A Fix for Muted YouTube as of 3 October 2013

This is a workaround for a new YouTube audio bug started on 3 October 2013 for Windows OS browsers.

The problem: The YouTube speaker/volume control button on the bottom left of the player is muted and locked "x". It won't unlock upon clicking.

Google is aware of this problem. It's not known at this juncture when this YouTube audio malfunction will be resolved.

In any event, one should not assume a user system's glitch which has caused the video sound malfunction. Above all, don't panic and mess with the computer system controls and plug-ins. Instead, observe the following temporary fix instructions:

1. Upon selecting your first YouTube video, it should play automatically (a good sign).

But if the video player is dark and nothing is playing, one's browser has effectively crashed. This happens most often with the Firefox browser, including its newest version 24.0. He needs to terminate the browser process and start over again. If it crashes again while viewing YouTube, consider the use a different browser like Chrome or IE.

All other PC based browsers which I tested (i.e. Chrome and IE), the selected video played automatically at start. Only the locked (muted) audio needed to be unlocked using the method described below.

For all my Apple mobile devices (iPod, iPhone, and iPad), the selected YouTube video worked as is; no fix required.

2. If the video plays on your PC browser, the sound can be restored by:

a. Pause the video in-progress.

b. Place the mouse cursor to the right of the muted speaker/volume control on the bottom left of the YouTube player. Slide the volume control all the way to the right of the bar (100%). The speaker/volume control button is now open.

c. Resume playing the video. One might need to adjust the sound volume again via the YouTube player or the keyboard function keys.

Please note each new YouTube video viewing may require a repeat of doing Step 2.