If your volume is working but is too quiet, see our guide to increasing the volume on your computer.
Click the Windows Start menu button. Type “Control Panel”. Click Control Panel. Click Hardware and Sound. Click Adjust System Volume. Click the speaker icon to unmute any muted sounds (It will have a red circle with a line next to it). Click and drag to raise the slider bar under the “Device” column.
Windows 10: Click the Windows Start menu. Click the Settings/Gear icon. Click System. Click Sound in the menu to the left. Click Device Properties near the top of the Sound menu. Ensure the box next to “Disabled” is unchecked. Windows 11: Click the Windows Start menu. Type in and select “Settings”. Click Settings in the sidebar. Click Sound in the list of System menu options. Click Choose where to play sound to open a drop down menu of audio output devices. Click your preferred audio output device (for example, “Speakers”). If next to “Audio” under “General” the button says “Don’t Allow,” your audio is enabled for the audio output device. If it says “Allow,” click the button to enable the audio.
Windows 10: Click on the Windows Start icon in the taskbar. Type “Troubleshoot Settings”. Click Troubleshoot Settings. Scroll down and click Playing Audio. Click Run the Troubleshooter. Select your audio device (Realtek(R) audio for most people), and click Next. Follow the instructions to fix any audio problems detected. Windows 11: Click the Windows Start icon in the taskbar. Type in and open “Settings. ” Type “troubleshoot” in the Settings search bar and select “Troubleshoot settings. ” Click Other troubleshooters. Click Run next to “Playing Audio. ” The troubleshooter will start running immediately. Select your audio device when prompted (Realtek(R) audio for most people) and click Next. Follow the instructions to fix any audio problems detected.
Click the Windows Start icon in the taskbar. Type “Control Panel”. Click Control Panel. Click Hardware and Sound. Click Manage Audio Devices. Click the correct audio device (Realtek Audio for most people). Click Apply. You can also right-click on an audio device and click Test to test the audio device and listen for a sound.
You can also right-click on an audio device and click Test to test the audio device and listen for a sound.
Click the Windows Start button in the taskbar. Type in “services” and select it in the results list. It has an icon of two gears. Right-click “Windows Audio” in the list of services. Click Restart. Click Yes (Windows 11 only). Repeat the restart process for “Windows Audio Endpoint Builder” and “Remote Procedure Call (RPC). ”
Click the Windows Start icon in the taskbar. Type “Control Panel”. Click Control Panel. Click Hardware and Sound. Click Sounds (Windows 10) or Sound (Windows 11). Click the Playback tab. Click an audio device. Click Properties. Click the Enhancements tab. Uncheck the “Disable all enhancements” or “Disable all sound effects”. Click Apply. Repeat for all other sound devices.
Click the Windows Start icon in the taskbar. Type “Control Panel”. Click Control Panel. Click Hardware and Sound. Click Sounds (Windows 10) or Sound (Windows 11). Click the Playback tab. Click the correct audio device (Realtek Audio for most people). Click Properties. Click the Advanced tab. Use the drop-down menu at the top to select an audio format (i. e. 16-bit, 48000 Hz) Click Test. Select a different audio format if you hear no sound.
Click the Windows Start icon in the taskbar. Type “Device Manager. " Click Device Manager. Double-click Sound, video and game controllers. Check to make sure an audio device is listed below “Sound, video and game controllers. " If no device is listed, your sound card might be disconnected from your CPU. You can open your computer to check whether it is fully plugged in. If you open your computer, make sure to power it off and disconnect any cables before opening it.
Click the Windows Start icon in the taskbar. Type “Device Manager. " Click Device Manager. Double-click Sound, video and game controllers. Right-click your audio driver (Realtek Audio for most people). Click Update Driver. Click Search automatically for updated driver software Follow the instructions to install any new drivers.
Click the Windows Start icon in the taskbar. Type “Device Manager. " Click Device Manager. Double-click Sound, video and game controllers. Double-click your audio driver (Realtek Audio for most people). Click the Driver tab at the top. Click Roll Back Driver.
Click the Windows Start icon in the taskbar. Type “Device Manager. " Click Device Manager. Double-click Sound, video and game controllers. Right-click your audio driver (Realtek (R) Audio for most people). Click Uninstall Device. Click the checkbox next to “Delete the driver software for this device” (Windows 10) or “Attempt to remove the driver for this device” (Windows 11). Click Uninstall. Click the Windows Start menu. Click the power icon Click Restart.
Click the Windows Start icon in the taskbar. Type “Device Manager. " Click Device Manager. Double-click Sound, video and game controllers. Check whether “IDT High Definition Audio CODEC” is listed under “Sound, video and game controllers. ” If it’s there, right-click it and click Update driver. Click Browse my computer for drivers. Click Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer. Choose “High Definition Audio Device” and click Next.
Click the Windows Start menu. Type Recovery. Click Recovery (it should say “Control Panel” beneath it). Click Open System Restore. Click Next. Click a restore point and click Scan for Affected Programs to display a list of programs that will be deleted. Click Close. Click Next. Click Finish.
If you still don’t see the icon in the taskbar, click the icon that resembles a bracket pointing up on the left side of the notification area. This displays all available icons in the taskbar. You can click and drag icons in the taskbar to rearrange them.
