You push your headphones in and the sound keeps coming from the laptop speakers, or nothing plays at all. Most of the time the cause is a setting, an out-of-date audio driver or lint packed into the socket, and all of those are fixable at home. Go through the steps below in order and test the headphones after each one. If none of them help, the last section shows how to recognize a jack that has physically failed.
Rule out the headphones, the plug and the volume
Start with the simple things, because they solve more cases than you would expect.
- Push the plug in as far as it goes. The headphone jack and plug are usually green or marked with a headphone symbol, so make sure you are using that one and not a microphone port.
- Click the speaker icon at the right end of the taskbar, make sure sound is not muted and move the slider up to about halfway. If the video or music app has its own volume bar, raise that too.
- Plug in a different pair of headphones. If the second pair works, the first pair is the problem. If it stays silent too, the laptop is the problem.
- Plug your original headphones into a phone, a TV or another computer. If they stay silent there as well, the cable or the headphones themselves are broken.
- Restart the laptop with the headphones already plugged in, then test again.
Set the headphones as the default playback device
Windows is supposed to switch to the headphones when you plug them in, but it does not always do so. Sound may still be going to the speakers, an HDMI monitor or a Bluetooth device. You can pick the right output yourself.
- Press Win + R, type control and press Enter to open Control Panel.
- Open Hardware and Sound, then Sound.
- On the Playback tab, right-click an empty area and tick Show Disabled Devices. A device that Windows switched off will now show up in the list.
- Right-click the headphones entry, or the one named Speakers/Headphones, and choose Enable if it is offered.
- With the tab still open, pull the headphone plug out and push it back in. Check that the headphones entry has the green tick.
- Select it, click Set Default, then Apply and OK.
Update the audio driver
A driver that is old or does not match your hardware is a common reason a laptop does not notice what you plug in. Windows can look for a newer one for you.
- Press Win + X and choose Device Manager.
- Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
- Right-click your main audio device, which is often a Realtek or Intel entry, and choose Update driver.
- Choose Search automatically for drivers and let it finish.
- Restart the laptop and test the headphones again.
Run the audio troubleshooter
Windows has a built-in check for muted devices, stopped audio services and sound sent to the wrong place. It will not repair a broken socket, but it can fix hidden settings without you digging for them.
- Open Settings, then go to System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters.
- Find Playing Audio and click Run. You can also right-click the sound icon by the clock and choose Troubleshoot sound problems.
- If it asks which device has the problem, pick your headphones.
- Apply any fix it suggests, then test the headphones after each change.
Change the default sound format
If the format set for the headphones is one the hardware handles badly, you can get silence or distorted sound. Trying a different format takes a minute.
- Open the classic Sound window again (Win + R, control, Hardware and Sound, Sound) and stay on the Playback tab.
- Right-click the headphones and choose Properties.
- Open the Advanced tab. Under Default Format, pick a different entry from the drop-down list, then click Test.
- Keep going through the list until you hear the test tone, then click Apply and OK.
Clean the headphone jack
Lint and dust from bags and pockets build up at the bottom of the socket. The plug then cannot seat fully, and you get weak sound, sound in one ear or no connection. Turn the laptop off before you do anything.
- Shine a bright light into the socket and look for packed fibers, green or white residue, or bent metal.
- Gently scrape the lint loose with a wooden toothpick or a plastic pick. Do not jab or force it.
- Blow short puffs of compressed air into the port, holding the can upright and not too close.
- Wipe the rim with a dry cotton swab. If you use isopropyl alcohol, keep it to a light touch on the swab and never let liquid run into the port.
- Power the laptop back on and test with headphones you know work, turning the plug slightly to see whether the sound stays steady.
Signs the jack itself is damaged
If every setting is right and a clean socket changes nothing, the hardware may have failed. These are the usual signs:
- The plug wobbles in the socket or does not click into place.
- The sound drops out or crackles when you wiggle the plug or flex the laptop.
- One side stays silent whichever headphones you use.
- Windows shows no sign of the headphones being connected, although this same jack used to work.
- You can see cracks, burn marks, corrosion or signs of a liquid spill around the port.
What to do if the jack is broken
On most thin laptops the socket is soldered straight onto the motherboard, so replacing it is a job for a repair shop rather than something to try yourself. If the repair costs more than it is worth, a USB headset or a small USB sound adapter bypasses the built-in jack completely and works the same way with any pair of wired headphones.