How to Fix No Sound in Windows 10 and 11: Audio Troubleshooting Guide

No sound in Windows is usually caused by a wrong output device, disabled audio service, or driver issue. Here's how to fix it systematically.

Check the Basics First

Volume not muted: click speaker icon in taskbar → unmute
Correct output device selected: right-click speaker → Open Sound settings → check Output device
App-specific volume: right-click speaker → Open Volume Mixer — some apps may be muted individually

Run Audio Troubleshooter

Win + I → System → Troubleshoot → Other troubleshooters → Playing Audio → Run

msdt.exe /id AudioPlaybackDiagnostic

Check Audio Services

# Audio services must be running
Get-Service AudioSrv, AudioEndpointBuilder, MMCSS |
  Select-Object Name, Status, StartType

# Start them if stopped
Start-Service AudioSrv
Start-Service AudioEndpointBuilder

# Set to automatic
Set-Service AudioSrv -StartupType Automatic
Set-Service AudioEndpointBuilder -StartupType Automatic

Check Output Devices

# List all audio devices
Get-WmiObject Win32_SoundDevice | Select-Object Name, Status, Manufacturer

# Check via Device Manager for disabled/error devices
# Win + X → Device Manager → Sound, video and game controllers

Right-click speaker in taskbar → Sounds → Playback tab:

Check if your device is there
Right-click → Set as default device
Right-click → Enable if it shows as disabled

Update or Reinstall Audio Driver

# Check current audio driver
Get-WmiObject Win32_SoundDevice | Select-Object Name, DriverVersion

# Uninstall audio driver (Windows will reinstall)
Get-WmiObject Win32_PnPSignedDriver | Where-Object {$_.DeviceName -like "*Realtek*" -or $_.DeviceName -like "*Intel*Audio*"} |
  Select-Object DeviceName, InfName, DriverVersion

Then: Device Manager → Sound → right-click → Uninstall device → check Delete the driver software → OK → Restart

Download fresh drivers from:

Realtek audio: realtek.com
ASUS/HP/Dell/Lenovo: manufacturer support page

Fix Audio After Windows Update

# Check if audio update caused the issue
Get-HotFix | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object -First 5

# Roll back audio driver in Device Manager
# Device Manager → Sound → Properties → Driver → Roll Back Driver

# Or uninstall the update
wusa /uninstall /kb:KB_NUMBER /quiet /norestart

Rebuild Audio Graph

# Restart Windows Audio service completely
Stop-Service AudioSrv, AudioEndpointBuilder -Force
Start-Sleep 3
Start-Service AudioEndpointBuilder
Start-Service AudioSrv

Fix HDMI / Monitor Audio Not Working

# Check if HDMI audio device is present
Get-WmiObject Win32_SoundDevice | Where-Object {$_.Name -like "*HDMI*" -or $_.Name -like "*Display*"}

Right-click speaker → Sounds → Playback → right-click HDMI device → Enable → Set as Default → OK

Repair System Files

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
sfc /scannow

Restart after completion.

Summary

Check output device and volume first. Run the Audio troubleshooter. Ensure AudioSrv and AudioEndpointBuilder services are running. Update or reinstall audio drivers. For post-update issues: roll back driver or uninstall the update.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sound worked yesterday but stopped today — no update installed?

Check if the audio service is still running: Get-Service AudioSrv. Also check if a recently installed app changed audio settings. Right-click speaker → Sounds → check Playback tab for unexpected default device changes.

I see the audio device but still no sound?

Check the app-specific volume in Volume Mixer. Some apps have their own volume controls. Also check if the correct output is selected in the app itself (e.g. browser or media player settings).

No sound after connecting Bluetooth headphones?

Windows may not have switched to the Bluetooth device. Click the speaker icon → select the Bluetooth device name. If it doesn't appear, disconnect and reconnect the headphones.