How do I get sound working again?
The output device is nearly always the answer — plus the handful of other checks worth making.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 15 min
- Read
- 2 min
Short answer
Check which output device is selected. Sound almost always disappears because the system is playing to something else — an HDMI monitor, disconnected headphones or a Bluetooth speaker in another room.
Audio problems feel like a fault and are usually a routing question. Modern systems juggle several outputs and switch between them automatically, so it is worth checking where the sound is going before assuming anything is broken.
Step by step
- Check the output device first.Click the volume icon and look at what is selected. An HDMI monitor with no speakers, or headphones no longer plugged in, is the most common answer by a wide margin.
- Check the volume in three places.System volume, application volume, and the physical control on the speaker or keyboard. Any one of them being at zero silences everything.
- Check the app's own mixer setting.Windows lets you set volume per application. One app silenced there stays silent regardless of the system volume.
- Unplug and replug headphones.The socket has a switch that detects the plug and it sticks. Inserting and removing a few times often frees it.
- Check Bluetooth is not claiming the audio.A paired speaker or headphones that switched on in another room takes the audio silently.
- Restart the device.Audio services hang. A restart is faster than diagnosing them.
- Run the audio troubleshooter or reinstall the driver.Windows has an audio troubleshooter that resolves most driver problems. Failing that, remove the audio device in Device Manager and restart to reinstall it.
- Test with headphones to isolate the speakers.If headphones work and the speakers do not, the fault is the speakers or their connection, not the system.
Tips
- Check the obvious before the obscure. A very large share of no-sound problems are the wrong output device selected.
- If sound stopped after an update, reinstalling the audio driver from the manufacturer's site usually fixes it.
- Test on another device before buying replacement speakers or headphones — it is a thirty-second check that avoids a wasted purchase.
If it doesn't work
No sound after connecting a monitor
Cause: Audio routed to HDMI output — Fix: Change the output device back to the internal speakers or headphones.
Sound works in one app only
Cause: Per-app volume muted, or app using a different output — Fix: Check the volume mixer and the app's own audio settings.
Crackling or distortion
Cause: Driver problem, or a damaged cable — Fix: Reinstall the audio driver, and test with a different cable or headphones.
Headphones silent but speakers work
Cause: Socket switch stuck, or damaged cable — Fix: Insert and remove the plug several times, and test the headphones on another device.
Questions people ask
Why did my sound stop after plugging in a monitor?
The system switched the audio output to the monitor over HDMI. Select the internal speakers again in the sound settings.
Why is there no sound in one app only?
Either that app is muted in the system volume mixer, or it is configured to use a different output device.