How to Fix Laptop sound not working Windows

Today, we’re going to be looking at ways to fix no sound in Windows. Firstly, we need to find out where the issue is. First of all Right-click on the sound icon in the taskbar and select open volume mixer. This should show the applications that are currently playing sound and the output device used to play these. Try playing a sound, like a song or a video, and check if you see the green and grey bar matching the sound played.

 If you see the sound level changing but hear no sound, the device you are using is probably faulty, as Windows is playing sound, but you cannot listen to it. There are some fixes to try for this, though, so stay tuned. Ensure that all the sliders match, so you could try dragging them all to 10 so that they will all adjust together. 

If you don’t see any moving bar, likely, Windows isn’t configured correctly to play a sound to your chosen device. Alright, so let’s look at some fixes. No matter what happened in the last test, it’s worth trying this. I always recommend restarting your PC if you haven’t already, mainly if the issue just occurred. Feel free to do his now and then return to the article. 

If that failed, let’s look at some other potential solutions. Right-click on the sound icon again, but this time, go to sounds. Then click on playback devices. This will display all the devices that are currently enabled to play sound. Make sure you’re able to see disconnected and disabled devices, so right-click in the space and check the two options. 

This will now show all the devices able to play sound. If you see your device, make sure it’s enabled. You can allow it by right-clicking on it and selecting enable. 

If you’re still playing sound in the background, the green bar next to the device should show volume levels. Again, if you see this but don’t hear the sound, it’s more likely that your device itself is faulty. You can try all the devices one by one, just in case one of them works. 

It’s an excellent way to test if it’s a problem with Windows or your device. If you don’t see your device, for example, your headphones aren’t on this list, even though they are plugged in, then for some

reason, Windows doesn’t recognize them. Let’s focus on why this might be next.

It could be a fault with the port, so change this if you’re able. If it is a USB device, try another slot, perhaps on the back of the PC. There should be 3.5mm audio inputs on the back, too, so try this if that’s what your device uses. Unfortunately, if this doesn’t work, the machine or cables are more likely to be broken.

You can check this by using your speakers or headphones on another device. If they do work on another device, there might be some compatibility issues. 

Try searching for your exact make and model of the output device to see if others have the same problem. It could also be software that’s causing it. If you use any additional audio software, try disabling that or start your PC in safe mode. I’ll leave a link on how to do this in the description.

If your device works in safe mode, then software compatibility issues are the likely cause as to why your device isn’t being recognized. Everyone can try the next possible solution, and it’s easy to do. Search troubleshoot in the search bar and then find the audio playing option. It should be right second down on the list. 

Click on it and then run the system troubleshooter.

Windows will look for common problems and try and fix them for us or tell us what the problem might be. Follow the troubleshooter and see what Windows suggests.