Learn how to troubleshoot and resolve common audio issues on your PC with Windows 11 or older versions. Follow the step-by-step guide with tips, troubleshooters, and settings.

Use the information on this page to troubleshoot audio or video issues during game play on your Windows 10/11 device. Some games run in full-screen mode, so you can't see the taskbar. Here's how to check that your sound is not turned down low or muted:

Windows may not detect an audio output device if the required audio driver is missing, outdated, disabled, or not loading correctly. In this situation, sound options might not appear in Settings, or Windows may display an error indicating that no audio device is installed.

Sometimes, you don't hear any sound from your speakers or wired headphones, even though the volume icon appears normal. This issue occurs if the wrong audio output device is selected, the sound is muted, audio enhancements are interfering, or the audio driver isn’t working correctly.

If sound plays quietly, is muted, or apps output at different levels, use these steps to restore normal audio.

Turn on spatial sound in Windows.

If audio sounds distorted, crackling, or poor quality in Windows 11, audio enhancements, unsupported audio formats, driver issues, or stopped audio services may be affecting sound output. Use the steps below to restore clear audio.

If your Bluetooth device connects to Windows but you hear no sound, experience low audio quality, or face frequent disconnections, it can disrupt your audio experience.

Follow these steps to restore sound. Installing updates can resolve audio issues introduced by a previous update. Updating the audio driver can restore sound after an update. If audio stopped working immediately after an update, rolling back the driver may help.

If you are facing a different audio issue, refer to Fix Audio/Sound problems in Windows.