An 11-step checklist.
That’s a composite of questions I get often. Sometimes it applies to only specific applications; other times, it applies to the entire machine.
It’s a single silent symptom that can come from several sources.
So, let’s run down a bit of a checklist.
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The No Sound Checklist
Eleven things to check:
- Is the sound muted?
- Are speakers connected?
- Do the speakers need power?
- Is the volume high enough to be heard?
- Are the volume settings in the mixer set appropriately?
- Does the application playing sound have its own volume control, and is that set correctly?
- Is the correct output device selected in Windows?
- Does the application allow you to select the output device, and is the correct device selected?
- Are the sound device drivers up to date?
- Are the cables connecting the speakers damaged?
- Are the cables plugged into the speakers securely?
The obvious
Let’s start with the most obvious things. Probably about half the people I hear from find their answer in this first list.
Mute: Make sure sound isn’t muted in Windows. Click the speaker icon (found in the Taskbar) and make sure the Mute indication isn’t present. It should show in the sound icon as well, but I’ve seen it get out of sync.
Connected: Are the speakers connected properly? Double check. An unplugged speaker wire causes exactly this symptom.
Power: Do the speakers require power, and if so, are they plugged in and turned on? Do they have their own volume control, and if so, is it turned up? This gets me every time I rearrange my desk; my speakers get their power from the monitor to which they’re attached. I forget every time.
The software
Next, we’ll look at factors controlled by software and Windows itself.
Volume: Check the volume control. Once again, just click that speaker icon in the Taskbar tray and make sure the output level is set to something above zero.
Mixer: Check the mixer. This is easily overlooked. Right-click the speaker icon and click on Open Volume Mixer. The master volume control manages the output of all possible sound sources at once. In the mixer, you’ll find several different sound sources that each have their own volume control.
Application Volume: Many applications have their own volume control displayed here; for example, VLC Media Player is included above. Check the application from which you expect to hear sound and make sure its volume control is set appropriately.
Output Device: Is the correct output device selected in Windows? Just as you can have multiple inputs, Windows supports multiple outputs, as in multiple speakers or output devices. Right-click on the speaker icon and click on Sound Settings. Make sure the correct one is selected.
Application Output: Is the correct output device selected in the application you’re using? Much as Windows allows you to select the default output device for sound, many applications also allow you to select which device they’re going to use. (How and where you make this choice depends entirely on the application itself. Start with the application’s options or settings interface.)
Drivers: Are the drivers up-to-date for the sound hardware? This is rare, but I include it for completeness. Sometimes the drivers are at fault. That can be repaired by updating or re-installing the drivers associated with your computer’s audio hardware.
The hardware
Speaking of hardware, many people are quick to assume it’s a software problem when perhaps something more fundamental is wrong.
Cable condition: Is the cable to the speakers in good condition? I’ve had at least one person report back that the sound had stopped because her cat had chewed through the wires. Even if you don’t have pets, many audio cables used for inexpensive computer speakers are inexpensive and easy to damage.
Cable connection: Is the audio cable plugged in securely? And to the right place? Once again, I ran into this one after moving my computer. Not only was the connector not completely pushed in, but I tend to plug it into the wrong socket. Make sure yours is correct.
As you can see, there are many, many possibilities when your computer goes silent. Careful detective work with this checklist usually clears things up.
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A good checklist, and i remember my first sound card which was a nightmare to set up. I could have used the checklist then!
Just like your monitor-powered speakers are unusual and easily overlooked, a few low-power speakers can be USB-powered, and without that USB cord plugged in, nutt’n’s gonna happen.
And speakers can fail. I squeeze the connector with my fingers to make them hum. No hum, no speakers. You can also test with an MP3 player or the like
One more obvious item. Make sure you speaker plug is in the correct input terminal on the back of the computer. Mine has 6 color coded terminals all of which will take the speaker plug. Only one is for the speakers.
Which one is the correct on to plug into?
The speaker jack on the computer is often green, otherwise try each one and see which one works.
One of my laptops always lost sound after waking up from sleep. A hard reset was the solution.
Under Hardware. The sound card in its self can fail.
after going through the check list, buying new speekers, ended up replacing the sound card
I have repaired many sound problems with a USB sound adapter. Cost about $10.00 Check Amazon
One computer I was fixing had very low sound output.
Finally Googled a solution – pull the speaker plug a smidge out of the computer, not seated fully in.
Seems strange, but it worked.
As Leo says, make sure the correct output device selected in Windows. I remember having no sound some years go, and found that somehow the dial-up modem I had then had become selected as my “Default device” for “Sound playback” under the “Audio” tab of “Sounds and Audio Devices Properties” in the Control Panel. Changing this to the sound card restored the sound straight away.
Try to connect external speakers.
My xp laptop with a very basic sound card lost the sound of the built-in speakers.
Direct X diagnostics found nothing special.
Ran a cd-rom version of Linux on it , same.
But the external speakers work fine. I just leave it like that as it’s not a major problem.
The laptop works on borrowed time anyway, with an external cooling fan.
Desktop computers no longer come with built in speakers. Now you must connect external speakers.
The speaker icon on the taskbar has a red x on it and the sound just stopped working. I get the message ‘one or more audio service isn’t running. I tried everything, searched all sound related subjects and nothing helps.
CB
i was trying to plug my head phones in to use as a microphone (internet says I can to that)
but it didn’t work now I have a hissing ratty sound and i do not know how to fix it
Today my FL Studio (a music producing program) stopped making sound and it was acting a little weird. i shut it down, started it back up and then it was working again but a few minutes later it stopped making sounds even after rebooting it.
A little while after that google chrome stopped making sound as well and now every time i try to open an mp3 or do anything involving sound it takes ages to load and ends up saying “C:/stuff/things/ect./mp3 The wait operation timed out”
i think it’s my sound card but i’m not sure…
where is the speaker icon? I use to be able to find it, but not now….I am not too adept with computers
In the system tray at the right end of your Taskbar is a little up-arrow that shows hidden icons. The speaker icon may be hiding in there. If it is, click the little up-arrow and drag it back down into the system tray.
I’m too mad. I have searched EVERYWHERE imaginable to find an answer! I got an update on my work computer and now I cannot listen to Pandora. I listen to Pandora everyday so this is heartbreaking really. The windows 10 update decided to update without me knowing and now I do not know how to put sound back on my desktop.
HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you!! I couldn’t get my husband on the phone, and my TV show was on! I had been waiting for it all day, and the kids were finally in bed, and the sound didn’t work!! My two year old likes to pretend he knows how to use the mouse, and he probably did something, but I didn’t know what! Thanks, Leo, for saving my sanity after a long day!!
I had a similar problem once. It turns out I had multiple ~6 different video players installed and one grabbed the audio while another tried to play the video. That happened when I was playing rented movies. Each movie production had its own player that installed in the background.
The solution was to uninstall all the different video players and only use the native one.
Buy powered speakers. Your computer doesn’t have enough horsepower to drive speakers. If your speakers work with another device (like your cell phone for example) and are powered, check the volume settings as described above.
Notice since the Anniversary update (Aug 2) when you click on the volume icon now there will be an Ʌ in the top right corner.
Click on the Ʌ, here you need to select the driver. Also if you have ever used both headphones and speakers, be sure Speakers is selected.
I don’t get the same on mine. What you see when you click on the volume icon can be different depending on what software has been installed along with your sound drivers.
We have two Windows 10 Home computers, one is a HP and has Realtek sound, the other a Dell, has Intel High Definition Audio. Both came with W7 and are kind of old.
That may appear only if you have multiple output devices, but good point.
When I view videos created by many different sources and skills levels (yes, like YouTube) I often encounter a video with a very low-level audio track. The obvious is to crank up the volume on my external powered speaker system, but that invites a surprise booming notification should I get an email while watching the video. Is there some way to invoke the equivalent of an automatic volume control, or must I simply be very vigilant that nothing else is running whenever I watch a video with lousy audio?
Not sure if this will be to your liking, but I turned off all Windows notifications sounds because they don’t serve any purpose for me. I get mail so often, that even if the notification were very low, it would disturb me when working or watching a video.
Unfortunately this REALLY depends on the capabilities of your audio hardware and software. There’s no general solution.
First things first! Attach the speakers (with the same cables) to another computer and see if you get sound.
Or plug a pair of headphones into the audio output jack. That’s probably the easiest for most people.
For years and years, dating back to the 1980s, PCs had built in speakers. A few years ago I bought a refurbished PC from the local used-PC store. I struggled and struggled trying to find out why there was no sound. It turns out that they no longer put speakers inside the desktop PC box. The used-PC store gave me a speaker to plug in so I could have sound. Live and learn.
I recently had the no sound problem on my desktop with windows 10. I completed Leo’s checklist (including several cold boots) and still no sound. Out of frustration, I shut the desktop down, unplugged the tower and waited until the light on the power supply went dark, then, plugged it back in, booted it up and the sound was back. WEIRD!
Rebooting the computer, or with other devices, shutting off, waiting 10-30 seconds, depending on the device or the technician, before turning it on again is often the first thing recommended by technicians. It often is what’s needed to get things working again.
I was about to ;pull out my hair over the sound not working. The Realtek drivers installed fine, even the “loopy” demo played. Installed a Sound Blaster PCI card, still same problem. Booted on a Linux CD, also Installd a cloned hard disk backup from 6 months ago, sound was fine. Compared list of running services between versions.
Discovered that “Windows Audio” service was disabled. Enabled it, all was well. It must have gotten disabled when I was trying to slim down memory resident stuff with Msconfig earlier, and didn’t notice the sound was silent.
I have an Hp laptop and when I am using it, say playing solitare, the sound works then it quits for a while and then all sounds comer our at once.
The PST file is likely still there. Search for *.PST and make sure to include hidden files.
If Outlook.PST is found then you need to reconnect to it in Outlook
or copy the file to your new profile folder for Outlook.
Look in Outlook settings to see where it expects to find the PST file.
It will probably have created a new blank one so you may have to rename the new blank one
in order to copy the one with your stuff in it to the right folder.
Good luck
M
What is right to restart my pc after solving a sound problem? or to leave as it?
It’s not right or wrong. It’s just inevitable. Sooner or later you will have to restart your computer. If the sound fails because of a restart then you haven’t really solved the problem.
My Toshiba laptop seems to have no volume. I have tried everything on this checklist, but none are the problem. However, I have noticed that on ‘Playback Devices’, where my speakers are, there are several lines on the far right. On yours, they’re partly green, yet mine are all grey. Could this have something to do with it? I apologize if I sound stupid…
My issue is a bit different. I am adding a bluetooth speaker to my laptop. It installs and works at first. However, after I use it and resume other activity, it will no longer work. It actually has to be reinstalled every time I want to use it. How can I fix this? I have a Sony Vaio T Series Notebook and I am working with Windows 10. I have done all the “normal” things – set the speakers as default, updated drivers, etc etc etc – nothing has worked and I have no idea what to try now?
hi Leo , I have been reading your emails and articles for years…..and wonder now if you can help….I have been reading you notes about “lack of sound”….my problem is the opposite , my laptop has suddenly began going “bing bong” all the time when the audio is not muted…..have I altered the settings in some way , or is it a virus etc….I would very pleased to hear if you have a solution…..Thanks
Sounds like something’s simply trying to notify you. Without knowing the Windows version it’s hard to say where to look, but … look for notifications? Notice which apps are running? Maybe close all browsers and see if it continues (websites are one cause if they have auto-play audio).
I can’t get sound ONLY on the News in Slow Italian program. For everything else the sound is fine. Please help me with that program’ sound. It was through that link that I was given your help software.
Also, could get me a telephone number for the company that publishes News in Slow Italian? Thanks.
Have you tried accessing that website using a different browser?
Hey! I have a problem with my audio, where whenever I plug any type of audio (so far I’ve tried my headphones and earphones), some applications do not work properly or do not work at all… Once I unplug my audio source, my PC works fine. Any ideas?
Thanks!
Sounds like a hardware problem – a crossed wire perhaps – you may need to have a technician look at the machine. (Though DO make sure that you’re plugging into correct socket.)
Thank you Leo. It was the obvious…
The volume on my computer was MUTED. I think the culprit was my visiting daughter but who have left to another country
Next time she visits and uses my computer I’m making sure, she unmutes it when she’s finished typing.
what a relief to find out, all I had do was click on the volume icon to get the sound back in my computer.
Gracias, again Leo.
Maria
I am using an old Thinkpad Laptop, but lost the sound recently. The device shows it is playing the music and the driver is ok as well. But, I just cannot hear any sound! Pls help. Thanks
If it was working, and it’s an older laptop, perhaps there’s actually hardware problem – like broken or disconnected speakers?
I normally have sound with Mozilla on every site I go to except Dictionary.com! Dictionary.com gives you the definition and etymology AND THE PRONUNCIATION of the word defined. You click a speaker icon and you hear the word’s pronunciation but this does not happen with Mozilla ! Every other browser works fine except Mozilla! I’ve tried all the ‘fixes’ that have been offered; I download the latest player software and the sound will work for a short while then it just stops! I can click the speaker icon until my finger drops off but no sound! sometimes I copy the URL address and paste it in Chrome or Edge to hear a words pronunciation but I shouldn’t have to do that! How can this annoyance be fixed??
You may have a plugin in Mozilla that is interfering with the sounds. Perhaps a popup blocker. It might help to clear the cache as well.
I have a problem with my Windows 7 PC. When I first start it up, it has no sound. If I leave it on for hours, it comes on by itself. This is no good when I need to use it first thing in the morning.
Once I took my computer all apart to move it to paint my office. I put it all back together and the sound started immediately. However, without doing anything differently, it has gone back to its old habits. Just not giving me sound when I turn it on. Tonight, I’ve been waiting four hours or so, and there is still no sound.
This worked really well! :D. I right clicked the volume button turned all the volume slides all the way down then picked them up. It made a noise, then tried it on youtube. It worked perfectly.
Just to further complete the sound checklist, here’s one other situation that results in no sound. Today, I was using FastStone to watch a slideshow. Pictures displayed just fine – but no sound. It turned out that the folder that held the songs for the slideshow, well, I had forgotten I had changed the folder name ever so slightly. So the software couldn’t find the songs … so no sound.
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit
Further to the post from theFriz (August 20, 2016 at 10:47 am)…
My sound switches off a few times daily. I automatically restart the “Windows Audio” service. It’s one of my hobbies.
Does anyone know how to restart the service with a single click? It’s exhausting having to click on the desktop icon to get the Services dialog, scroll to Windows Audio, and click on Restart.
This may be slightly off topic. I don’t use a “monitor” for my computer. It requires external speakers for sound. For several years now I have always purchased an LCD TV & lately an LED TV. they all have a PC input or HDMI input & TVs come with their own speakers. I think you’ll find buying an LED TV today is less expensive than purchasing an equivalent size monitor, especially as you get into larger screen sizes. Unless you’re an audiophile that must have high quality external speakers, you’ll most likely be satisfied with the TV built-in speakers. They’re much better than they used to be. Just food for thought.
Every now and then, I find the main speakers are silent and I check all the usual suspects with no success until I remember I was using headphones and they are still plugged in. Once I unplug the headphones, the main speakers work!
The red X beside my microphone icon appeared right after refusing the “speak with Cortana” option with the latest windows 10 update. I cannot turn off the mute. This is really annoying
Is it then, necessary to accept all the changes in windows 10’s latest update in order to keep the functions we had before?
Technically, no, it should not be necessary, but it is more resilient if you do. Did you not take some of the updates? Turning off Cortana doesn’t refuse an update, it simply turns off a feature — a feature that shouldn’t impact your ability to use your microphone.
I have an All-In-One. Tried everything else then did a hard-restart (unplugged and plugged back in). Fixed.
hello i have some problem in my laptop the problem is i played a media but sound is not working but i insert a handfree cable sound is working out of hands free please guide me
Sounds like a hardware problem — broken speakers perhaps? I’d have a technician look at it. (Assuming you’ve already carefully followed the checklist above, of course.)
I’ve noticed that happens to me once in a while after the pc comes out of sleep mode, and also after security updates have been installed. Using the trouble shooter always works.
Hi Leo, all:
I have a sound issue on my Dell laptop running Windows 10. I hardly use it except as a tv – I loved XP but I have memory problems and I don’t touch anything!
My problem is twofold: the volume is brutally low – I’ve checked and troubleshooted (there are so many ways to adjust volume. Because the speakers are weak, I want to use headphones. Nothing. The sound comes from the speakers. I tested the headphones – one pair brand new. They all work on other devices.
I don’t know what to look for in Device Driver, and sound settings – it shows Realtek. I’m afraid to update drivers – because if I lose sound all together – not good.
I’ve never had an issue like this with generic name brand earphones… I think my machine is about 4-5 years old.
Thank you for all the great information.
(Yes, I made sure the jack was clean).
The fact that the headphones don’t work and plugging them in doesn’t shut the computer speakers off seems to indicate that it might be a hardware problem. I’d take it to a technician.
Since I installed Windows 10 (can’t remember the dates but at least two years ago) I have been having a sound problem with 3 laptops. In all three of them the internal microphone does not work although it had worked perfectly well before. I have not noticed any other laptop function that has been affected by this update neither by subsequent updates that I have been installing regularly I am now at W10 version 1909. In the present days this is very annoying because I am unable to use Skype, Jitsi, etc. Do you have any suggestion about what can I try? Thanks in advance
I would go to your computer manufacturer’s support site and see if there are updated audio drivers for your computer. Sometimes the drivers that come with Windows itself aren’t full featured, so this is the very first thing I would check.
Next I would check to make sure the microphone is actually selected as the input device. In Settings, Sound, make sure that the correct device is selected under “Choose your input device” (you may need to scroll down to see it). You can then test your microphone, and troubleshoot it as well.
Your first paragraph (“… go to your computer manufacturer’s support site …) is a sad commentary on the dysfunctional state of W10 and MS’s attitude toward its customers.
Drivers are developed and updated by the devices’ manufacturers. The popular ones are added to Windows but the quickest way to get them is on the manufacturers’ support sites. You can’t blame Microsoft if a change makes a driver incompatible with an upgrade or update. There are thousands of devices, all using different drivers, if not millions, and Microsoft can’t keep track of them all.
Sorry, I know all this is off topic, but I am bored hiding at home from the coronavirus.
In response to Mark: Let’s use some common sense and think this through. Drivers on a machine are there, presumably, because they make the devices connected to the machine work. Drivers don’t go bad just sitting there for any specific attached hardware. If someone comes along and deliberately deletes or changes the drivers, that someone is likely to break some functionality. Microsoft has chosen to deliberately delete or change drivers with its updates to W10. Microsoft did not do this with updates to W7 and earlier, but it decided to do this in W10. Now, let’s say Microsoft did mess with the drivers by mistake. Once or maybe twice, we would surely be forgiving. But, Microsoft did not make a mistake and it did not ask for forgiveness. Instead, Microsoft did knowingly and repeatedly harm the drivers with updates and didn’t tell us about. It let us be surprised the morning after the updates.
Microsoft has some smart people working in its offices. In design meetings these smart people had to make a choice for how to handle drivers. They had a choice not to delete or change drivers with updates, but they took a different path, with approvals from managers, accountants, lawyers, marketing and QA people. This was not a mistake. So, what is a possible reason for such outcome? It’s either a corporate policy or gross negligence. But regardless, I care about the net effect. The net effect is not good. So, let’s now look at who might have the resources to fix this chronic problem. You’re telling us that the responsibility falls on every user and every peripheral manufacturer. All billions of them! Yes, we can blame Microsoft, at least for poor design and policy decisions.
Microsoft doesn’t change drivers. The drivers are the same as they were when first installed. Microsoft makes changes to the OS and some programs (drivers are just programs) which hooked into the OS code no longer work because the code they hooked into has changed. The program and driver developers have to update their programs to adapt to those changes. If they don’t, the device or application becomes obsolete.
To be clear, Microsoft does change some drivers, and passes along manufacturer’s updates for others. They do so with reason — like fixing vulnerabilities, responding to changes in the OS, or improving for new hardware.
Microsoft has always updated drivers, from well before Windows 7. Often they’re passing along drivers provided by the manufacturer. In the early days some manufacturer’s drivers we so bad that Microsoft basically took over their maintenance. Microsoft doesn’t “harm” drivers — they provide updates for very real issues — sometimes the updates come from Microsoft, sometimes they come from the manufacturer. And yes, the majority of manufacturers to this day remain responsible for the drivers that control their hardware. (Not billions — not even millions — but most definitely thousands and thousands of manufacturers.) That’s how Windows was designed to operate from day 1.
On the contrary, while MS can most certainly do better, it can only be thus: manufacturers are THE canonical resource for information about their own hardware. That they might have more, better, sooner only makes sense. Microsoft can do better, but they will never take the place of the manufacturer (unless they are the manufacturer, as in the Surface line of machines).
Leo, thank you for confirming that W10 updates also update drivers (see link below). But no matter how the situation is excused or justified, it’s bad design and there are approaches to do better. Consider design concepts such as interface layers, abstraction layers, decoupling, object oriented, interface definition languages. I know that most of these academic concepts may be BS textbook stuff and they are rarely faithfully implemented, but there is a way to do better. Unfortunately, that better way takes an enormous effort, development of standards, and a choice not to force changes to drivers that, regardless of “security” issues, are working on a given machine. Let the user decide, accepting the infinitesimal risk.
https://www.howtogeek.com/658676/windows-10s-buggy-hardware-driver-updates-are-being-fixed
You’re implying that there’s no design rigor being applied to the Windows device driver model and its interface(s). I can assure you that is most certainly not the case. I’ll reiterate that Microsoft and device manufacturers can, and should be doing better, but it’s nowhere near as simple a decision or problem as you make it out to be. As you say, it’s off topic, so I’ll end this little back-and-forth here.
I would add one item to this check list. FIRST… Shut down and restart.
Some people leave the computer on all the time. I put mine to sleep, which is effectively the same thing. Eventually, Windows messes up in many and various ways. This can include sound not working.
Reboot and it’s back to normal….
Yes, that’s often the first thing to try.
Why Do So Many Tech Support Solutions Start with “Reboot” or “Turn It Off”?
Although my sound works well, none of my Win10 computers will give sound notifications for email! I have checked all the settings, both in app and system, with no luck.
I use Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.
I have a very strange sound problem: Everything involving sound works correctly… except, the “Exit Windows” sound (customized — i.e., I created it myself) doesn’t work!
Any idea offhand what the trouble might be…???
Sorry to be flip, but you know the reason: “customized — i.e., I created it myself”.
When you ask a question such as this, and if you expect a reasonable response, then you need to provide details. What type of sound file did you create, does it play by itself, where did you put it, etc. Undo what you did and hope some sound comes out on Exit. As they say, don’t fix it if it ain’t broke.
Sometime you can fix sound problems with Windows 10 help. Go to Settings>Update & Security>Troubleshoot>Playing Audio and walk through the process. “SOMETIMES” Windows 10 will locate and fix the problem.