How to fix no audio after trying all the troubleshooting steps

Barbara Williams 20 Reputation points
2026-04-22T19:13:52.5766667+00:00

I have no audio on my computer even though I've tried all the troubleshooting steps.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Performance and system failures
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Answer accepted by question author
Kapil Arya 38,701 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2026-04-23T07:16:24.2566667+00:00

Try this:

Open Device Manager, and make sure you've audio drivers installed and properly working.

If no audio driver is listed, you can visit your device manufacturer's website to download and install audio drivers for your system model.

If audio driver is present, you can try updating audio drivers to latest version.

Or if you've already updated them, try to roll back previous version to see if that works.

Also, run Playing Audio troubleshooter from Settings app > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters. Let us know what it reports back.

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  1. David-M 128.2K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-04-22T19:46:49.7433333+00:00

    Hi. I'm David, and I'm happy to help you.

    To be able to assist you better, please clarify the following:

    • Are you trying to play audio via internal speakers, external speakers, or headphones?
    • If it is an external speaker or headphones, does it have a standard audio connector (Jack connector) or USB connector, or is it connected via Bluetooth?
    • Is there an X in the speaker icon next to the clock?

    Also, share a screenshot of your system information.

    • Press "Windows + R", type msinfo32 and press Enter.

    Maximize the window and use the shortcut "Windows + Shift + S" to use the screenshot tool.

    Looking forward to your reply.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-04-22T19:14:12.72+00:00

    Try the following deeper checks in order, focusing on Windows 11 and driver issues, since basic troubleshooting is already done:

    1. Confirm devices are not muted or disabled
      1. Right-click the Speakers icon on the taskbar and select Open Volume mixer.
      2. Make sure none of the volume sliders show a red circle with a line (muted). If they do, select the control to unmute.
      3. Open Start > Settings > System > Sound.
      4. Under both Output and Input, select the device in use and then Device properties.
      5. Ensure the Disable checkbox is cleared for both output and input devices.
    2. Set the correct default output device
      1. In the search box, type control panel and open it.
      2. Go to Hardware and Sound > Sound.
      3. On the Playback tab, right-click the speakers or headphones that should play sound and select Set as Default Device, then OK.
      4. If an external monitor (without speakers) is set as default, change it to the actual speakers/headphones.
    3. Update the audio driver automatically
      1. In the search box on the taskbar, type device manager and open it.
      2. Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
      3. Right-click the sound card or audio device (for example, Realtek, Intel SST, or similar) and select Update driver.
      4. Choose Search automatically for drivers and complete the wizard.
      5. If no newer driver is found, download the latest audio driver from the PC or motherboard manufacturer’s support site and install it manually.
    4. Uninstall and reinstall the audio driver
      1. Open Device Manager again and expand Sound, video and game controllers.
      2. Right-click the audio device and select Uninstall device.
      3. Check Attempt to remove the driver for this device (or Delete the driver software for this device where shown), then select Uninstall.
      4. Restart the PC (save work first). Windows will attempt to reinstall the audio driver automatically.
    5. Use the generic Windows audio driver
      1. Open Device Manager and expand Sound, video and game controllers.
      2. Right-click the audio device and select Update driver.
      3. Select Browse my computer for drivers.
      4. Select Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.
      5. Choose the generic audio driver offered by Windows, select Next, and complete installation.
    6. If the problem started after a Windows Update
      1. Open Device Manager and expand Sound, video and game controllers.
      2. Right-click the audio device and select Properties.
      3. On the Driver tab, select Roll Back Driver (if available).
      4. Follow the prompts and select Yes to roll back.
      5. If rollback is not available or does not help, use a system restore point created before the update, following the guidance in "Recovery options in Windows" linked from the audio troubleshooting article.

    If none of these steps restore audio, the remaining possibilities are typically a hardware fault (audio codec, speakers, or jack) or a very device-specific driver issue that requires the PC manufacturer’s support.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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