the HDMI connection. To override this and use the headphone socket (or any other audio output) for playback, you need to change the audio output device in your operating system settings.

On Windows

1. Right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar (bottom-right corner).
2. Select “Sound settings” or “Open Sound settings”.
3. Under “Output”, choose your preferred device (e.g., Headphones or Line Out).
4. If you don’t see it, click “Manage sound devices” and enable it.

On macOS

1. Go to System Settings → Sound.
2. Under “Output”, select Headphones (or the name of the connected audio device).
3. Ensure the volume is up and not muted.

Things to check

If you’re using a DAW or media player, check its internal audio settings too—they sometimes override system defaults.