How to quickly fix sound problems on Windows 10

If sound is not working on your device, you can use these instructions to quickly get audio working again on Windows 10.

Fix sound problems on Windows 10
Fix sound problems on Windows 10

On Windows 10, perhaps one of the most common problems is sound. Usually, audio works great out of the box, but eventually, after updating the audio driver or upgrading to a new version of Windows 10, it will stop working. Particularly, if you own a Surface, Dell, HP, or another well-known brand, including devices with Realtek audio card.

If you’re experiencing no sound on your device, and you’ve covered all your basics like checking the connectivity of those speakers and your audio output settings, Windows 10 offers a tool to quickly fix sound problems on your computer.

In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to quickly troubleshoot and fix audio problems on Windows 10.

How to fix sound problems using Settings

On Windows 10, there are at least two ways to access the troubleshooter to fix sound problems automatically using the Settings app.

Fixing audio using Sound settings

To fix sound problems with Settings, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings on Windows 10.

  2. Click on System.

  3. Click on Sound.

  4. Under the “Output section, click the Troubleshoot button.

    Sound settings fix audio option
    Sound settings fix audio option
  5. Continue with the on-screen directions.

Once you complete the steps, sound should start working again on your device.

Fixing audio using Troubleshoot settings

Alternatively, you can run the tool from the Troubleshoot page with these steps:

  1. Open Settings.

  2. Click on Update & Security.

  3. Click on Troubleshoot.

  4. Under the “Get up and running” section, select the Playing Audio option.

  5. Click the Run the troubleshooter button.

    Troubleshoot fix audio on Windows 10 option
    Troubleshoot fix audio on Windows 10 option
  6. Continue with the on-screen directions.

After completing the steps, the audio should start working again on Windows 10.

Quick Tip: You can also access the sound troubleshooter tool by right-clicking the speaker icon in the notification area and selecting “Troubleshoot sound problems.”

Is sound still not working? In the rare chance that the troubleshooter didn’t fix the problem, you can this guide that goes into a more advanced process to resolve audio issues.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.