No sound on the PC: it can be because of it
Related Videos: How to Fix Sound or Audio Problems on Windows 10 (April 2024).
If your PC is no longer producing sound, there can be many reasons. We'll show you the three most common causes and how to fix them.
No sound on the PC - exclude sources of error
If you no longer have sound on your PC, the error can sometimes be surprisingly close. Maybe you turned the sound too quietly or pulled a cable. Even in recording studios, the mute button has driven many professionals to despair.
- Check carefully whether all cables are firmly and above all in the correct sockets.
- Check the volume control on all devices such as the system, speakers, mixer or amplifier
- Adjust the volume in your software
- Check the device volume by clicking on the loudspeaker symbol in the task bar.
- Check which device is currently set to output sound. To do this, open the " Control Panel " and select the " Sound " option (see image, step 1).
- Right-click on the desired device and select " Activate ". With a click on " OK " you save your settings (see picture, step 2-3).
Set audio output in software
If your computer stops producing sound, the software may be set incorrectly. Media players such as "foobar2000", "VLC Media Player" or "mp3direct cut" in particular offer many options for outputting the sound. A wrong selection can keep the software silent.
- In your program, search for " Output ", " Output device ", " Output module ", " Playback device " or similar in the settings or options.
- Try out all selectable playback devices.
Fix driver problems
Driver problems can cause unwanted silence, especially after reinstalling Windows or installing a new sound card.
- If you have installed two sound cards, plug your headphones or speakers into both outputs one after the other. Maybe one of the two works.
- Otherwise, open the device manager in the control panel (see figure, step 1).
- Under "Audio inputs and outputs " you will find all devices for sound input and sound reproduction (see picture, step 2).
- Right-click on your sound card and select " Update Driver " (see image, step 3).
- If the driver is not out of date, check whether your sound card is listed without errors. You can recognize errors by a black exclamation mark on a yellow background.
- If an error is displayed, install the latest driver. The DriverZone web app helps you to find suitable drivers for your devices.
- If multiple audio cards are listed, uncheck the ones you don't want to use. Sound cards often do not work in the presence of other sound cards.
Spring cleaning for the PC
If the sound quality of your laptop leaves a lot to be desired, read in the next article how you can improve it.