Some of you may have faced this problem at some point – there is no sound in Windows 11/10/8/7. 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Such audio issues can be caused due to misconfigured audio settings, faulty external speakers, or outdated or corrupted device drivers. You need to check the volume controls, levels & settings, 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 theHDMI cables are connected properly
- Run Sound and Audio Troubleshooter.
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 DONT delete it) and then in the Device Manager > Action > Scan for hardware changes. This will reinstall the driver.
ReadNo sound in Windows 11/10 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, 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 Device Status shows that the device is working correctly, the problem showing up is due to sound settings, the speakers, or the cables.
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 any help.
5] Check if the Speakers and headphonescables 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 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.
ReadComputer sound volume too low.
6] Change audio format
In the Sound Control Panel on the Playback tab, right-click the Default Device and select Properties. 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 are using an HDMI cable to connect your PC to a monitor with speakers that supports HDMI, chances are 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 the sound is supported by HDMI, 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.
Your HDMI monitor should have an audio input if you don’t have an HDMI audio device. What you are required to do then is 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
- 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.
FAQs
Why does my computer suddenly have no sound Windows 11? ›
Hardware problems can be caused by outdated or malfunctioning drivers. Make sure your audio driver is up to date and update it if needed. If that doesn't work, try uninstalling the audio driver (it will reinstall automatically). If that doesn't work, try using the generic audio driver that comes with Windows.
How do I get my sound back on Windows 11? ›- Check Audio Muted/ Low Volume Levels.
- Choose the Right Audio Source.
- Connect the Audio Cable to the Correct Port.
- Use Audio Troubleshooter to Fix No Sound Issue on Windows 11.
- Reinstall Audio Driver in Windows 11.
- Update Audio Driver in Windows 11.
- Press Windows + R and open the Run window.
- Type mmsys. cpl > press enter.
- Click the Playback tab > right-click Speakers > Set as Default Device > Apply > Ok.
- Exit the Sound Settings window and reboot the PC.
- Open Settings on Windows 11.
- Click on Windows Update.
- Click the Advanced options page.
- Under the “Additional options” section, click the Optional updates setting.
- Select the audio driver to update.
- Click the “Download and install” button.
Check that the speakers are turned on and connected properly
If your computer has external speakers, make sure that they are turned on and that the volume is turned up. Make sure that the speaker cable is securely plugged into the “output” audio socket on your computer. This socket is usually light green in color.
Double-click "Sound, Video and Game Controllers." Right-click the sound driver and click "Enable" to restart the device.
Why is Realtek audio not working? ›Usually, an outdated Realtek audio/sound driver is the reason behind the problem. The best way to fix the issue is to manually update the Realtek audio driver or use a Driver Updating tool called Advanced Driver Updater.
Where are the System sound files in Windows 11? ›The Sounds drop menu lists . wav files in the C:\Windows\Media folder. You can click/tap on Browse to navigate to and select a custom .
Why is my audio not working after Windows 11 update? ›You can fix audio issues in Windows 11 by updating the drivers, troubleshooting, increasing volume levels and system configurations, reinstalling the driver, restarting audio services, installing the sound manager, or enabling the playback devices from the system audio settings.
Do I need Realtek audio driver for Windows 11? ›This audio driver is required if you plan to connect a microphone or headset to the audio jack. If you have any yellow bangs after all drivers have been installed, try reinstalling the Realtek Audio driver with Intel SST again.
Do I need Realtek audio console Windows 11? ›
Realtek High Definition Audio Driver is a common Sound driver for Windows PC, and it helps manage surround sound, Dolby, and DTS sound systems. This makes the driver essential for the audio device to work. Therefore, when it is uninstalled, you face severe audio errors.
How do I fix no audio output device is installed Windows 11? ›- Step 1: Open the “Device Manager” from the “Search” bar on the taskbar. Lead into the “Sound, video, and game controllers” section and locate the sound driver you have to update.
- Step 2: Right-click on the driver and select the option of “Update driver/device.”
The latest Realtek audio driver windows 11 for Intel was released on January 11, 2022. Its version is 6.0.9285.1. This Intel Realtek HD audio driver for Windows 11 is for a 3.5mm audio jack and can be installed on the 11th generation Intel NUC11PHKi7C and NUC11PHKi7CAA.
How do I get Realtek audio to work on Windows 11? ›- Open the Run dialog box.
- Type “ services. msc ” and press “Enter.”
- Find “Realtek Audio Service.”
- Right-click on “Realtek Audio Service” and select “Properties.”
- Under “Startup type,” select “Automatic.”
- Click “OK” to save your changes.
- Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
Update the Audio Driver
Outdated or corrupted audio drivers may lead to the test tone not working. You will need to update them to get your sound back on Windows. To update the audio driver: Press Win + R on your keyboard to open the Run command.
One of the reasons you could be experiencing the Realtek microphone not working problem on your Windows 11 is that the drivers of the device are outdated. To update the drivers: Open Device Manager by pressing the Windows key + X and click on Device Manager. Click on Audios, inputs, and outputs.
How do I get Realtek audio console on Windows 11? ›Here are the steps to download Realtek Audio Console via Microsoft Store. Step 1: Go to the Realtek Audio Console download page from Microsoft Store. Step 2: Click the Get in Store app button to continue. Step 3: Click the Open Microsoft Store button to open the Realtek Audio Console download interface.