No Sound on Windows 11: How to Fix It
Nine times out of ten Windows is playing audio through a device you are not listening to — a monitor over HDMI, a disconnected headset, or a virtual device installed by another app. Click the speaker icon in the taskbar and pick the right output first. Only if that is already correct is it worth touching drivers.
Start here
Windows keeps a list of output devices and remembers per-device volume levels, so "no sound" often means "sound is going somewhere else" or "that one device is muted". Both are much more common than a broken driver, and both take seconds to rule out.
Symptoms
- No sound from speakers or headphones, while the volume slider looks normal
- Sound works in one app but not another
- Audio stopped after plugging in a monitor, dock, or headset
- The speaker icon shows a red X or "No audio output device is installed"
- Sound disappeared after a Windows update
Why this happens
Windows is sending audio to a different device
Connecting a monitor over HDMI or DisplayPort adds an audio output, and Windows may switch to it automatically. The PC is playing sound correctly — into a monitor with no speakers, or a headset sitting on the desk.
That device or app is muted independently
Windows stores separate volume levels per application and per device, so one app can sit at zero while everything else is fine.
Audio enhancements are interfering
Enhancements process the signal before it reaches your hardware. On some devices this produces silence rather than improved sound, which is why Microsoft documents turning them off as a troubleshooting step.
The audio service or driver is in a bad state
The Windows Audio service can stop responding, and a driver can be left inconsistent by an update. Both are recoverable without reinstalling anything.
Restart the Windows audio services · Reinstall the audio driver
Fixes
Check which output device Windows is using
about 2 minThis is Microsoft's first step and it resolves most cases. If the wrong device is selected, everything else here is wasted effort.
Applies to: Windows 11, Windows 10
- Select the speaker icon on the right of the taskbar.
- Select the arrow next to the volume slider to list output devices.
- Choose the device you are actually listening through, then play something to test.
- If your device is not listed, open Settings → System → Sound and look under Output — a disabled device appears there but not in the taskbar list.
Confirmed by the vendor.
Source: Microsoft
Check the volume mixer for a muted app or device
about 2 minWindows remembers volume per app and per device, so one can be silent while the master volume looks fine.
Applies to: Windows 11, Windows 10
- Right-click the speaker icon and choose Open volume mixer.
- Check that neither the device nor the app you are using is muted or at zero.
- Raise anything that is down, and unmute anything showing a crossed-out speaker.
Confirmed by the vendor.
Source: Microsoft
Run the built-in audio troubleshooter
about 5 minIt detects and repairs the common misconfigurations automatically, and tells you what it found even when it cannot fix it.
Applies to: Windows 11
- Open Settings → System → Troubleshoot → Other troubleshooters.
- Find Audio and select Run.
- Follow the prompts and note anything it reports.
Confirmed by the vendor.
Source: Microsoft
Turn off audio enhancements
about 3 minEnhancements process audio before it reaches the hardware, and on some devices that produces silence.
Applies to: Windows 11
- Open Settings → System → Sound.
- Select your output device to open its properties.
- Set Audio enhancements to Off.
- Test playback again.
Confirmed by the vendor.
Source: Microsoft
Restart the Windows audio services
about 5 minRecovers an audio stack that has stopped responding, without changing any configuration.
Applies to: Windows 11, Windows 10
- Press Windows+R, type the services console name, and press Enter.
services.msc - Find Windows Audio, right-click it and choose Restart.
- Do the same for Windows Audio Endpoint Builder and Remote Procedure Call (RPC).
- Test playback again.
Confirmed by the vendor.
Source: Microsoft
Try a different default audio format
about 5 minSome devices do not support the sample rate Windows selected, which can result in no output at all.
Applies to: Windows 11, Windows 10
- Open Control Panel → Hardware and Sound → Sound.
- Select your playback device and choose Properties.
- On the Advanced tab, pick a different Default Format — 16 bit, 44100 Hz is widely supported.
- Select Test to confirm.
Confirmed by the vendor.
Source: Microsoft
Reinstall the audio driver
Check before applyingabout 15 minReplaces a driver left inconsistent by an update. Windows reinstalls a working driver automatically on restart, so this is recoverable.
Applies to: Windows 11, Windows 10
Before you do this
You will have no audio at all between uninstalling and restarting. If the device came with a manufacturer driver, download it before you start so you can reinstall it if Windows only supplies a generic one.
- Right-click Start and choose Device Manager.
- Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
- Right-click your audio device and choose Uninstall device.
- If offered, tick the box to remove the driver software, then confirm.
- Restart the computer — Windows reinstalls the device automatically.
Confirmed by the vendor.
Source: Microsoft
Known issues
If your sound stopped after the September 2026 Windows update and the device is a USB headset, DAC or audio interface, the general steps on this page may not help. Microsoft confirmed on 11 September 2026 that KB5124008 can stop USB Audio Class 1.0 devices starting or producing sound, with a Code 10 error or silence in multichannel modes. That bug has its own page.
Affects Windows 11 24H2, Windows 11 25H2, Windows 11 26H1 · Status: workaround only
If none of this worked
If sound works through headphones but not speakers, or vice versa, the problem is that specific device rather than Windows audio as a whole — check its physical connection and its own volume control first. If there is no audio device listed at all in Device Manager, the hardware is not being detected, which points at a connection or hardware fault rather than a driver. If the sound stopped specifically after the September 2026 Windows update (KB5124008) and the device connects over USB, check the KB5124008 USB audio regression instead — the general steps here do not address it.
Common questions
- Why did sound stop after a Windows update?
- Updates can change the default output device or replace a manufacturer driver with a generic one. Check the output device selection first; if that is right, reinstalling the audio driver is the documented next step.
- Why does one app have no sound while everything else works?
- Windows stores volume per application. Open the volume mixer while that app is running and check its level — apps only appear in the mixer while they are playing.
Did this fix work?
If a step is wrong, outdated, or did not help, telling us is the fastest way to get it corrected. Reports are reviewed before new articles.
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Sources
Microsoft · Support page · checked Sep 12, 2026
- Microsoft's first step is checking that the correct output device is selected
- Audio enhancements can cause playback problems and can be turned off in Settings > Sound > Advanced
- Windows includes an audio troubleshooter at Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters
- Restarting the Windows Audio, Windows Audio Endpoint Builder and Remote Procedure Call services is a documented step
- Reinstalling or rolling back the audio driver in Device Manager is a documented step
- Changing the default audio format in Control Panel > Sound > Advanced is a documented step
Microsoft · Release notes · checked Sep 12, 2026
- Microsoft confirmed on 2026-09-11 that after installing KB5124008 some USB Audio Class 1.0 devices might fail to start or produce audio
- Symptoms include Device Manager error 'This device cannot start (Code 10)', no audio output, and unresponsive volume controls
- Microsoft states the issue is limited to USB Audio Class 1.0 devices and that it is working on a resolution