How to Fix No Sound on a Windows Computer

Silence in the middle of a video, a call or a song is annoying, but the cause is usually small: the wrong speakers selected, a muted slider, a setting that got switched, or a driver that needs attention. The fixes below go from the quickest to the more involved. Play a sound between steps; when it comes back, the last change was the fix and you can stop there.

Pick the right speakers or headphones as the output

Windows may be sending audio to a device that makes no noise, such as a monitor with no speakers or a headset you plugged in earlier.

1. Select the speaker icon on the taskbar. If it is not there, select Show hidden icons and look in the overflow area.
2. Click the small arrow beside the slider; it opens the list of audio devices attached to the PC.
3. Choose the speakers or headphones you actually want to hear.
4. To make the choice stick in Windows 11, go to Start > Settings > System > Sound and, under Output, select the device. Picking it there also makes it the default.
5. On Windows 10, open Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound, stay on the Playback tab, right-click your device, select Set as Default Device, then select OK.

Check the volume, mute buttons and cables

These checks sound obvious, which is why they get skipped. Do them properly before changing any settings.

• Make sure nothing is muted and raise every volume control you can find. Speakers, headsets and individual apps often have their own volume, so check each one.
• Open the volume mixer settings with the settings icon beside the volume slider and unmute any device that shows a mute mark.
• Confirm the speakers or headphones are plugged in all the way and that their power is on.
• If you are unsure which jack is which, a green jack is normally for output and a pink one for the microphone. Some computers label them headphone and microphone instead. You can also try the likely jacks one at a time.
• If the speakers or headset use USB, plug them into a different USB port.
• Unplug any headphones. On some computers the speakers stay silent while headphones are connected.

Run the Windows audio troubleshooter

The built-in audio troubleshooter looks for common audio faults and can repair many of them without any further work from you.

1. On Windows 11, go to Start > Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters.
2. Find Audio and select Run, then follow the prompts.
3. On Windows 10, go to Start > Settings > Update & security > Troubleshoot, choose Playing audio and select Run the troubleshooter.

Make sure the sound device has not been disabled

A device that was switched off by accident will not play anything, even though it still appears in the list.

1. Go to Start > Settings > System > Sound.
2. Under Advanced, select More sound settings, then open the Playback tab. Check the Recording tab as well if your microphone is also silent.
3. Select your device and choose Properties.
4. Next to Device usage, pick Use this device (enable) and confirm.
5. On Windows 10, select your audio device in the Sound settings page, choose Device properties, and make sure the Disable box is cleared for both the output and the input device.

Turn off audio enhancements

Sound effects built into the driver sometimes interfere with playback. Turning them off is quick and easy to undo.

1. In Windows 11, open Start > Settings > System > Sound and select the device you are using under Output.
2. Scroll to Advanced and set Audio enhancements to Off.
3. On Windows 10, or if you prefer the older panel, open Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound, right-click the default device on the Playback tab and choose Properties.
4. Open the Enhancements tab, tick Disable all enhancements (or Disable all sound effects, whichever you see), and select OK.
5. Play something. If there is still nothing, repeat this for any other playback device you have.

Restart the Windows audio services

Audio relies on a few background services. If one has stalled, restarting it can bring sound back without a reboot.

1. Type services into the taskbar search box and open the result.
2. Find Windows Audio, right-click it and select Restart.
3. Do the same for Windows Audio Endpoint Builder.

Try a different default audio format

Some devices cannot handle the format Windows is using, and switching it can restore sound.

1. Type control panel into the taskbar search box and open it.
2. Choose Hardware and Sound, then Sound.
3. On the Playback tab, right-click your default device and select Properties.
4. Open the Advanced tab, change the setting under Default Format, and select OK.
5. Test your audio. If nothing happens, go back and pick another format.

Install Windows updates and restart the PC

Updates can carry audio fixes, and many of them only take effect after a restart. A plain restart on its own also clears temporary glitches, so it is worth doing even if no updates turn up.

1. Go to Start > Settings > Windows Update and select Check for updates. On Windows 10 the path is Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.
2. If updates are listed, select Install now (or pick the ones you want and select Install).
3. Save your work and close your apps.
4. Select Start > Power. If an update is waiting, you will see Update and restart; choose it. Otherwise choose Restart.
5. When the PC is back, play a sound to check.

Update, reinstall or swap the audio driver

An outdated or damaged driver is one of the most common reasons for a silent PC. Work through these in order, testing after each.

1. Type device manager into the taskbar search box and open it.
2. Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
3. Right-click your sound card or audio device, select Update driver, then Search automatically for drivers, and follow the prompts.
4. If Windows finds nothing newer, download the latest audio driver from your PC or sound card maker's website and install it.
5. Still silent? Right-click the device again and select Uninstall device. Tick the box to remove the driver for this device, select Uninstall, then restart. Windows reinstalls the driver on its own at startup.
6. As a last driver option, right-click the device and choose Update driver. Next pick Browse my computer for drivers, and after that Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer. Select the device in the list, choose Next and finish the install. This uses the generic driver that ships with Windows.

If sound stopped after an update, roll back or restore

When audio worked before a Windows update and not after it, the newer driver is the likely culprit.

1. Open Device Manager and expand Sound, video and game controllers.
2. Right-click your audio device and select Properties.
3. Open the Driver tab and select Roll Back Driver.
4. Follow the prompts and select Yes to confirm.
5. If that button is greyed out or the problem remains, restore the PC to a system restore point from before the update. Windows normally creates one when it installs updates; look for it in the recovery options in Settings.