In the modern-day, laptops have become essential for everyone worldwide. Not only are they necessary at a professional level, but also for personal purposes. You may have access to your files and connect to the internet, for instance.
A laptop or computer may also be used as a music device thanks to the integrated music app or streaming platforms like Spotify, Deezer, or YouTube. People may also need to use headphones for other purposes, and that’s why it can be annoying when your laptop does not detect them.
Regardless of the purpose you want to use the headphones for, the sound controller should be working well once you have turned on your device. However, you may find troubles related to it at times, making it impossible to hear or even reproduce sounds on your laptop.
When something like this happens in Windows, you may see the audio icon with an “error” sign or the volume levels deactivated. If that’s what you’re experiencing, there are some methods you can use to solve the problem in a few minutes.
Audio is an essential part of our lives. It can be frustrating not to be able to hear anything while you are using your laptop, which is why you may be desperately looking for solutions. Here we have seven methods you can use to solve the audio problem.
First method: Make sure your headphones are not the problem.
Sometimes, the port you are attempting to use may be dead. You can try and connect your headphones using a different port. If that solves the problem, you may continue using your laptop. If not, please try to use them on a different device.
If your headphones still do not work after you’ve tried them on different devices, maybe your computer is not the problem. However, if it is otherwise, you can try other of the methods we have available on this list. Keep going until you find the solution for your issue.
Second method: Set the headphones as the default playback device.
This problem is common, and you can solve it quickly. If your laptop does not set the headphones as the default playback device, you can manually do it by going to the control panel.
In the Control Panel option, go to the Hardware and Sound tab. There, choose sound. You’ll observe how a window pops up. Please go to the “Playback” tab and right-click there. You’ll see different options. Click on “show disabled devices.”
If your headphones are connected correctly, you may see them on the list. Make right-click on the correct device and enable them. Now, select “Set as default.” Click on “Apply,” and that should have solved the problem.
Third Method: Try changing the default sound format.
If the sound format is not correct, that may lead to headphone problems whenever you try to connect them. To solve this problem, you must go to the control panel, hardware, and sound tab and then select the sound option.
There, you’ll get to the Playback tab again. Please double-click on the default device to open its properties. There, go to the “advanced” tab. There you’ll be able to change the sound format until you find the one that’s appropriate for your headphones.
Fourth method: Try using the Playing Audio troubleshooter.
This option is available in all devices starting from Windows 8. This feature can help you solve the problem in a few minutes. You only need to follow these steps:
- Type “troubleshoot” on the windows search bar until that option appears. A window will open.
- There, you must go to the “playing audio” option and then click on “Run the Troubleshooter.”
- Keep going until it starts giving you options. You must select “headphones.”
- It will ask you to open audio enhancements. Choose “no.”
- There, follow all the instructions to go on with the troubleshooting.
Fifth method: Update your audio drivers.
If you have tried everything and you still cannot solve the problem, maybe there is a problem with your audio drivers. You can solve this problem without external programs by going to the Device Manager.
There, go to the audio and video drivers section. Make right-click on the current audio driver, and choose “update.” You’ll see how a window pops up. Windows will ask you two options: you can choose to search for the drivers automatically or manually. Choose the first option if you have not downloaded any drivers previously. If there is an update available, it will be downloaded and installed in your system automatically.
Sixth Method: Restart the audio service.
Another option you can choose is to restart the audio service. It’s not unusual for this service to start malfunctioning due to hardware problems. Follow these steps to restart the audio service on your computer system:
- First, press the Windows key + R to open. A window will open. There, you must type services.msc
- A list with all the current services – whether they’re active or not – will appear. There, you must find the Windows Audio Service.
- Make right-click on that service, and choose “restart.”
Seventh Method: Make sure your computer is detecting the headphones correctly.
If everything else did not work, maybe your computer is not detecting them correctly. You can make sure your computer has the correct settings by following these steps:
Click on the sound icon you can find on the taskbar. You’ll see different options; you must click on “open audio settings.”
There, pay attention to the output section. Please verify that the selected option is in accordance with your headphones. If you are not sure of the correct setting, try them all until you find the answer. Your system can have a different audio output activated, and that’s why you cannot hear anything with your headphones.
Furthermore, click on the “manage audio devices” option. There, select the correct audio option and verify you can hear it.
I couldn’t solve the problem! What do I do?
If you have tried everything on this list and still cannot solve the problem, consider that your malfunctioning headphones or other problems may cause the issue.
You can discard that your laptop or computer is the problem by trying different headphones. If the new pair seems to be working, your previous headphones were the problem.
To sum up, what has been said until now, you can try some of these solutions to solve your audio issue:
- Please make sure there isn’t any problem with the headphones. For instance, sometimes the chord may be damaged, and that causes the issue. You should also make sure the volume of your system is up. You may need to replace your headphones.
- Make sure the device manager tab recognizes the device. There, you can explore different options, including updates for the audio drivers.
- Sometimes, the problem may be caused by sound effects or enhancement. You can deactivate these options and test the results.
- If everything else did not work, you might update or reinstall your audio drivers.
If nothing has solved the issue, maybe your laptop’s port for headphones is damaged. We recommend going to a licensed professional if you’ve tried different methods and nothing else seems to work.
