Most “no sound” cases are routing or muting problems, not a broken driver or dead hardware. Work through these roughly in order of how common they are — the fix is usually in the first three steps.
Step 1: Confirm the Right Output Device Is Selected
Windows switches audio output automatically when you plug in a monitor (via HDMI/DisplayPort, which carries audio), a dock, or a headset — and it doesn't always switch back. Click the speaker icon in the system tray → check the device listed. If it says your monitor or a disconnected device instead of your actual speakers/headphones, select the correct one from the dropdown.
Step 2: Check the Volume Mixer, Not Just the Main Volume
Windows has per-app volume controls that are easy to forget about. Right-click the speaker icon → Open Volume Mixer. It's common for one specific app (a browser, a game, Discord) to be muted or turned down independently while everything else works — if only one app is silent, this is almost always it.
Step 3: Restart the Audio Services
This resets the background processes that manage sound without touching drivers, devices, or your volume settings — safe to try any time.
Win+R→ typeservices.msc.- Find Windows Audio → right-click → Restart.
- Find Windows Audio Endpoint Builder → right-click → Restart.
Step 4: Run the Built-In Troubleshooter
Settings → System → Sound → scroll to Troubleshoot common sound problems. This catches routing and permission issues automatically and is worth doing before manual driver work.
Step 5: Check for a Disabled Device
Sometimes the correct audio device exists but got disabled (can happen after an update). Right-click the speaker icon → Sound settings → More sound settings → right-click in the empty space of the Playback tab → check Show Disabled Devices. If your speakers or headphones appear there, right-click → Enable.
Step 6: Driver Issues — Update, or Roll Back
If sound stopped specifically after a Windows Update or driver update: Device Manager → Sound, video and game controllers → right-click your audio device → Update driver. If that doesn't help, try Properties → Driver tab → Roll Back Driver to undo a bad update. If neither is available and the device shows an error icon, try Uninstall device → restart.
Step 7: Turn Off Audio Enhancements
Windows and some audio drivers add “enhancements” that can occasionally cause distortion or total silence with certain hardware. Sound settings → your output device → Properties → Enhancements tab → check “Disable all enhancements,” then retest.
Quick Reference
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Only one app is silent | Per-app volume muted | Volume Mixer |
| Sound worked, then monitor/dock connected | Wrong output device selected | Reselect correct output |
| Started after a Windows/driver update | Bad driver update | Roll back or reinstall driver |
| Distorted or silent with specific hardware | Audio enhancements conflict | Disable enhancements |
| Persistent error in Device Manager | Failing onboard audio hardware | USB DAC/sound card as workaround |