Some of you may have faced this problem at some point – there is no sound in Windows 11/10. If you are facing such as No Audio or Sound is missing problem, this tutorial may help you resolve the issue. Before you begin, ensure that you have plugged in all the cables properly and that you have not muted the speakers by mistake.
Such audio issues can be caused by misconfigured audio settings, faulty external speakers, or outdated or corrupted device drivers. You need to check the volume controls, levels & settings, and audio enhancement settings, and then follow the troubleshooting steps to fix the issue and update audio drivers.
No Sound on Windows 11/10 computer
To troubleshoot this No sound issue on your Windows 11/10 computer, you will have to look at the following aspects:
- Check your Driver
- Check your sound card
- Set the correct audio device as the default
- Disable enhancements
- Check if the Speakers & headphones cables are connected properly
- Change audio format
- Check if the HDMI cables are connected properly
- Run Sound and Audio Troubleshooter.
Laptop Speakers not working
1] Check your Driver
Normally you would open Control Panel > Sound > Under Playback and Recording tabs, Select and Set Defaults. Additionally, or alternatively, you may also have to try this: Click Start > Type Device Manager in Start Menu Search Bar > Hit Enter.
The Device Manager will open. Expand Sound, Video, and Game Controllers. Locate your audio device—double-click on it to open its Properties box. See whether the driver is installed and the device is working properly.
In the Driver tab, click on Update Driver. Click OK. Else you may have to uninstall the Driver (but DON’T delete it) and then in the Device Manager > Action > Scan for hardware changes. This will reinstall the driver.
Read No sound in Windows Video Editor.
2] Check your sound card
Ensure that your Windows PC has a sound card or sound processor, and it’s working properly. To check this, select the ‘Search’ option from the charms bar, type – Device Manager, and click on Settings. Open Device Manager, and double-click Sound, video, and game controllers to expand that category. If a sound card is listed, you have one installed. Laptops and tablets do not usually have sound cards. Instead, they have integrated sound processors, which appear in the same category in Device Manager.
See if it is working properly. If the Device Status shows that the device is working correctly, the problem showing up is due to sound settings, the speakers, or the cables.
Related: No sound after waking from Sleep mode or Hibernate
3] Set the correct audio device as default
Type ‘Sound’ in search and select Settings. Choose Sound. Under the Playback tab section, you will find multiple audio devices; appearing as speakers, followed by the device’s name. You will also observe that the default device shows a green check beside it, labeled Default if you have multiple devices.
If the wrong audio device is listed as the default audio device, choose the correct device and click the Set Default button. Restart your PC!
Read: Bluetooth speaker paired, but no Sound or Music.
4] Disable enhancements
In the Sound Control Panel on the Playback tab, right-click the Default Device and select Properties. On the Enhancements tab, select Disable all enhancements and see if you can play your audio device. If it helps, great; else, do this for each default device and see if it is any help.
5] Check if the Speakers and headphones cables are connected properly
New PCs these days are equipped with three or more jacks, including,
- a microphone jack
- line-in jack
- line-out jack.
These jacks connect to a sound processor. So make sure your speakers are plugged into the line-out jack. If unsure which is the right jack, try plugging speakers into each of the jacks and see if it produces any sound.
If you’re using headphones, make sure speakers aren’t plugged into the line-out (headphone) jack of your sound card or PC.
Read Computer sound volume too low.
6] Change audio format
Right-click the Default Device and select Properties in the Sound Control Panel on the Playback tab. On the Advanced tab, under Default Format, change the setting, and then check your audio device. If it helps, great; else, change the setting again and see if that helps.
Read: No Audio Output Device is Installed error.
7] Check if the HDMI cables are connected properly
If you use an HDMI cable to connect your PC to a monitor with speakers that support HDMI, you might not hear the sound. In such a situation, you need to set the HDMI audio device as the default. To check to see if HDMI supports the sound, follow these steps:
Enter Sound in the search box, and click Settings. Next, choose Sound. Under the Playback tab, look for an HDMI device. If you have an HDMI device, click the Set Default button and hit OK. Changing the audio device might require you to restart your PC.
If you don’t have an HDMI audio device, your HDMI monitor should have an audio input. You must then connect a separate audio cable from your PC sound card directly to the monitor. If the monitor doesn’t have speakers, you’ll need to connect the audio signal to a different device, such as external PC speakers or your home stereo system.
Read: Troubleshoot Windows Sound and Audio problems.
8] Run Sound and Audio Troubleshooter
If all fails, you may bring in and use the built-in Troubleshooting tool in Windows 11/10/8. The tool may automatically fix the audio recording problem.
To open the Sound and Audio Troubleshooter, bring up the Control Panel by pressing Win+X in combination and selecting Control Panel. Then, under System and Security, click Find and fix problems. Or else, right-click on the Speaker icon in the Taskbar notification area and select Troubleshoot sound problems to open the Sound and Audio Troubleshooter.
When done, choose ‘Hardware and Sound’ and click on the Troubleshoot audio recording link.
While this post has been written keeping Windows 11/10 in mind, it will help if you face the No Sound problem on other Windows versions too.
Read:
- No sound in Video Editor app
- No sound when playing MKV files in Movies & TV app
- Fix Conexant SmartAudio HD No Sound issue
Why does my PC suddenly have no sound?
If your PC has Bluetooth that has previously been connected to an earphone or Bluetooth speaker, then check if it has connected to any of it. Whenever the device connects to an audio device over Bluetooth, the speaker output preference changes.
Read: How to Reset Audio Settings in Windows.
Why is no sound coming from my speakers?
If you have connected to a speaker, and there is no sound coming, then check if the audio jack is connected properly. If it’s a Bluetooth speaker, then turn it off and turn it back on, and make sure it is not connected to anything else.
Why is my audio not working on Zoom?
You need to make sure of two things. First, Zoom has access to Microphone. Second, the audio output is set properly to the speaker or headphone.
Go to Settings > Apps & notifications > App permissions and check if it has access to Microphone. In Zoom, check-in Settings > Audio, and the right output device is selected.
Additional help links:
- Windows could not start the Windows Audio service on Local Computer
- No Sound in Windows apps like XBOX Music or Video applications
- Sound Distortion issues in Windows
- Troubleshoot No Video, Audio or Sound in Skype calls
- How to enable Mono Audio in Windows.
I hope something helps.
We also have similar problem with those purchased the Windows 8 license for windows 7 based PCs. The device manager says all drivers are correct. But the front audio ports doesn’t work. This can be solved by installing the same Windows 7 Audio drivers itself[either normal install or compatibility troubleshoot install]. The audio drivers installed by Windows 8 is not supported by most Windows 7 PCs/notebooks.
Thanx the above method is really nice bcz this solve my problem
thanks !
meeeen this help like crazy i was getting mad at windows 8
thanx
thanks a lot!! u saved my paty
I am still having the issues.
When I start my laptop sound works fine. But after few mins (after opening Chrome) sound goes off. The mute button in my laptop also stops working. Color of button doesn’t change. Then to fix this issue I use “Scan hardware changes”. I have to repeat this in every 15-30 mins.
Please help
having the same exact issue lately and still looking for a fix
same here. exact same thing, especially with the mute button. :(
Windows 8.1 gave me a path of issues. Can I just have windows 7 again?
What if your Playback tab has no items? No playback devices installed it says.
If it is not the case of phisical problem, in most cases, a simple driver update can be a troubleshooter. Try to download and install the free driver update program will scan your computer for all drivers and identify problems and let you fix the problems with one click: http://www.drivethelife.com
I’ve got error 1067 in sound in windows 7
This didn’t work :( so anyone know what i should do pls reply. Here is some info….: It started off with my internet browsers (all of them) when i watched video or did anything with sound played it in a stuttering buzzingish way even if it was an external application (as long as it was open) so i tried to fix it by disabling some addons in chrome (my main browser) (I also have don’t use but have internet explorer) and when i did that it removed all sound except for win sounds (like the error thing) and now it stops all sounds from my pc and when I go to play music it just says it errors with no reason why.
[EDIT] Fixed By Hitting “Scan for hardware changes” a second time :D!!!!
Well atleast the error sound still plays
I just installed the Windows 10 upgrade and now i have no sound in my speakers and when i troubleshoot it tells me my speakers are not set as default but I can’t find where to do that – if I go to device manager it says working properly but on System speakers it says no drivers are installed for it
no sound when playing windows media player after upgrading windows 10 . what do do?
No sound with windows 10.. What to do ? HELP ME SOMSBODY
Have you tried the suggestions here?
I upgraded to Windows 10 from Windows 7.
I now have no sound – it says ‘not connected’ but it is.
I’m using RealTech High Definition Audio. The driver is up to date. I’ve tried all the suggestions on the web site (eg default driver etc.) but to no effect.
After installing windows 10, sometimes when i turn on my TV(using 60″ HDTV as monitor through HDMI) I notice tghat the “screen timeout” has occurred. Its similar to screensaver, but instead it just turns off the monitor output. Most times, I have no audio when i wake it. Restart required. in the 30min I have before I leave for work, the last thing i want to do is restart my PC just so I can listen to music off youtube.
Temporary fix is to right click desktop, click “personalize” then “lock screen” and scroll to the bottom. There is “screen timeout”. Set that to never.
btw, verified this works for windows 10. Not sure about the others. My screen doesnt “time out” and instead goes to a screen saver, but coming out of that I have sound. Seems like microsoft trying to build an OS for tablets and phones, but forgetting about computers until the last minute.
try disabling “screen time out”. worked for me.
Anand do you have any suggestions for when windows 8.1 sounds are all working fine but in system sounds the sound works when you choose it in the sounds folder and press text but when the actual action is completed on the pc ie device connected or disconnected or new mail receive the sound does not play. I have a Sony Vaio and just had a brand new hard drive installed because it had been dropped a few times I went back to the guy who fitted it but he said he did not know how to fix it without doing a complete windows reinstall
Windows 10 ONLY: I cannot regain sound after lock screen. I am forced to restart to regain sound. z87mhx board, 4690k cpu, r9 285 graphics card.
i literally have no sound at all last night my headphones a made a weird noise then quit working all together and i tried them on my phone to see if the sound works and it did but now i cant get any sound from my tv speakers or headphones ive tried everthing and windows said that they didnt detect a problem please help
Also i have windows 10
Thnx very much unninstalling the drivers worked!
Thanks Anand. You’re a champion!
no sound on my laptop D520 window 7 professional
Bah this is good but doesn’t help me. Restarted my computer and the audio drivers themselves are no longer being read. I restarted again to try to get them to reinstall themselves. My computer is a alienware m14x R2, with sound blaster driver software and was working fine before the restart, guess that is what I get for trusting Microsoft on updates…..
problem not solved help me please
Thanks a lot you save my Madness change to happiness..I go to Setting correct audio device as default boom ..it functioning ….More Power
Thanks a lot! I updated my Windows from 7 to 10 this week and everything seems to work fine but the driver problems. My Realtek audio is not working and was told a driver error occurred. I tried windows fix but to no avail. Finally I installed a different version of realtek driver by Driver Talent with one click. It is very helpful!
sir in laptop when i plug the headphone veri hight sound come out like beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee and when i plug speaker it work properly i also change my internal speaker but problem are not solve
The simplest solution with this problem is to remove all the USB and Via sound devices in the Device Manager. Once this was done, restart your computer. During restart, the computer will reinstall the necessary drivers, and you should be able to listen to your music, or what you like. This solution worked form on my Windows 7 Premium version, and I believe it should work on any other Windows OS as well. Removing components and restarting a Windows PC is a long time tradition to fix temporary issues, and it should work, as it did for me on both Windows 7, and Windows 10 OS software programs. Steve H.
How can solve the problem of Windows 7 sound?
I am still having issues, whenever I plug in my headphones it always says that they aren’t plugged in, and whenever I unplug them and turn the volume all the way up the sound still doesn’t work
hey Anand,
thank you for the relevant information you provided me with you were able to save a lot of time which i would have wasted if it weren’t for you.
kudos to your work..!
thankyou
i literally have no sound at all last night my headphones a made a weird noise then quit working all together and i tried them on my phone to see if the sound works and it did but now i cant get any sound from my tv speakers or headphones ive tried everthing and windows said that they didnt detect a problem please help i did everything stated here and nothing worked
very very useful. Easy to understand even for layman.
Thank you so much. I was able to solve my problem in the first three steps (restarting Windows Audio), so thank you for the help
none of these worked at all device is working no rear or front pc sound it just stopped even tried new speakers and headphones. drivers too, still nothing.
I’m having problem with my Windows Sounds. Some windows sounds are not played in case needed like “default beep”, “Calendar reminder”,etc. (In fact, only “Windows user account control” sound is played among the sounds I checked in common playing Windows Sounds.) I don’t have problem with Playing other external sounds like music or st… .
I’m using Windows 10 Pro.
I have a problem on my computer system the sound is not working is someone has any knowledge please help me i am in trouble.
Thankyou !! Proved to be useful !
no. did not work.
same problem here. devices arent showing up on the list.
Sound Isn’t Responding
This helped me so much. I was worried I’d have to call my technician to come out to fix my computer. Thanks.
IT WONT LET ME CHOOSE SOUND
thats the same problem i having
Brilliant. Fixed it!
im on a windows ten and my sound will go into slow motion and then stop and crash. when it starts back up my sound is gone!!! please help
i sad