On a Windows PC, the sound problem is not a new issue. The issue, in most cases, doesn’t occur because of any hardware failure. But the blame should be given to misconfigured connections, sound drivers, and other software. So if you are wondering why my speakers aren’t working on Windows 11/10, this post will help you find the answer and solutions to eliminate the problem.
Why Don’t Speakers Work Sometimes?
There are various reasons why speakers may not work on your computer sometimes. Some of the key reasons are:
- You have misconfigured your audio output settings.
- Your speakers are not correctly connected to the computer or stopped working.
- Incorrect output device selected.
- Certain required audio services might be disabled.
- Your sound device driver might be outdated, incompatible with your speaker, or corrupted.
Fix: Why Aren’t My Speakers Working on Windows PC
Audio issues are common with Windows computers. But fixing them is not that complete. You can use the following methods to fix my speakers.
- Check if the Audio Source Is Mute
- Check Your Cables, Plugs, Jacks, Volume, Speaker, and Headphone Connections
- Check Battery Status & Bluetooth Connection
- Check Speaker Output
- Run Audio Troubleshooter
- Turn off Audio enhancements
- Update Drivers (Auto, Manual, and Third-party)
- Restart Audio Services
1. Check if the Audio Source Is Mute
First, ensure that your speaker is not on mute. Most speakers do come with their volume controller. If it’s set on low volume or mute, you won’t get to hear anything.
2. Check Your Cables, Plugs, Jacks, Volume, Speaker, and Headphone Connections
You should also check if your speakers are connected to your computer correctly. Ensure you have inserted the aux cable into the correct port, your speaker is powered up, and it’s working fine.
Also, please review all the connections between your computer and speaker and ensure they are all good.
Additionally, also check if your speakers are working. For this, you can try connecting your speakers to some other device.
3. Check Battery Status & Bluetooth Connection
Are you using Bluetooth speakers? If yes, then ensure that your Bluetooth speakers have enough battery. You can also try charging your speakers for 30 minutes before playing audio using your computer.
Also, check that you have paired your computer to your Bluetooth speaker. Or you can re-pair both devices. To do so, follow these steps:
- Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Devices.
- Click the three dots icon next to your speakers and select Remove Device.
- After that, click on Add device and follow the onscreen steps to add your Bluetooth speakers.
- Finally, try playing some audio and see if you hear any output.
4. Check Speaker Output
Make sure you have selected the right speaker output. If you have selected some other audio output than the one you are using, you won’t hear anything. To check speaker output, follow these steps:
- Go to Settings > System > Sound.
- Click on Choose where to play a sound and ensure you selected the right speakers.
- If you see too many sound output devices, click on each and then click on Don’t allow disabling the device from playing sound.
5. Run Audio Troubleshooter
The next thing you can do is run the audio troubleshooter. The audio troubleshooter can help you fix the problem or help you find a hint behind the issue. To run the troubleshooter, follow these steps:
- Go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot.
- Click on Other Troubleshooter.
- Click on the Run button next to Playing Audio.
- Next, let Windows run the troubleshooter and fix the problem. Or see if it gives you any hint to search further.
6. Turn off Audio enhancements
You can also try turning off audio enhancements. Audio enhancement helps in improving the overall sound quality. But it can also lead to different audio issues.
So if you have it enabled, then you can disable it by following these steps:
- Go to Settings > System > Sound.
- Click on Choose where to play sound.
- Next, click on your Speakers.
- Scroll down and toggle off Enhance audio.
7. Restart Audio Services
Restarting your audio services can also help you fix sound issues on your computer. For this, you have to follow these steps:
- Go to Windows search and type services, and launch it.
- Now search for these services: Windows Audio, Windows Audio Endpoint Builder, and Remote Procedure Call (RPC).
- Next, right-click on each service and select Restart.
Once done, check if the issue where Windows speakers not working is resolved.
8. Update Drivers (Auto, Manual, and third-party)
Finally, speakers not working on Windows can be a driver-related issue. So, update your audio drivers to see if it resolves the issue. It can be the Realtek audio driver or any other. There are three ways you can update your audio driver:
Windows Update:
Since Windows now ships driver updates with the Windows update itself. You need to update your Windows to get the latest updates for your drivers.
- Go to Settings > Windows Update > Advaned Options.
- Then click on Optional updates to reveal all driver-related updates.
- If any update is available, install it and check if it fixes the audio issue.
Manually:
If you are a laptop user or a pre-built PC user, you must head to your laptop manufacturer’s website and search for audio drivers using your laptop’s model number. You can go to Google and search for keywords like Dell driver downloads.
Alternatively, if you are a custom PC build user, you must figure out what motherboard you have. Based on your motherboard’s model, you must download an audio driver and install it on your computer.
To find out your motherboard’s model, follow these steps:
- Press Windows + X.
- Go to Windows Terminal.
- Run the command to find out your motherboard’s model:
wmic baseboard get product,Manufacturer
Third-Party:
If you don’t want to search for drivers manually, you can use third-party software to do the job for you. You can try the best third-party software to update drivers on Windows. What this software does is that it scans your computer and suggests driver updates. Also, it allows you to download the driver using the software and install it on your computer to fix my speaker.
Conclusion
So that was all for your question on why speakers do not work as expected on Windows 11/10. You can get rid of most audio issues by updating your audio driver. Anyway, now it is your turn to check these methods out. I hope you got your answer if you were wondering why aren’t my speakers working. If you get stuck at anything, drop a comment below.
How Do I Reset Sound Drivers in Windows?
You can fix most sound-related issues on Windows by resetting the sound driver. For this, go to Settings > System > Sound. Then scroll down and click on Volume Mixer, then scroll to the bottom and click on the Reset button next to Reset sound devices and volumes for all apps to the recommended settings.
Does Windows Use Realtek?
Yes, Windows PC does use Realtek. However, not all Realtek sound drivers would work with your PC. Instead, download audio drivers based on your device’s model number.