How to reset audio settings to defaults on Windows 11

• To reset all audio settings on Windows 11, open Settings > System > Sound > Volume Mixer, and click “Reset” for the “Reset Sound Devices and Volumes for All Apps to the Recommended Defaults” setting.
• To reset all advanced audio settings, open Settings > System > Sound > More sound settings, open speakers properties, and click “Restore Defaults” from the “Enhancements,” “Advanced,” and “Spatial sound” tabs.
• You can also reset the audio driver settings from Task Manager by right-clicking the audio adapter and choosing “Uninstall device.”

On Windows 11, you can reset most of the audio settings to their defaults to resolve common problems while trying to listen to music or watch videos on your device, and in this guide, you will learn how.

If you have previously changed the audio settings, but things are now not working as expected, you can reset most of the settings to their default state, including volume, advanced settings, and driver.

This guide will teach you the steps to reset the audio settings on Windows 11.

Reset audio settings on Windows 11

If the device has audio problems, resetting its settings to the factory defaults may help to resolve the problem.

1. Reset volume settings

To reset the volume settings on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Settings on Windows 11.

2. Click on System.

3. Click the Sound tab.

4. Under the “Advanced” section, click the Volume mixer setting.

   

5. Under the “Apps” section, click the Reset button to restore the original volume for apps from the “Reset Sound Devices and Volumes for All Apps to the Recommended Defaults” setting.

   

Once you complete the steps, the volume will reset to the default settings.

If you want to restore the default output device, you will have to change the setting manually since there isn’t a reset option for this feature.

2. Reset advanced audio settings

To reset the advanced audio settings, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.

2. Click on System.

3. Click the Sound tab.

4. Under the “Advanced” section, click the “More sound settings” option.

   

5. Click the Playback tab.

6. Select the speaker from the list and click the Properties button.

   

7. Click the Enhancements tab.

8. Click the Restore Defaults button.

   

9. Click the Advanced tab.

   

10. Click the Restore Defaults button.

11. Click the Spatial sound tab.

    

12. Click the Restore Defaults button.

After you complete the steps, the advanced audio settings will be once again set to their factory defaults.

3. Reset audio driver settings

To reset the audio driver on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for Task Manager and click the top result to open the app.

3. Expand the “Sound, video and game controllers” category.

4. Right-click the audio adapter and select the Uninstall device option.

   

5. Click the Uninstall button.

6. Restart the device.

Once you complete the steps, the audio driver will reinstall automatically, fixing common problems on your computer.

If re-installing the audio driver didn’t fix the issue, you can try rolling the driver back to the previous version on Windows 11.