How to Fix Sound Problems in Microsoft Windows 10

Check Device Manager

Open Start, enter Device Manager, and select it from the list of results. Under Sound, video and game controllers, select your sound card, open it, select the Driver tab > Update Driver. If Windows doesn’t find a new driver, look for one on the device manufacturer’s website and follow their instructions.

If that didn’t work, try this:

Uninstall your audio driver: open Device Manager, right-click (or tap and hold) the audio driver, and select Uninstall. Restart your device and Windows will attempt to reinstall the driver.

And if that didn’t work, try using the generic audio driver that comes with Windows. Here’s how:

Open Device Manager, right-click (or tap and hold) your audio driver > Update driver software… > Browse my computer for driver software > Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer > High Definition Audio Device > Next, and follow the instructions to install it.

Check Cables and Volume

Check speaker and headphone connections for loose cables or the wrong jack.
Check power and volume levels, and try turning all the volume controls up.
Some speakers and apps have their own volume controls, and you might have to check them all.
Try connecting using different USB port.
And remember that speakers probably won’t work when headphones are plugged in.

Run Troubleshooter

Try the audio troubleshooter. It might be able to fix your issue automatically.

Set Default Device

If you’re connecting to an audio device using USB or HDMI, you might need to set that device as the default.

Open Start, enter Sound, select it from the list of results, and then, on the Playback tab, select a device, then Set Default.

Turn Off Audio Enhancements

Go to Start, enter Sound, and select Sound Control Panel from the list of results.
On the Playback tab, right-click (or tap and hold) the Default Device > Properties.
On the Enhancements tab > Disable all enhancements check box and try to play audio device.
If that doesn’t work, select Cancel and, on the Playback tab, select another default device (if you have one), select the Disable all enhancements check box, and try to play audio again. Do this for each default device.

Try Different Audio Format

Go to Start, enter Sound, and select Sound Control Panel from the list of results.
On the Playback tab, right-click (or tap and hold) the Default Device > Properties.
On the Advanced tab, under Default Format, change the setting, and then retest audio device. If that doesn’t work, try changing the setting again.