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How to Fix Missing Sound in Windows 10

No Sound in Windows 10. How to Fix It?

Many Windows users encounter an issue when the sound goes missing. This article will show you how to get your sound back in Windows 10.

sound missing in windows 10

For many, sound often disappears after upgrading to Windows 10. Similarly, sound can sometimes disappear right after installing updates for Windows 10.

One of the main reasons there is no sound in your Windows could be incompatible audio drivers installed on your system. Also, the drivers might get corrupted while updating Windows.

A faulty or corrupted audio driver is not the only reason why there could be no sound in your Windows operating system. There could be several reasons for this problem, and you might need to try different solutions to fix that.

In this guide, we will show you several methods to fix the missing sound problem. We suggest you try out these methods one by one until you find the solution that works for you.

Video Showing How to Fix Missing Sound in Windows 10:

Table of Contents:

Run Windows Troubleshooter

Windows includes several troubleshooters designed to quickly diagnose and automatically resolve various computer problems. Troubleshooters cannot fix all issues, but they are an excellent place to start. The built-in troubleshooter can solve or at least answer most audio-related issues as well.

To start troubleshooting, go to Settings and type "troubleshoot", select "Troubleshoot" from the list.

run windows troubleshooter step 1

Find "Playing Audio" under "Get up and running" and select it, click "Run the troubleshooter" and follow the instructions. See if the Windows Update Troubleshooter solved the missing audio problem.

run windows troubleshooter step 2

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Make Sure the Audio Is Not Muted

This one looks like an obvious thing to do, but if you forgot about this option, try to see if the audio in your system is not muted. To do so, right-click the volume icon on your taskbar and select "Open Volume Mixer" from the contextual menu.

make sure that volume is not muted step 1

Make sure that none of the devices are muted. Try to mute and unmute them by clicking the sound icon in the Volume Mixer window. See if this solves the missing sound problem.

make sure that volume is not muted step 2

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Disable Enhancements

To disable all audio enhancements, right-click the volume/speaker icon again and select "Sounds" from the contextual menu.

disable enhancements step 1

Now select the "Playback" tab, click on your playback device and click "Properties".

disable enhancements step 2

In the Speakers Properties window, select the "Enhancements" tab and mark the "Disable all enhancements" checkbox. Click "Apply" to save the changes made.

disable enhancements step 3

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Update Audio Drivers

This method includes either updating your audio drivers or reinstalling them. We recommend you try out both of these methods. To update your drivers, you will need to use Device Manager.

Device Manager is a Control Panel applet within Microsoft Windows operating systems. It allows users to view and control the hardware attached to the computer.

When an item of hardware is not working, it is highlighted for attention. To access Device Manager, type "device manager" in Search and click the "Device Manager" result to open it.

update audio drivers step 1

In the Device Manager window, you will see a list of hardware attached to your computer. Choose the "Sound, video and game controllers" category and expand, right-click your sound hardware, and then select "Update" from the drop-down menu.

update audio drivers step 2

You will be asked to search for updated driver software automatically or to browse your computer for driver software. If you select the first option, then Windows will search your computer and the Internet for the latest driver software for your device.

update audio drivers step 3

Another way to update your drivers is to reinstall them by uninstalling them. When right-clicking on your audio hardware, select "Uninstall device" from the contextual menu.

update audio drivers step 4

In Uninstall Device window, mark the "Delete the driver software for this device" checkbox and click "Uninstall". This will uninstall the device and its drivers. Restart your computer, and Windows will automatically detect missing drivers and install the latest drivers for your audio device.

update audio drivers step 5

Another way to update or install new drivers for devices is by using third-party software such as Snappy Driver Installer. Snappy Driver Installer (SDI) is a powerful free driver updater tool for Windows. You can download Snappy Driver Installer from here.

update audio drivers step 6

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Check Windows Audio Services

Windows Services (also known as services.msc), are used to modify how Windows services run on your system. These services are responsible for running available programs and managing many system settings and resources. You can modify a service's settings for security, troubleshooting, and performance-related reasons.

This method includes making sure that Windows Audio, Windows Audio Endpoint Builder, Plug and Play services are enabled/started. If one of the services is stopped, audio devices and effects will not function properly. If these services are stopped, any services that explicitly depend on them will fail to start.

To access Windows Audio services, type "run" in Search and click the "Run" result.

check windows audio services step 1

Locate these services in the Services window and apply the following steps to each service:

Right-click the service and select "Properties" from the contextual menu.

check windows audio services step 2

Ensure that the services startup type is set to "Automatic" and the services are "Running". If the startup type is not Automatic, then set it to Automatic and click "Start" under "Service status". Click "Apply" to save the changes and "OK" to exit the particular service's properties window.

Find other mentioned services and repeat the steps. See if this solves the missing audio problem in your Windows operating system.

check windows audio services step 3

You might want to restart those services as well by right-clicking each mentioned service and selecting "Restart" from the contextual menu.

check windows audio services step 4

We recommend you to check if these services are enabled using System Configuration. System Configuration is a Windows system utility that is used to troubleshoot the Microsoft Windows startup process.

It can disable or re-enable software, device drivers, and Windows services that run at startup or change boot settings. Type "system configuration" in Search and click the "System Configuration" result.

check windows audio services step 5

Select the "Services" tab and locate the Windows Audio, Windows Audio Endpoint Builder, Plug and Play services in the list. Make sure that they are enabled. Checkboxes should be marked next to each mentioned service. If one of the services was disabled, enable it and click "Apply" to save the changes. Restart your computer.

check windows audio services step 6

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Set Default Device

If you're connecting to an audio device using USB or HDMI, you might need to set that device as the default. Right-click the speaker/volume icon and select "Sounds" from the contextual menu as we did in the earlier method. In the "Playback" tab select your playback device and click "Set Default" to make it as your default playback device.

set default device

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Change Default Music App

Some users reported that changing their default music player from Groove Music to Windows Media Player or another player helped them solve the missing sound problem.

If Groove Music is set as your default music player app, then changing it might solve this problem for you as well. Go to Settings and click "Apps".

set default music app step 1

Select the "Default apps" section on the left pane and find your default player under "Music". Click it and select another app as your default app. See if this solves the missing sound in Windows problem.

set default music app step 2

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Try Different Audio Formats

Right-click the speaker/volume icon and select "Sounds" from the contextual menu as we did in earlier method. Select the "Playback" tab and then select your playback device, click "Properties".

In the Properties window, select the "Advanced" tab and test different formats. See if any other format works for you, and the missing sound problem is solved.

try different audio formats

If none of the methods helped, then you might need to check your cables. See if your speakers or headphones are properly connected to your computer, and there are no loose cables. If you are using speakers with their own volume controls, then try checking them as well.

Make sure that your speakers and headphones are not connected at the same time. Your speakers won't work if headphones are connected.

We hope that this article was helpful and you could get the missing sound in your Windows operating system back.

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About the author:

Rimvydas Iliavicius

Rimvydas is a researcher with over four years of experience in the cybersecurity industry. He attended Kaunas University of Technology and graduated with a Master's degree in Translation and Localization of Technical texts. His interests in computers and technology led him to become a versatile author in the IT industry. At PCrisk, he's responsible for writing in-depth how-to articles for Microsoft Windows. Contact Rimvydas Iliavicius.

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