Fix sound problems in Windows 10

If you’re having audio problems, the following suggestions might help. The tips are listed in order, so start with the first one, see if that helps, and then continue to the next one if it doesn’t.

If multiple audio output devices are available, check that you have the appropriate one selected. Here’s how:

Select the Speakers icon on the taskbar.

Next, select the arrow to open a list of audio devices connected to your computer.

Check that your audio is playing to the audio device you prefer, such as a speaker or headphones.

If this doesn’t help, continue to the next tip.

The audio troubleshooter might be able to fix audio problems automatically.

To run the troubleshooter

In the search box on the taskbar, type audio troubleshooter, select Fix and find problems with playing sound from the results, then select Next.

Select the device you want to troubleshoot and then continue through the troubleshooter.

You can also launch the troubleshooter from audio Settings. Select Start > Settings > System > Sound > Troubleshoot.

If running the troubleshooter doesn’t help, continue to the next tip.

To check for updates

Select Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for updates.

Do one of the following:

If the status says «You’re up to date, go to the next tip.

If the status says «Updates are available,» select Install now.

Select the updates you want to install, then select Install.

Restart your PC and see if your sound is working properly.

If that didn’t solve your problem, continue to the next tip.

Try these steps

Check your speaker and headphone connections for loose cords or cables. Make sure all cords and cables are plugged in.

If you have multiple 5mm jacks to plug into, especially on a surround sound system, make sure all cords and cables are plugged into the correct jack.

If it’s not clear which jack goes with which cord, consult your hardware manufacturer, or try the most obvious outputs one at a time and see if they work.

Note: Some systems use a green jack for output and pink for mic input and others will be labeled «headphone» or «microphone.»

Make sure the power is turned on and check the volume level.

Make sure the mute setting is not turned on, and try turning up all the volume controls.

Remember some speakers and apps have their own volume controls. Be sure to check them all.

Try connecting your speaker and headphones to a different USB port.

It’s possible that your speakers won’t work when your headphones are plugged in. Unplug your headphones and see if that helps.

If your cables and volume are OK, see the next sections for additional troubleshooting.

Check to make sure your audio devices aren’t muted and haven’t been disabled.

Right-click the Speakers icon on the taskbar, and then select Open Volume mixer.

You’ll see a set of volume controls for your devices. Make sure none of them are muted. If any of them are muted, you’ll see a red circle with a line through it next to the volume control. In that case, select the volume control to unmute.

Check your device properties to make sure that your devices have not been disabled by mistake. Select Start > Settings > System > Sound .

Select your audio device, and then select Device properties. Be sure to select Device properties for both the output and input devices.

Make sure the Disable check box is cleared for the output and input devices.

If that didn’t solve your problem, continue to the next tip.

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. If you’re having audio issues after installing updates, try rolling back your audio driver.

To update your audio driver automatically

In the search box on the taskbar, type device manager, then select it from the results.

Select the arrow next to Sound, video and game controllers to expand it.

Right-click the listing for your sound card or audio device, such as headphones or speakers, select Update driver, then select Search automatically for updated driver software. Follow the instructions to complete the update.

If Windows doesn’t find a new driver, look for one on the device manufacturer’s website and follow those instructions. If that doesn’t work, try uninstalling your audio driver.

To uninstall your audio driver

In the search box on the taskbar, type device manager, then select it from the results.

Select the arrow next to Sound, video and game controllers to expand it.

Right-click the listing for your sound card or audio device, select Uninstall device, select the Delete the driver software for this device check box, and then select Uninstall.

Restart your PC.

Note: Be sure to save documents and any other current work before you restart.

This restart will automatically prompt your PC to reinstall your audio driver.

To restart, select Start > Power > Restart .

If those options didn’t work, try using the generic audio driver that comes with Windows.

To use the generic audio driver that comes with Windows

In the search box on the taskbar, type device manager, then select it from the results.

Select the arrow next to Sound, video and game controllers to expand it.

Right-click the listing for your sound card or audio device, then select Update driver > Browse my computer for driver software > Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer.

Select the audio device whose driver you want to update, select Next, and then follow the instructions to install it.

If these steps didn’t solve your audio issue, visit your device manufacturer’s website and install the most recent audio/sound drivers for your device. Following is an example of a driver download page for a sound device manufacturer.

If you have audio issues after installing updates

If your audio was working before you ran Windows Update and now isn’t working, try rolling back your audio driver.

To roll back your audio driver

In the search box on the taskbar, type device manager, then select it from the results.

Select the arrow next to Sound, video and game controllers to expand it.

Right-click the listing for your sound card or audio device, then select Properties.

Select the Driver tab, then select Roll Back Driver.

Read and follow the instructions and then select Yes if you want to roll back your audio driver.

If rolling back your audio driver didn’t work or wasn’t an option, you can try to restore your PC from a system restore point.

Restore your PC from a system restore point

When Microsoft installs updates on your system, we create a system restore point in case problems arise. Try restoring from that point and see if that fixes your sound problems. For more info, see «Restore from a system restore point» in Recovery options in Windows 10.

If you’re connecting to an audio device—such as headphones or speakers—using USB or HDMI, you might need to set that device as the default audio device. If you’re using an external monitor that doesn’t have built-in speakers, make sure that the monitor isn’t already selected as your default output device. if it is, you won’t have any audio. You can check that when you set your default output audio device. Here’s how:

In the search box on the taskbar, type control panel, then select it from the results.

Select Hardware and Sound from the Control Panel, and then select Sound.

On the Playback tab, right-click the listing for your audio device, select Set as Default Device, and then select OK.

If setting your audio device as the default device doesn’t help, continue to the next tip for additional troubleshooting.

Sometimes having audio enhancements on can result in audio issues. Disabling them may resolve your issue.

In the search box on the taskbar, type control panel, then select it from the results.

Select Hardware and Sound from the Control Panel, and then select Sound.

On the Playback tab, right-click the Default Device, and then select Properties.

On the Enhancements tab, select either the Disable all enhancements or the Disable all sound effects check box (depending on which option you see), select OK, and try to play your audio device.

If that doesn’t work, on the Playback tab, select another default device (if you have one), select either the Disable all enhancements or the Disable all sound effects check box (depending on which option you see), select OK, and try to play audio again. Do this for each default device.

If turning off audio enhancements doesn’t help, see the next sections for additional troubleshooting.

In the search box on the taskbar, type services, then select it from the results.

Select each of the following services, right-click, and then select Restart:

Windows Audio Endpoint Builder

Remote Procedure Call (RPC)

If restarting these services doesn’t resolve your issue, see the next sections for more troubleshooting.

In the search box on the taskbar, type control panel, and then select it from the results.

Select Hardware and Sound from the Control Panel, and then select Sound.

On the Playback tab, right-click (or press and hold) Default Device, and then select Properties.

On the Advanced tab, under Default Format, change the setting, select OK,and then test your audio device. If that doesn’t work, try changing the setting again.

If trying different audio formats doesn’t help, see the next sections for additional troubleshooting.

Many updates require you to restart your device.

To check and see if you have installed updates pending and need to restart

Save your work and close all open applications.

Select Start > Power . If you have installed updates pending, you’ll see options to Update and restart and Update and shut down.

Select one of those restart options to apply the updates

If restarting doesn’t help, see the next section for additional troubleshooting.

Some audio problems might be caused by an issue with the audio system’s IDT High Definition Audio CODEC. This can be fixed with a manual driver update which allows you to choose the sound driver you want to use.

Note: Not all systems will have an IDT High Definition Audio CODEC.

To check and see if you have one, and to manually update the driver

In the search box on the taskbar, type device manager, then select it from the results.

Select the arrow next to Sound, video and game controllers to expand it.

Look for IDT High Definition Audio CODEC. If it’s listed, right-click it and select Update driver, then select Browse my computer for driver software > Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer.

You’ll see a list of pre-installed drivers. Select High Definition Audio Device, and then select Next.

1. Select Start > Settings > Privacy , and then select Microphone from the left menu.

Under Allow access to the microphone on this device, select Change. Make sure the toggle is turned On.

If you’re having this issue with a specific app, scroll down to Choose which Microsoft Store apps can access your microphone and make sure that the toggle next to that app is turned On as well.

How to play sound on two devices at once in Windows 10

• Wondering if there’s a way to output audio to multiple devices in Windows 10? We’ve got a few quick tips for you.
• For example, you may easily use the Stereo Mix option in order to adjust it to play audio from two devices at once.
• This Audio Troubleshooting section can also help you remedy any sound issues you may encounter.
• Even if you lack the experience of a tech expert, check out our Windows 10 Tips Hub. The included comprehensive guides shouldn’t scare you off.

There is no secret that Windows plays audio through one connected output device by default.

Thus, users will usually need to switch between alternative connected speakers or headphones to select the required playback device.

However, you can configure Windows 10 so that it plays sound from two connected playback devices simultaneously.

This is how you can play audio from two connected playback devices at once in Windows 10.

How can I output audio to multiple devices in Windows 10?

1. Enable Stereo Mix
2. Select Output Devices to play audio from specific apps

1. Enable Stereo Mix

1. Right-click the Speakers icon on the system tray and select Sounds.
2. Select the Playback tab shown in the snapshot directly below.
3. Then select your primary speakers audio playback device and click Set as default. That will be one of the two playback devices that play the audio.
4. Select the Recording tab shown directly below.
5. Right-click a blank space on the Recording tab and select the Show Disabled Devices option. Then you will usually see Stereo Mix on the Recording tab.
6. Right-click Stereo Mix and select the Enable option.
7. Then right-click Stereo Mix to select the Set as Default Device option on its context menu.
8. Click Properties on Stereo Mix’s context menu to open the Stereo Mix Properties window.
9. Select the Listen tab on the Stereo Mix window.
10. Then click the Listen to this device checkbox.
11. Select the second playback device listed on the Playback this device drop-down menu.
12. Click the Apply and OK buttons on both the Stereo Mix Properties and Sound window.
13. Restart your desktop or laptop. Thereafter, Windows will play audio at the same time from your primary audio device and the one you selected on the Playback this device drop-down menu.

Windows 10 includes a Stereo Mix option that you can adjust to playing audio from two devices at once. However, that is not enabled by default in Windows 10.

Thus, you’ll need to enable Stereo Mix in Win 10 and then configure its settings as described above.

Note that not all users will always see Stereo Mix on the Recording tab even after selecting Show Disabled Devices. That’s usually due to your laptop’s or desktop’s sound driver.

Some of the latest sound drivers don’t support Stereo Mix anymore. So you might need to install an older sound driver if you can’t enable Stereo Mix.

If your HDMI doesn’t show up in playback devices on Windows 10, check out this step-by-step guide to solve the problem.

Also, if you’re sure that the problem is your driver, to avoid similar issues in the future you can block Windows 10 from auto-updating the driver with the help of this easy to follow guide.

2. Select Output Devices to play audio from specific apps

1. To select audio output for specific software, right-click the Speakers icon and select Open Sound settings.
2. Then click App volume and devices preferences to open the options shown in the image directly below.
3. The Settings lists all your open apps. Click the Output drop-down menu adjacent to the software you need to select a playback device for.
4. Then you can select a connected playback device from the drop-down menu. Note that Windows will save the chosen output audio device so that it plays audio when you open the software you selected it for.

The latest Window 10 build includes new settings that enable users to customize playback devices for software. Now users can select different audio playback devices for alternative apps.

For example, you could select one set of speakers to play music from Google Chrome and another pair of speakers to play audio from the Movies & TV app.

So you can play audio from two or more playback devices at once by selecting alternative sound output for software.

If you’re having trouble opening the Setting app, take a look at this quick article to solve the issue.

So you can play audio from two, or more, sound devices at once by enabling Stereo Mix or adjusting the volume and device preferences in Win 10.

Note that you can also enable Stereo Mix in earlier Windows platforms, but you can’t configure multiple output devices to play audio from specific apps in Windows 7 or 8.

However, you can still select specific audio playback devices for apps with the Audio Router software.

If you’re aware of another fix for the problem, share it in the comments section below so that other users can try it, too.

If you have any other questions, feel free to leave them there as well.