Default Playback devices are not retaining their settings.

I’m having an issue with laptops after upgrading to Windows 10. I set the default playback device and the default communications device in the sound settings, but when I restart the laptops or undock them, then dock them again, they do not go back to the saved default settings. I have to keep going back to the playback settings and change them. Is anyone else having this issue or have resolved this issue? I verified that Windows 8 and 8.1 keeps remembers your settings when you put a laptop or device back in the dock.

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Which device are you trying to set as default? Is it a headphone or a speaker?

Are you the making the changes as an administrator because only an admin can make settings change.

Fix sound problems

Also update the latest sound drivers and check if it helps.

How to Install and Update drivers in Windows 10

Let us know how it goes.

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Thank you for posting your query in Microsoft Community.

Which device are you trying to set as default? Is it a headphone or a speaker?

Are you the making the changes as an administrator because only an admin can make settings change.

Fix sound problems

Also update the latest sound drivers and check if it helps.

How to Install and Update drivers in Windows 10

Let us know how it goes.

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Sorry this didn’t help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

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2 people found this reply helpful

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Sorry for the delay in response. I would suggest you to restore your PC to earlier time. If an app or update that you recently installed caused problems with your PC, you can restore Windows back to an earlier point in time, called a restore point. System Restore doesn’t change your personal files, but it might remove recently installed apps and drivers.

Note: Windows automatically creates a restore point when you install desktop apps and new Windows updates, if the last restore point is older than 7 days. You can also create a restore point manually at any time.

To restore your PC to an earlier point in time

Press Windows Key + R to open run command.

Type rstrui and hit Enter key.

Select Recommended Restore or any other restore point created prior to this problem and click Next.

Follow the instructions to restore your PC to earlier.

Hope this helps.

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I have the same issue actually. Settings don’t save, default device switches on it’s own and is even on mute half the time after waking up the computer from sleep. Extremely annoying, can’t seem to find a fix anywhere. I’ve tried updating and reinstalling the drivers, did not help.

Sid, do you happen to use Skype often?

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The concern that you encounter regarding your playback devices may be affected by the configuration of your system settings. To isolate your concern we’d like to ask a few questions:

• What is the make and model of the playback device that you’re trying to set up?
• When did you first experience this error?
• Have you made any recent changes on your device?
• Can you confirm if the time and date on your device is configured properly? This is necessary to retain any changes performed on your device.

We’re looking forward to your response.

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The concern that you encounter regarding your playback devices may be affected by the configuration of your system settings. To isolate your concern we’d like to ask a few questions:

• What is the make and model of the playback device that you’re trying to set up?
• When did you first experience this error?
• Have you made any recent changes on your device?
• Can you confirm if the time and date on your device is configured properly? This is necessary to retain any changes performed on your device.

We’re looking forward to your response.

The playback device I’m trying to use is «NVIDIA High Definition Audio» via monitor aux jack, which is playing sound through a Klipsch Theater System. No changes have been made to the sound system. The monitor is hooked up to a desktop PC running Windows 10.

I first experienced this error about two weeks ago. Ever since then, the issue persists every day, to this date.

I have not made any recent changes to the playback device, other than having to reapply the sound settings that are being switched back to default when the issue occurs. When the issue does occur, I have to disable the device and re-enable the device for it to start playing sound again, even when it is still set to «Default Device.» As for the Windows 10 PC, I’ve been keeping it up-to-date with the latest Microsoft updates. All drivers are also up-to-date and I had already tried reinstalling the respective audio drivers.

How To Set The Windows Default Playback & Recording Audio Device

The SmartSDR LAN Remote feature uses the Windows default Playback (speaker / headphones) and Recording (microphone) audio devices.

In general, on Win7 and Win 8.x PCs, when plugging a headset into an existing sound card or USB based audio device into a PC, Windows will automatically designate the newly inserted device as the default sound device, and after a short time will activate it, making LAN Remote a «plug-n-play» feature. For example, your speakers will be deactivated for as long as you have your USB headset plugged in.

However there are cases when you may need to manually set the appropriate sound device as the default and the procedure below will explain how to accomplish that task.

How To Change The Default Playback (speakers) Device

Physically connecting your headset to the PC running SmartSDR for Windows is the first step. Now to change it to be the Windows default playback and recording device.

The simplest and most direct way to change your playback device works the same way in Windows 7 and Windows 8.x. Find the icon for Sound in the notification area (lower right corner of your screen) and right-click or press and hold it.

You’ll see a menu that offers several choices: Open Volume Mixer, Playback devices, Recording devices, Sounds and Volume Control options.

Select the Playback devices to open the Sound Control Panel .

When you click on the Playback tab, a window will pop up that shows you the devices available on your system. Each system is different, so what you see will reflect that. You can also see which devices are actually available (as you can see in this Windows 7 screenshot, some devices are not plugged in). Your current default device will be indicated by a green check mark. In the example above the default playback sound device is the PC speakers connected to the High Definition audio device.

You can select (click) on any available device, and then choose Set Default. If you’re happy with your new choice, click OK, and you’re done.

NOTE: You can set different default devices for communications and for recording. SmartSDR for Windows only uses the Default audio device, not the default communication device.

How To Set The Default Recording (Mic) Device

Go to the Sound Control Panel , as described above, and click on the Recording tab. Here you’ll see the audio devices you have available that can be used as a microphone. Again, your current default device is indicated by a green check mark. Select your preferred device and click Set Default, just as you did for Playback.

You can see if the recording (mic) device is working by watching for movement in the audio gain meter bar beside each device. If you don’t see any movement while speaking into the mic, you may need to configure your device to make sure it is not muted or turned down too low to register. Click on Properties, and then choose the Levels tab.

If changing the levels doesn’t work, select your device and click the Configure button. This will take you to the Ease of Access window (don’t worry, this works for all sound device configurations). Click Set up microphone. Windows will walk you through a few simple steps to get your microphone working.

Troubleshooting: I Can’t See My Sound Device Listed

But what if you want to change to another audio device and you don’t see it listed?

By default, Windows does not show you devices that are disabled or disconnected. If your device is not listed, right-click anywhere in the blank space in the Sound Control Panel window to show the display options. You can then choose to see the devices that would otherwise be invisible.

How to change default sound devices in Windows 10 (playback and recording)

One of the many creative options built into Windows is the ability to record and play multimedia files of all kinds. Windows 10 makes it simple to select a default device for audio recording and playback. However, what if you would prefer that another device be used from your devices with similar capabilities? For example, you may have a webcam and a microphone on your computer, and you want the microphone to be the default recording device. Or, you may have both headphones and speakers available, and you want the headphones to be the default audio playback device. Let’s take a look at how to change the default audio devices in Windows 10:

What do you want to achieve?

Before we make any changes, it is important to know what we’re dealing with. For example, some Windows PCs have a large monitor with built-in speakers (which usually are of poor quality) and also external speakers which are connected to the PC. You may want to use the external speakers instead of the built-in ones for playing audio.

We record audio using microphones, for example, and play them through speakers. We can also record sounds from devices inside the computer, like the optical drive, and play them back through headphones. Many people have more than one audio device attached (like the microphone included in a webcam plus a standalone microphone plus a microphone built into a headset), and it is important to pick a default so that the sound is recorded and played back with the highest fidelity.

You do not want your voice to sound like you’re in an empty hallway because your default is the webcam microphone three feet away from you instead of the microphone in your headset or on your desk.

Therefore, before moving forward with this tutorial, you must be clear on what you want to achieve: which audio devices do you want to use for each task?

How to select the default playback device in Windows 10, using the Sound flyout

The simplest way to change your playback device in Windows 10 is to select it from the Sound flyout. Click or tap on the sound volume icon from the system tray, and then click/tap on the current playback device.

The Sound flyout then shows you all the playback audio devices that are available for you to use. All you have to do is to select the one you prefer from the list.

How to select the default playback device in Windows 10, using the Settings app

Similarly, you can also choose what audio device you prefer to use for playback, from the Settings app. However, this method involves a few more steps. Start by opening the Settings app: a fast way is to click or tap on its button from the Start Menu.

In the Settings app, navigate to System, and then to Sound. On the right side of the window, click or tap on the currently selected playback device under “Choose your output device.”

The Settings app should show you a list of all the audio playback devices available on your system. Select the one you prefer.

NOTE: There are also slightly faster ways to get to the Sound section from the Settings app. For instance, you can use the search, or you can right-click or press and hold on the sound volume icon from the system tray, and then click or tap on “Open Sound settings.”

How to select the default playback device in Windows 10, using the Sound settings from the Control Panel

You can also use the classic Sound window to change the default playback device on your Windows 10 system. However, getting to it is a bit more cumbersome than it used to be in the past. Open the Control Panel, navigate to Hardware and Sound, and click or tap on Sound.

This action opens the Sound window, where you set your default audio devices.

In the Playback tab, you are shown all the playback devices that are available on your Windows computer. Each system is different, and what you see reflects that. You can also see which devices are actually available. Some devices might not be plugged in, so they are greyed out. A green checkmark indicates the current default device.

To choose another audio device as your default playback device, click or tap on it, and then the Set Default button.

The selected device is now your default playback device in Windows. All playback audio is now routed through that device.

How to select the default recording device in Windows 10, using the Settings app

In the Settings app, navigate to System, and then to Sound. On the right side of the window, click or tap on the currently selected recording device under “Choose your input device.”

The Settings app should show you a list of all the input devices available on your system. Just select the one you prefer from the list.

The choice is immediately applied, as soon as you select the recording device you prefer.

How to select the default recording device in Windows 10, using the Sound settings from the Control Panel

Alternatively, you can also go to the Sound window: “Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Sound.”

In the Sound window, click or tap the Recording tab. Here you see the devices you have available to record sound. Again, your current default device is indicated by a green checkmark. Choose your preferred device and click or tap Set Default.

TIP: You can see if the sound recording device is working by watching for movement in the bar beside each device when you talk as if you are trying to record sound.

How to set a different communications device in Windows 10

The Sound window also lets you set different default devices for communications. Note that this is the only place in Windows 10 where you can do this change, as it has not yet been added to the Settings app.

For example, you may want to use a headset or the speakers that are built into your monitor for Skype and your external speakers for everything else. To set this, first, select the device you want to use, and then click or tap on the down-arrow on the Set Default button. You can then assign a device to communications (Default Communication Device) or general playback (Default Device).

You can see that the default communication device has a different green icon from the default playback audio device.

When you are done setting your default playback communication devices, click or tap OK or repeat the same process for setting your default input devices for communications.

Troubleshooting: Why can’t I see my preferred audio device listed?

What if the audio device that you want to use for recording isn’t listed? We talked about this problem in Troubleshooting Common Speech Recognition Problems. Remember, speech recognition devices are also configured through the Sound window. By default, Windows does not show you devices that are disabled or disconnected or those without their correct drivers installed. If your device is not listed, right-click or press and hold anywhere in the blank space in the Sound window. You can then choose to see the devices that would otherwise be invisible, by clicking or tapping “Show disabled devices.”

The same goes for showing disabled audio playback devices in the Playback tab of the Sound window.

Did you manage to change your default sound devices in Windows 10?

As you can see, setting the default audio devices for playback and recording is a quick and easy process in Windows 10, and you can adjust the settings from multiple places. You can change them anytime you need to, to make the best of Windows 10’s recording and playback capabilities. Have you had a good or bad experience with recording or playback defaults? Let’s talk about it in the comments section below.