How to Fix Sound Not Working in Windows 11

If you're trying to watch a video, play a game, or listen to music on your Windows 11 PC and you can't hear the audio, there's usually an easy fix. And don't worry; even if you're not super tech-savvy, these steps will be very easy to follow. In this wikiHow troubleshooting guide, we'll walk you through simple steps to diagnose and fix your Windows 11 PC when there's no sound or your audio device isn't showing up.

Quick Fixes for Sound Not Working in Windows 11

Click the speaker icon on the taskbar and check for low or muted volume.
Check and adjust your audio output settings.
If using a speaker, headphones, or headset, disconnect and reconnect it, and make sure it's charged (if needed).
Run the Windows Audio Troubleshooter and restart all audio services.
Update or reinstall audio-related drivers and CODECs.

Section 1 of 10:

Check the Volume Controls

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1
Click the speaker icon on the taskbar to check your PC's volume. You'll find the speaker icon in the system tray, which is near the clock, date, and other small icons in the bottom-right corner of the screen. This is where you'll find the volume slider, which you can control by dragging to the left (to lower the volume) or right (to increase the volume).
- If the volume slider is pulled all the way to the left side, you won't hear any sound. Try dragging it to the right to increase the volume.
- If there's a white X on the speaker icon, the sound is muted. Click the X to unmute, and you should be good to go.
- If there's a red X on the speaker icon, jump to Update or Reinstall Audio Drivers.
2
Double-check the volume controls on your audio device. If you're trying to listen to audio through a connected headset, headphones, or speaker, check the device to see if it has its own volume and/or mute controls. Even if your PC's volume is up, you won't hear sound if the volume is all the way down on your listening device.
- Some wireless headphones and headsets, including AirPods, allow you to mute audio by tapping or pressing a sensor on the earpiece.^{[1]
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  Research source} This makes it easy to accidentally mute or lower the audio when you don't mean to.

Section 2 of 10:

Check Your Audio Output Settings

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1
Open your Windows sound settings. Here's an easy way to get there:
- Press the Windows key on your keyboard (or click the Start menu).
- Click Settings (the gear icon).
- Click System in the left panel.
- Click Sound in the right panel.
2
Select the device you want to hear sound through. All connected listening devices should appear under "Output" in the right panel. If the wrong listening device is selected (for example, if your monitor's built-in speakers are selected instead of your headphones), click the circle on the correct device to change the audio output.
- If you change your audio device here, try listening to audio again to see if that fixed the problem. If not, continue to the next step.
- If you don't see the device you want to listen to audio through, jump to Reconnect the Audio Device.
If you still can't hear sound, this will open up additional settings.
If the device can be used to listen to audio, you should see a button that says "Don't allow" next to it. Don't click the button if it says "Don't allow," as this will disable it. However, if the button says "Allow," the device is disabled–click Allow to reenable it.
5
Click the Test button. This plays a sound through the selected audio device. If the device is working, you should hear the sound.
- If you don't hear anything but you see activity on the volume slider, drag the slider to the right to see if that fixes the problem.
6
Do a quick reboot to see if your audio issues resolve. Sometimes you won't hear sound in Windows 11 after making changes to your audio settings. To make sure the changes take effect, click the Start menu (or press the Windows key), click the Power icon at the bottom-right corner of the menu, then select Restart.
- If you still don't hear audio, jump to the section on changing the audio format.

Section 3 of 10:

Reconnect the Audio Device

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1
Make sure the audio device is turned on. If you weren't able to find your speakers, headphones, or headset in your Windows sound output settings, there's likely an issue with the way the device is connected. Before digging in further, check for a Power or On button on your audio device, and make sure it's not turned off.
- If the device uses batteries or is rechargeable, replace the batteries or give it a charge before further troubleshooting.
- To see if the device shows up, return to Settings > System > Sound and look for it under the "Output" options.
If the speaker or headset is connected via USB or an audio input, unplug it, then plug it back in. If another port of the same type is available, try plugging it into a different port.
3
Forget and reconnect a Bluetooth device. If the device you're listening on uses Bluetooth, the Bluetooth connection may need a reset:
- Open your Windows Settings and click Bluetooth & devices.
- Click View more devices.
- Click the arrow next to your Bluetooth audio device and select Remove.
- Put your Bluetooth audio device into pairing mode. This may require you to turn it off and on again, or to press and hold a Bluetooth button somewhere on it.
- Click Add device at the top.
- Select Bluetooth.
- Click Show all devices.
- Click your Bluetooth audio device and follow the on-screen instructions to pair it.
- Once paired, click System in the left panel of Settings, then click Sound in the right panel.
- You should now see your Bluetooth audio device. Jump back to Check Your Audio Output Settings to learn how to set it as your default.
If you still can't get your listening device to show up in your Windows sound settings, see if you run into the same problem on another computer, phone, or tablet. If you do, the problem is with the speaker or headset, not with Windows.

Section 4 of 10:

Change the Audio Format

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Reopen your sound settings by selecting Settings on the Start menu and navigating to System > Sound.
It'll be to the right of the device's name.
3
Select a different audio format under "Output settings." In the "Format" box, you'll see the Test button, and a drop-down menu right beside it that displays some numbers like "24 bit, 48000 Hz." Make a note of this, as you'll want to change it back to this option if the others don't work.
- Click that drop-down menu and select a different format option.
- Click the Test button to see if you can hear the sound with that option.
- Go through each of the options to see if any of them work for you. If you find a format that works, you can leave it selected.
- If not, reselect the original format and go to the next step.
4
Disable audio enhancements if needed. If you still can't hear sound, you may need to disable audio enhancements for the device:
- Click the Device Default Effects menu, then select Off.
- Click Test to see if you can hear sound. If not, you can turn it back on.
- If "Spatial Sound" is set to On, try selecting Off, and then click Test to see if that resolves the issue.

Section 5 of 10:

Run the Audio Troubleshooter

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If audio still isn't working, the Windows audio troubleshooter may be able to fix the problem for you. To open your settings, click the Start menu (or press the Windows key), then click Settings (the gear icon).^{[2]
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It's in the left panel.
You'll find this in the right panel.
It's the option with a wrench icon in the right panel. A list of Windows troubleshooters will appear.
5
Run the Audio troubleshooter. To do so, click Run next to "Audio," and wait a few moments for the prompt to appear in the "Get Help" window. Click the Yes button under "Do we have your consent to run automated diagnostics to try solving your audio problem?" to begin.
- If the troubleshooter identifies a problem, it will try to resolve the issue or provide additional steps for you to take to resolve it on your own.
- If no problems are found, or if the solution doesn't fix your sound problem, you may be able to fix it by restarting the Windows sound services.

Section 6 of 10:

Restart Windows Audio Services

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To do so, press the Windows key (or click the Start menu), type services into the search bar, and press ↵ Enter.
This will sort the services alphabetically, which will make it easier to find the services you need.
3
Restart three Windows audio-related services. The Windows services you'll need to restart are Windows Audio, Windows Audio Endpoint Builder, and Remote Procedure Call (RPC). To restart them:^{[3]
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- Right-click Windows Audio and select Restart.
- Right-click Windows Audio Endpoint Builder and select Restart.
- Right-click Remote Procedure Call (RPC) and select Restart.

Section 7 of 10:

Run Windows Update

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Check for and install any available Windows updates. If Windows is outdated, or if a new version of your audio driver has replaced an older version, you may not hear sound until you install the latest updates. Windows should automatically download the latest drivers for your audio devices through Windows Update, but sometimes you'll need to install "optional updates" to make sure you get them. Here's what you'll need to do:^{[4]
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- Open the Start menu and click Settings.
- Click Windows Update in the left panel.
- Click Advanced options in the right panel.
- Click Optional updates under "Additional options."
- Select any available Windows updates from the top section.
- If you see a number next to "Driver updates," expand it to see which driver updates are available, then check their corresponding boxes to select them.
- Click Download & install, and follow the on-screen instructions to run the updates.
- Once the updates are finished installing, reboot your PC if prompted, then try listening to audio again.

Section 8 of 10:

Update or Reinstall Audio Drivers

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1
Open the Device Manager. Outdated or corrupt audio drivers can definitely cause sound not to work in Windows 11. You can first check for and install available updates in Device Manager, and then try removing and reinstalling them if no updates are available. To open Device Manager, right-click the Start menu and select Device Manager.^{[5]
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- This method will be especially helpful if you are seeing a red X on the sound icon in Windows 11.
2
Click the arrow next to "Sound, video and game controllers." This expands the group to display all drivers inside.
3
Right-click your sound card and select Update driver. The majority of PCs have Realtek Audio sound cards, but yours may have a different name. If you don't see a Realtek driver, it might be Intel, Creative, or Qualcomm.
4
Click Search automatically for drivers. If a new driver is found, follow the on-screen instructions to install it. If not, continue to the next step.
5
Right-click your sound card and select Uninstall device. A pop-up will appear, asking if you want to remove the driver for the device.^{[6]
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6
Check the box next to "Attempt to remove the driver for this device" and click Uninstall. This will delete the current audio driver.
7
Reboot your computer. When your computer comes back up, a fresh copy of the audio driver will install automatically. Try listening to audio again to see if the issue is resolved.
8
Try using a generic driver instead. If the new driver didn't fix the problem, you might need to use the generic driver. Here's how to install it:^{[7]
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- Reopen Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Device Manager.
- Click the arrow next to "Sound, video and game controllers".
- Right-click your sound card and select Update driver.
- Select Browse my computer for drivers > Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.
- Select your sound card (choose the most recent date if multiple are available) and click Next.
- Click Close, then try listening to audio again.

Section 9 of 10:

Update the IDT High Definition Audio CODEC

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If your computer has the IDT High Definition Audio CODEC, you may need to manually update its driver to hear sound. To open Device Manager, right-click the Start menu and select Device Manager.
" This expands the group to display all drivers inside.
If you don't see this option, this method won't be helpful.
Some additional options will appear.
A list of drivers will appear.
This replaces the CODEC driver with the default option from Windows. Once the process is complete, try listening to audio again.

Section 10 of 10:

Reset Windows 11

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If sound issues persist, try restoring Windows to its original settings. In most cases, the previous methods will take care of the issue for you. If your sound issues persist, you may need to reset Windows 11 to get sound working again. Fortunately, you can reset your PC without losing any important files. You will, however, need to reinstall apps and reconfigure any special settings. Here's how:^{[8]
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- First, if your PC uses BitLocker encryption, make sure you have your recovery key, as you'll need it to get back in.
- Open Settings and click System.
- Click Recovery in the right panel.
- Click Reset PC.
- When prompted, choose the option to Keep my files and Restore preinstalled apps.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to reset your PC.
1. And if the steps above have been helpful, be sure to download this article as a PDF so you can print, read, or reference it any time.