How to fix audio issues on Windows 10 and 11

Despite all its advantages, Windows occasionally behaves strangely, such as when audio suddenly stops working. Try these simple fixes if the sound on your computer suddenly stops working:

Having a sound issue with a particular Application

You could occasionally notice that an application’s sound isn’t working once you open it. Even when the computer sound icon shows that it’s at full volume, the sound just does not function on that particular app. Here’s what you need to do to fix it.

Step 1: Restart your computer.

Step 2: Verify that the volume of the application is not muted or lowered. Each tab can be muted independently in browsers like Chrome and Firefox. If a tab is muted, the option to “Unmute tab” will appear when you right-click it to view its status.

Step 3: Try uninstalling and reinstalling the application if you’re still unable to hear anything. Back up any data you have and/or make a note of your current configuration of settings before proceeding, if necessary.

When your computer has no sound at all

The sound on your computer can sometimes stop working. The sound icon often has an “x” next to it, indicating that it has been muted. When this happens, attempting to unmute the sound is unsuccessful. Here’s how to handle such a situation if you run across it.

Step 1: Click the speaker icon in the taskbar to confirm that Windows is using the appropriate device for speaker output. Windows occasionally switch the output to a different device. The name of the speaker that is currently in use, such as Speakers/Headphones (Realtek(R)) Audio, is displayed at the top of the pop-up window. To change to the appropriate device, click that name. Make sure that all of your external speakers are turned on.

Step 2: Restart your computer.

Step 3: Check the taskbar speaker icon to make sure the audio is not muted and is turned up.

Step 4: Check to see if the computer isn’t muted by hardware, like a dedicated mute button on your laptop or keyboard. Try playing a song to test.

Step 5: Select “Open Volume Mixer” by right-clicking the volume icon. Be sure to turn on and amplify all of the options.

Step 6: Troubleshoot by selecting “Troubleshoot sound problem” from the context menu when you right-click on the sound icon. Try the audio jack with headphones this time. If the headphones are functional, take them off to carry out more internal speaker troubleshooting.

Step 7: Try a USB speaker or USB pair of headphones if your desktop computer has speakers plugged into the 3.5mm jack. Remove the substitute device if it functions properly so you can continue troubleshooting the original set of speakers.

Step 8: In Windows 10 or Windows 11, right-click the volume icon once more and select “Open Sound Settings” from the menu that appears. In the window that appears for Windows 10, locate “Related Settings”, then select “Sound Control Panel”. Click on “More sound settings” in the Advanced section of the window that appears for Windows 11. There will be a new, smaller window with the label “Sound” for both operating systems. To make sure your audio device has a green checkmark next to it, click the “Playback” tab. Make sure “Use this device (enable)” is checked when you click “Properties” after that.

By this point, if your sound is still not working, your audio controller’s driver may be corrupt or missing. To fix this, follow these 2 steps

Step 1: Uninstall the driver. Enter “device manager” in the taskbar search box to launch Device Manager, then select “Sound, video, and game controllers”. Choose the audio controller for the broken device, and then press the Delete key.

Step 2: Restart the computer, then let Windows reinstall the drivers. This should install automatically. Manually reinstall the driver by downloading it from the website of your PC or audio card manufacturer if it does not install automatically.

Viola, your sound is back on again. You can now relax and have fun by watching the movie you want to see or listen to the music you love.