YouTube volume too low? 7 fixes that work

YouTube turns loud videos down so everything plays at a similar level, but it doesn't turn quiet videos up. A video that was uploaded quietly stays quiet — even with every slider at maximum. Here's how to fix it, easiest first.

1. Max out the YouTube player

The player has its own volume slider, separate from your computer's. Hover the speaker icon under the video and drag it all the way right, or press the up arrow while the video is focused.

2. See how quiet the video really is

Right-click the video and choose Stats for nerds. The Volume / Normalized line shows your volume and what YouTube is playing it at, plus the video's content loudness. A negative content loudness means the upload itself is quiet — the problem is the video, not your settings.

3. Try Stable Volume

In the player's settings (the gear icon), YouTube offers Stable Volume on many videos. It evens out loud and quiet moments, which can make quiet dialogue easier to hear. It won't raise the overall level much, though.

4. Check Chrome in the Windows volume mixer

Right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar → Open volume mixer, and make sure Chrome is at 100%. Windows remembers a separate level for each app, and it's easy to turn one down by accident.

5. Turn on your system's loudness features

Many Windows PCs have Loudness Equalization (under the output device's properties → Enhancements, or “Enhance audio” in Windows 11's sound settings, depending on your audio driver). It makes quiet sounds louder system-wide.

6. Boost the YouTube tab above 100%

When the video is simply mastered too quietly, the fix is amplification. With the SoundBooster Chrome extension, click the icon on the YouTube tab and pick 150% or 200% — or go up to 600% for very quiet uploads. The limiter keeps it clean, and Remember for youtube.com applies your level to every video.

7. Make voices clearer, not just louder

If music drowns out speech, loudness isn't the only issue. In SoundBooster's Advanced controls, the Quiet dialogue profile lifts the frequencies where speech lives and cuts low rumble.