Try these steps in order on Windows 11:
- Check the output device and volume
- Go to Start > Settings > System > Sound.
- Under Output, make sure the correct audio device is selected.
- Make sure the volume is not muted and the slider is turned up.
- Set the playback device as default
- Go to Start > Settings > System > Sound.
- Under Related settings, open Sound Control Panel.
- On the Playback tab, select the correct speaker or headphone device and choose Set Default.
- Make sure the device is not disabled
- Go to Start > Settings > System > Sound.
- Select the audio device.
- Open Device properties and make sure Disable is not checked.
- Turn off audio enhancements
- In Sound settings, select the playback device and open Properties.
- On the Enhancements tab, select Disable all enhancements.
- If there is no Enhancements tab, open Advanced and turn off any available audio effects.
- Open Volume mixer
- Right-click the Volume icon on the taskbar.
- Select Open Volume mixer.
- Make sure nothing is muted.
- Run the audio troubleshooter
- Right-click the speaker icon and run the sound troubleshooter, or go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters and run Playing Audio.
- Restart audio services
- Press Start, type services.msc, and press Enter.
- Right-click Windows Audio and select Restart.
- Right-click Windows Audio Endpoint Builder and select Restart.
- Update the audio driver
- Open Device Manager.
- Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
- Right-click the audio device and select Update driver.
- Restart the PC after the update.
- Check Windows Update
- Go to Start > Settings > Windows Update.
- Select Check for updates.
- Install available updates and restart.
If the speaker icon still stays muted after these steps, the next likely cause is a driver problem. In that case, check whether the audio device appears in Device Manager under Sound, video and game controllers.
References:
- [Windows 10](https://support.microsoft.com/windows/hardware/audio/fix-audio-issues-when-no-sound-plays-from-speakers-or-headphones-in-windows)
- [Windows 10](https://support.microsoft.com/windows/hardware/audio/fix-app-audio-not-working-while-system-sounds-work-in-windows)
- [Windows 10](https://support.microsoft.com/windows/hardware/audio/fix-sound-or-audio-problems-in-windows#general-audio-troubleshooting-in-windows-10)
- [Windows 11](https://support.microsoft.com/windows/hardware/audio/fix-sound-or-audio-problems-in-windows#general-audio-troubleshooting-in-windows-11)