Sony WH-1000XM5 Right Side Not Working? (7 Quick Fixes)

sony wh-1000xm5 right side not working

Sony WH-1000XM5 right side not working, and you’re worried? Worry no more and read!

Sony WH-1000XM5 is an excellent piece of technology, but even with the high-end headsets, strange issues might appear out of a sudden.

This is why this guide will walk you through all the solutions you can try right now at home, and hopefully solve the problem in a matter of minutes.

If your Sony WH-1000XM5 is not working on one side, connect your headset to your PC via a 3.5 mm AUX cable, which weirdly fixes the issue.

If this doesn’t work, adjust your audio balance options and disable noise suppression settings.

We’re only scratching the surface here, so let’s jump into the in-depth solutions!

Sony WH-1000XM5 Right Side Not Working – Quick Solutions!

Note: Have you tried rebooting your Sony headset and source device?

1. Connect Sony Headset to Your PC

connect sony headset to your pc

As weird as this might sound, if the right side of the Sony WH-1000XM5 is not working, the best solution might be to connect the headset to a PC via a 3.5 mm AUX cable.

Yes, this is correct, as the issue sometimes originates from the wireless Bluetooth connection, and refresh fixes it. 

So, you will need a double-sided 3.5 mm AUX cable that you must connect to the AUX port on the Sony headset, located next to the power button.

The other end plugs into the pink mic port on the front or back of your PC, so you can play some music and test if both sides are working.

If both sides of the Sony WH-1000XM5 are working when connected via AUX cable, the issue is related to the wireless Bluetooth connection or the previous source device.

So, continue to read as we unveil solutions designed to resolve issues with the wireless connection or your source.

2. Adjust the “Audio Balance” Option

If the Sony WH-1000XM5 is working only on one side while connected to your phone, the issue might be related to a setting called “Audio Balance.”

This option allows you to change the audio balance between both headphones’ sides, and if misconfigured, one side will be quiet or muted.

2.1 How to Adjust Audio Balance on iPhone?

adjust audio balance on iphone
  1. From the main screen open the “Settings” app.
  2. Then, scroll down and head to “Accessibility.”
  3. From there, select the “Audio/Visual” section.
  4. Again, go down to find the “BALANCE” slider.
  5. Then, drag the slider exactly in the middle (0,00).

2.2 How to Adjust Audio Balance on Android?

adjust audio balance on android
  1. From the settings, go into the “Accessibility” tab.
  2. Go down to the “Audio and On-Screen Text” tile.
  3. Then, find “Audio Balance” and center the slider. 

That’s it. If the audio balance on your smartphone was misconfigured to the left or the right, then that was why your Sony WH-1000XM5 on one side was not working.

Hence, now that the audio balance is centered, you should hear the sound equally on both sides of the Sony headphones.

Quick Tip: Sometimes, you can resolve inequality issues in the sides of your Sony headset by using the audio balance option.

3. Disable Noise Suppression Settings

Sometimes, one side of your Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones won’t work because of a setting that actively suppresses the audio output.

Again, this is typical for Android and iOS devices, so we’re going to show you how to navigate to and disable those settings, to resolve the problem.

3.1 Disable Reduce Loud Sounds (iOS)

disable reduce loud sounds
  1. From the main screen, go to the “Settings” app.
  2. Then, head to the “Sounds & Haptics” section.
  3. From there, tap on “Headphone Safety” on top.
  4. Next, disable the “Reduce Loud Sounds” option.

3.2 Disable Media Volume Limit (Android)

disable media volume limit
  1. From the main screen go, to Settings → Volume.
  2. Next, press the Media Volume Limit at the top.
  3. Finally, disable the “Media Volume Limit” feature.

It’s done! Your source device now doesn’t have any audio suppression settings enabled, hence the output of your Sony WH-1000XM5 should be equal on both sides.

If you, however, still don’t hear audio through one of the ear cups of your headset, perhaps something else is the culprit.

Let’s keep on reading…

4. Update Your Sony WH-1000XM5

update your sony wh-1000xm5

If you haven’t opened the Sony Connect app in a while, you might have missed an update and your headset’s firmware might be outdated.

In rare cases, this might cause a lot of issues, and we strongly recommend performing an OS update before you continue with the troubleshooting.

Updating is very easy, as you only need to open the Sony Connect app on your iOS or Android and check whether there is an update prompt on the bottom.

If yes, tap on “More Info” to scan, download, and install any pending firmware upgrades.

If you’ve just updated your Sony headset, restart the device and test if the problem is now gone!

5. Unpair and Pair the Sony Headset

If Sony WH-1000XM5 one side not working, the problem could also be related to the wireless Bluetooth connection to your source device.

So, a quick way to fix the problem is to “Forget” the headphone’s profile through your source device and connect them cleanly by discovering them.

5.1 How to Reconnect Sony to Android?

how to reconnect sony to android
  1. Swipe up from the bottom of the display.
  2. Go to Settings → “Connected Devices.”
  3. Alternatively, tap on “Device Connection.”
  4. Select your Sony WH-1000XM5’s profile.
  5. Press on “FORGET” to disconnect them.
  6. Then, head back to the Bluetooth menu.
  7. Locate and tap your headphone’s profile.

5.2 How to Reconnect Sony to iPhone?

how to reconnect sony to iphone
  1. From the home screen go to “Settings.”
  2. Then, press on the “Bluetooth” section.
  3. Locate the “Connected” headphones.
  4. Tap on the “i” icon next to their profile.
  5. Finally, choose “Forget this Device.”
  6. Then, head back to the discovery tab.
  7. Tap on the headphones to pair them.

The headset is now reconnected to your source device, and the wireless connection should now be reset.

Thus, keep both devices close and play some audio to check whether both sides work.

Note: Verify that the volume is not too low!

6. Clean Your Sony Headset Ear Cups

This might sound unlikely, especially if you don’t hear anything through one side of your Sony headset, but the speaker might be obstructed by earwax or something else.

Hence, this is the perfect opportunity to clean the ear cups of your Sony WH-1000XM5, which can fix the issues.

To clean your speakers, we strongly recommend avoiding liquids, and only using dry tools such as a soft cloth and an old toothbrush!

clean your sony headset ear cups

Here are the steps to clean your Sony WH-1000XM5 internal speakers:

  1. First, disconnect and turn OFF your headset.
  2. Remove the ear pad on the non-working side.
  3. Tip: Twist counterclockwise to undo the cup.
  4. Remove the cushions to reveal the speaker.
  5. Closely inspect the speaker grills for earwax.
  6. Then, use a soft cloth to collect obstructions.
  7. Using the toothbrush clean the grill perfectly.
  8. Reassemble all pieces of your headset’s cup.
  9. Test whether you will hear your audio output.

Well, if you still don’t hear anything through the right or left Sony WH-1000XM5 side, the issue might also be related to the device’s system.

Don’t worry, there is a solution for this as well!

7. Reset Your WH-1000XM5 to Default

The next step is to perform a factory reset on your Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones to confirm that the problem is not software-based.

The reset will unpair your headphones from the source, which is great because you will perform a clean reconnection, which on its own can resolve the non-working side of your headset.

reset your wh-1000xm5 to default

Here’s how to perform a factory reset on your Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones:

  1. First, connect the WH-1000XM5 headset to the power outlet.
  2. Use the original USB-C cord and a compatible power adapter.
  3. Press and hold the Power + NC/AMB buttons simultaneously.
  4. Hold both buttons for 10–15 seconds to start the factory reset.

When your Sony WH-1000XM5 is reset to factory settings, pair them wirelessly to your source and test whether you can now hear audio on both sides.

If not, sadly the headphones might be faulty, where the primary suspect would be a dead speaker.

Tip: If the Sony headset is covered by the warranty, we recommend claiming a free repair or replacement by contacting the local merchant.

Wrapping Up

If your Sony WH-1000XM5 right side not working, connect the headset via AUX cable to see if this would fix the problem.

If not, adjust the audio balance and noise suppression on your source, or perform a factory reset on your headset.

We hope this guide was helpful so follow us for more!