How to reinstall "Windows 10 (Asus) Realtek Audio Driver"?

David Oliveira 0 Reputation points
2026-11-01T20:07:02.2+00:00

Accidentally due to wanting to update my (win10) Asus audio driver and other drivers i have (intentionally) deinstalled it and then couldnt later reinstall it anymore.

Already tried many options ive checked online, such as yt videos and various websites, and the official Asus as well as Realtek websites for downloading the driver/s again, and also cheking programmes, but hasn't worked yet.
Currently, the audio symbol is a red cross, and clicking on it only gives a notice to restart my pc to fix it - which doesnt do anything to fix it. Also, the "Realtek audio Console" does not work anymore in view of this, it says "(Realtek audio console) does not support this devide".

Any advice would be really appreciated, thanks!

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Devices and drivers
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  1. EmilyS726 278.8K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-11-01T20:41:17.11+00:00

    Can you please type msinfo32.exe in the search on the taskbar and hit enter, then share a screenshot of the pop up please?

    What were the other drivers you also uninstalled?

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  2. Kai-H 30,565 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-11-05T10:30:12.32+00:00

    Hi, @David Oliveira

    On a lot of ASUS laptops, the Realtek driver depends on a few other audio components, so reinstalling the Realtek package by itself often fails or shows "does not support this device."

    Here are some suggestions you can try:

    1. Install Intel Smart Sound Technology (SST) before the Realtek driver (Intel laptops only). On your model's ASUS download page, look in the Audio section for a driver called "Intel Smart Sound Technology." Install that first and restart. Then install the Realtek driver and restart again. ASUS recommends this order for Intel laptops, and Realtek often won't install properly without SST. If you have an AMD laptop, skip this step.
    2. Install the driver straight from the Microsoft Update Catalog.

    In Device Manager, find the audio device. It might show as "High Definition Audio Device" or as an unknown device under Other devices. Right-click it and choose Properties > Details, then pick Hardware Ids from the dropdown.

    Copy the part that looks like VEN_10EC&DEV_xxxx.

    Paste it into the search box at catalog.update.microsoft.com and download the newest result for Windows 10.

    The file downloads as a .cab file. Right-click it and extract it to a folder.

    Back in Device Manager, right-click the device and choose Update driver > Browse my computer for drivers. Point it to that folder and make sure "Include subfolders" is checked.

    These are the same packages Windows Update uses, so they're matched to your exact hardware.

    1. Use System Restore. Press Windows + R, type rstrui and press Enter. If you see a restore point from before you uninstalled the drivers, pick it. Your personal files won't be touched, and this puts the old drivers back exactly how they were.

    Once sound is working again, uninstall the Realtek Audio Console app and reinstall it from the Microsoft Store. That should clear the "does not support this device" message.

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  3. AI answer

    2026-11-01T20:07:22.1933333+00:00

    Since the driver was intentionally removed and the speaker icon shows a red X, the most direct recovery path is to reinstall the ASUS/Realtek audio driver and let Windows detect the device again.

    1. Install all pending Windows updates first.
      • Go to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for updates.
      • Install everything available, then restart.
      • If Windows shows Update and restart, use that option.
    2. Reinstall the audio device from Device Manager.
      • Open Start, type Device Manager, and open it.
      • Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
      • If the Realtek or other audio device appears, right-click it and select Uninstall device.
      • If prompted, confirm the uninstall.
      • Restart the PC. Windows should automatically reinstall the audio driver after restart.
    3. If Windows does not restore it, scan for the device manually.
      • In Device Manager, select View > Show hidden devices.
      • Then select Action > Scan for hardware changes.
      • If the audio device appears but is disabled, right-click it and select Enable device.
    4. Install the latest audio driver from ASUS.
      • Download the latest audio driver for the exact ASUS model from the PC manufacturer support site.
      • Install it, then restart the PC.
      • This is the recommended path when the driver is missing, incompatible, or generic Windows drivers do not fix the issue.
    5. If the driver update path still fails, manually switch to a Windows audio driver.
      • In Device Manager, right-click the audio device.
      • Select Update driver > Browse my computer for drivers > Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer.
      • Select an available audio device driver, then select Next and complete the install.
    6. If audio stopped working after Windows Update or after a bad driver install, try rolling back.
      • In Device Manager, right-click the audio device > Properties.
      • Open the Driver tab.
      • Select Roll Back Driver if available, then restart.
    7. If the device is missing entirely, check detection status.
      • In Device Manager, if no audio device is listed under Sound, video and game controllers, use View > Show hidden devices and Action > Scan for hardware changes.
      • If it still does not appear, install the latest ASUS audio driver again and restart.
    8. For ASUS systems specifically, reinstalling the chipset and audio drivers from the ASUS support page for the exact model is the best match when third-party driver tools or manual uninstall caused the Realtek device to disappear or become unsupported.

    Avoid third-party driver updater tools. The accepted guidance in similar cases is that they can install incompatible Realtek drivers and cause the output device to disappear.

    If Realtek Audio Console says the device is not supported, that usually aligns with the Realtek driver package not being installed correctly or the wrong driver being installed. Fix the driver first; the console depends on that.

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