Sounds won't work

Question

Sounds won't work

Danny Gillespie 0

I have used the Microsoft self help prompts 3 times. I have rebooted comuter twice. It has don it in the past and would work. But not this time.

EmilyS726 279.8K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-25T21:39:19.4133333+00:00

Danny,

Is this sound for a laptop built in speakers, or external speakers via USB or aux port? Or monitor speaker via HDMI or Display port? Or bluetooth speaker?

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

1 answer

Your answer

EmilyS726 279.8K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-25T21:39:19.4133333+00:00

Danny,

Is this sound for a laptop built in speakers, or external speakers via USB or aux port? Or monitor speaker via HDMI or Display port? Or bluetooth speaker?

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

Answer 1

Select the correct Windows 11 audio output first; if no output device appears, enable or reinstall the audio device through Device Manager.

1. Select and enable the speakers

Open Start → Settings → System → Sound.
Under Output, select the computer’s Speakers rather than a monitor, Bluetooth device, or disconnected headset.
Raise the volume and confirm it is not muted.
Select More sound settings → Playback.
Right-click the speakers and select Set as Default Device. If Enable appears, select it. ^1^
Select the speakers under Output, find Audio enhancements, and set them to Off.

Since the automated self-help and normal restarts did not work, do not run those again.

2. If the speakers are missing, recover the device

Right-click Start and open Device Manager.
Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
If the audio device is listed, right-click it and select Enable device, if available.
If it is absent, select View → Show hidden devices, followed by Action → Scan for hardware changes. ^2^
If the device appears with a warning symbol, right-click it and select Update driver → Search automatically for drivers.

3. Reinstall the audio driver

If the device is present but sound still fails:

In Device Manager → Sound, video and game controllers, right-click the audio device—often named Realtek Audio, High Definition Audio, AMD Audio, or similar.
Select Uninstall device.
Select Attempt to remove the driver for this device, and then choose Uninstall.
Save open work and restart the computer. This restart is specifically required to trigger driver reinstallation, rather than being another general reboot.
If Windows does not restore a working driver, download the Windows 11 audio driver for the computer’s exact model from its manufacturer’s support site and install it. ^3^

If the problem began immediately after a Windows update, use Device Manager → audio device → Properties → Driver → Roll Back Driver instead, when that button is available. ^3^

If only one application has no sound

When Windows system sounds work but one application is silent:

Open Settings → System → Sound → Volume mixer.
Under Apps, unmute that application, raise its volume, and select the correct output device.
If needed, search for and open services.msc, then restart Windows Audio and Windows Audio Endpoint Builder. ^4^

If Device Manager cannot detect any audio device even after scanning for hardware changes and installing the manufacturer’s driver, the remaining possibility is a hardware or firmware-level problem. Contact the computer manufacturer with the exact model and report that the audio device is absent from Device Manager.

References