Fix No Sound from Speakers but from Headphones on Windows 10

Oct. 12, 2020 / Updated by Bessie Shaw to Windows 10

Recently, some users have reported that there’s no sound from speakers but from headphones after they updated to 2017 Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. Actually, the no sound issue is one of the most irritating Windows 10 problems after all the updates, including key updates like Creators Update as well as the regular cumulative updates.

In this case, when users plug in their headphones, they can hear the sound play. But when unplugging the device, the internal speakers will not work properly. The sound only works with headphones on Windows 10. This makes it inconvenient for those music fanciers to playing music.

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Today, this Windows 10 guide will help you bring your desktop/laptop internal speakers back on track.

Top 4 Ways to Fix No Sound from Speakers Issue on Windows 10

Before we start, it is recommended that you check your sound play devices and make sure there’s no problem with them.

Sometimes, the headphones port may run into a glitch. You can try unplugging and re-plugging the headphones. Also, you can restart the computer and then play a piece of music to hear if the speakers work.

If there’s no issue with the hardware devices, then you can follow the top 4 viable solutions below to fix the internal speakers not working error.

Way 1. Install Compatible Audio Drivers to Fix No Sound from Speakers Error

If the methods above did not work, you need to check your sound card drivers.

Outdated, incompatible or broken audio drivers can trigger the «sound only works with headphones» on Windows 10 as well as audio-related problems like no sound issue, skipping sound problem, static sound in headphones, etc..

You can download the best-matched audio drivers from the official sites of the manufacturers. If you’re looking for a one-click solution, you can use Driver Talent, a professional driver manager that can automatically recognize and install the best-matched audio driver for Windows 10.

Click the button below to get Driver Talent instantly.

In this case, you need to remove the sound card driver in Device Manager and then install proper driver update.

Step 1. Use shortcut keys Win + X and select Device Manager.

Step 2. Expand the entry Sound, video and game controllers.

Step 3. Right-click the High Definition Audio Device and select the Uninstall device. Then the device will back to the early state when the original driver was installed.

Step 4. Launch Driver Talent. Click the Scan button to detect faulty drivers on the PC.

Step 5. Select an appropriate driver version from the drop-down menu. Click the Update button to automatically download and install the audio driver compatible with your computer.

After that, reboot to make the driver changes take effect. Then try your headphones and the internal speakers to see if both of them can work properly.

Note: It is better to backup drivers before any system changes so that you can quickly restore the system and the drivers.

Way 2. Try the Audio Repair Tool on Driver Talent

The new version of Driver Talent comes with a useful tool called Audio Repair, which is specially designed for audio issues. If you are troubled by the «headphones work but speakers not» issue, you can also have a try on it. Follow these steps.

Step 1. Launch Driver Talent and get to the Tools section. Find Audio Repair on the right and click on Try Now.

Step 2. Wait a moment for the Audio Repair tool to detect sound issues.

Step 3. After the detection, select the Playback device you are using and click on Fix It Now.

Step 4. The Audio Repair tool will automatically repair the no sound from speakers but from headphones issue for you. Please wait for a while.

Step 5. When the repair is done, play music to check if it works.

Way 3. Set Your Headphones/Internal Speakers as a Default Device

Some sound-related settings may not in good configuration. You can go to Playback devices to modify the settings.

Step 1. Right-click the sound icon in the notification area and select Playback devices.

Step 2. On the Sound interface, there are two devices in the list. Right-click the headphones icon and select the Properties.

Step 3. Go to the Advanced tab.

Step 4. Uncheck the Give exclusive mode applications priority.

Step 5. Click the OK button.

To enable internal speakers, back to the Sound interface and right-click the speakers icon. Select the Set as Default Device.

If the sound icon is not responsive, you can refer to Fix: Volume Control Not Working on Windows 10 Fall Creators Update for solutions.

If changing the default devices is a tedious work to make the sound available from the internal speakers, then try the following solutions:

Way 4. Configure HD Audio Manager to Enable Both Headphones and Speakers

Incorrect configurations in audio manager can also result in no sound from speakers but from headphones on windows 10. You can open the audio manager to fix the laptop speakers not working or «headphones work but speakers not» error.

Here we take Realtek HD Audio Manager as an example:

Step 1. Use Windows shortcut keysWin + R to open Run.

Step 2. Type into control and hit the Enter key to launch Control Panel.

Step 3. View the items by small icons. Click the Realtek HD Audio Manager.

Step 4. Click the gear icon in the up-right corner to open the Device advanced settings.

Step 5. Check the option Make front and rear output devices playback two different audio streams simultaneously. Click the OK button.

Then restart the computer and try playing music or video to see if the internal speakers not working issue has been solved.

See Also:

Hope this post can be a reference for you to fix the «no sound from speakers but from headphones» on Windows 10. If the «sound only works with headphones» issue still persists, or if you encounter other problems after Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, you can drop a line below. Hope you continue to have access to Windows 10 section as well as provide support.

Other Audio-related Posts You May Want to Check:

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.