Sound problems aren’t the end of the world but can annoy the sh*t out of you after purchasing an expensive surround sound speaker for your precious gaming desktop. Fortunately, these problems are 90% of the time related to software, and not usually due to a hardware issue with the sound card or audio advice.
Of course, Driver Booster Pro is largely recommended by most experts.
While it is the quickest and fuss-free way to get things resolved, there is still a small probability that your sound problem persists despite applying the standard fixes.
Here’s a quick to-do list to get out of your misery.
1-Click Fix with Driver Booster
Driver Booster is a freemium software which focuses on keeping your drivers up to date. However, it is also an easy tool to fix any sound issues. You can do this by navigating to Tools > Fix No Sound . Clicking on Scan also helps to search and install the latest driver updates (that includes your audio device). Not to mention, if you have been using Driver Booster for a while, you could also right click on your audio device and Roll Back to a previous version and see if it works.
Check Volume Level
Could be just an obvious mistake. Turn up the volume as high as possible in the Windows 11 Sound Settings.
Double Check the Output Device
Again, in the sound settings, the speakers may not be selected as the output audio device, or if it’s connected over Bluetooth, disconnected from the computer.
Set Sound Device as Default (Multiple Audio Devices Plugged in)
Go to Sound Settings. From the Output area at the top, choose the desired device as the output. If this was the problem, you should know it right away.
Set Sound Device as Default on Meeting Apps
If the sound is working fine on your device but not on meeting apps like Zoom, Teams, or Skype, go to the specific program’s settings to verify that the app is set up to use the correct sound devices.
Restart Your Computer
Sometimes, a restart is all it takes for the PC to rewire itself. If this works, it could have been a pending driver update that needed to be finish or a temporary incompatibility issue that was resolved after the restart.
Update Windows with the Latest Windows Update
Windows 11 is still quite new and prone to bugs. Open Settings and navigate to Windows Update . Check and install any available OS updates.
Use the Native Troubleshoot sound problems
You can access it by right clicking the sound icon at the taskbar and choose Troubleshoot sound problems or Settings > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters > Playing Audio.
Restart Audio Devices
Press the Windows Key + R and type services.msc . From there, right-click and restart both Windows Audio and Windows Audio Endpoint Builder.
Plug the Audio Device to another Computer
This is to double-check whether there is a hardware issue with your speaker. Alternatively, you may use another audio device for computer to see if it works.
Undo any Recent System Changes prior to the Issue
Depending on what changes were made, it could be uninstalling a program, rolling back a driver, or even running system restore as a last resort.
Realtek is bringing Real Pain!
If you are using Realtek HD Audio driver or similar, it is probably the reason why your audio appears for a split second before cutting out. Don’t even bother downloading the installer from their official website because that will take hours too. Instead, go to TechSpot and download from a much faster alternative trusted source. Run the installer, which will require your PC to be restarted twice, and voila! Your audio is back. This happens rather frequently if you update Windows regularly, so keep the installer on your PC for future emergencies.
The Last of Last Resorts
Only after you confirm the speakers are not faulty and it is a software issue unsolvable by any of the methods listed above, conduct a full backup, and reset Windows 11 to return to its default state. You may do so by going to Settings > System > Recovery > Reset PC .
