sound problem

Try these Windows 11 steps in order:

1. Check the selected output device
   • Select the speaker icon on the taskbar.
   • Select the arrow to the right of the volume slider.
   • Make sure sound is going to the correct device, such as the built-in speaker, external speaker, or headphones.
   • Also check Start > Settings > System > Sound and confirm the correct device is selected under Output.
2. Make sure the device is the default playback device
   • Go to Start > Settings > System > Sound.
   • Select More sound settings > Playback.
   • Right-click the correct audio device and select Set as default.
3. Check hardware and volume
   • Make sure the device is powered on.
   • Make sure mute is off and volume is turned up.
   • If using USB audio, try a different USB port.
   • If headphones are plugged in, unplug them and test the speakers again.
4. Turn off audio enhancements
   • Go to Start > Settings > System > Sound.
   • Select the audio device under Output.
   • Under Advanced settings, set Audio enhancements to Off.
5. Run the automated audio troubleshooter again from Get Help
   • On Windows 11, the Get Help app can run automated diagnostics for audio problems.
6. Check Device Manager for the audio device
   • Select Start, type Device Manager, and open it.
   • Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
   • If the audio device appears, right-click it and select Enable device if that option is available.
   • If it does not appear, select View > Show hidden devices, then Action > Scan for hardware changes.
7. Update or reinstall the audio driver
   • In Device Manager, right-click the audio device under Sound, video and game controllers.
   • Select Update driver > Search automatically for drivers.
   • If that does not help, right-click the device again and select Uninstall device.
   • If prompted, select Attempt to remove the driver for this device.
   • Restart the PC. Windows should reinstall the driver automatically.
   • Save open work before restarting.
8. Install the latest audio driver from the device manufacturer
   • If Windows does not restore sound, install the latest Windows 11 audio driver from the PC or sound device manufacturer, then restart.
9. If sound stopped after Windows Update, try rollback
   • Open Device Manager.
   • Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
   • Right-click the audio device > Properties > Driver tab > Roll Back Driver.
   • Restart the device.
   • This option is available only if a previous driver version exists.
10. Restart audio services

• Select Start, type services.msc, and press Enter.
• Right-click Windows Audio and select Restart.
• Right-click Windows Audio Endpoint Builder and select Restart.
• Test sound again.

11. Check Windows Update

• Go to Start > Settings > Windows Update.
• Select Check for updates and install all available updates.
• Restart the PC.

If the issue is specifically that no output device appears in Sound settings, focus on Device Manager, Show hidden devices, Scan for hardware changes, and installing the latest manufacturer audio driver.

References:

• Windows 11