If you no longer have sound on your PC, there are various possible causes. The software or hardware could be the source of the problem—but sometimes we can’t see the wood for the trees and have simply muted the wrong application. With our tips, you’re sure to find your sound again!
First aid: PC no longer emits any sound
Even very small errors can drive you to despair if you don’t notice them. Even if you might want to bang your head against the wall, you should check the following:
- Is the PC set to silent? If so, the volume icon at the bottom right of the taskbar will be crossed out or have an X behind it.
- An application may also be set to silent. Check the music player or game to see if the sound is set correctly.
- You can also right-click on the volume icon and open the “Volume Mixer.” Check the sliders to see if any applications are set to mute.
- Are all the plugs connected correctly? Sometimes it helps to briefly unplug a playback device and reconnect it to the PC.
- Check the cable for breaks or test your playback device on another laptop, PC, or your smartphone. Are your headphones broken? Check out Media Markt’s selection of headphones now and save with great discounts.
- Make sure that the playback device is not set to mute.
Selecting an audio device on your PC
If none of the above problems apply, your PC may be using the wrong audio device. You can fix the problem by selecting the correct playback device, such as your headset, speakers, etc., as the default.
- Right-click on the volume icon in the lower right corner of the taskbar.
- Select “Playback devices.”
- Now click on the correct speakers or headphones to select them. Right-click to select “Test” from the context menu to identify the correct device.
- Then click on the “Set as default” button at the bottom.
- Save the setting by clicking “OK.”
Setting the correct speakers in applications
It’s not just your PC that needs to know which playback device to use. The correct settings must also be made in applications such as Teamspeak, Discord, games, and more.
- Switch to the application in which you noticed that you have no sound.
- In the settings, look for a sub-item such as “Sound,” “Output,” or “Playback.”
- Select the correct audio device. If in doubt, simply test the devices.
Update drivers on your PC
If there is a software error, you may need to update the drivers manually.
- Press the [Win]+[R] keys.
- Enter “devmgmt.msc” without quotation marks and confirm the command with [Enter].
- Double-click on “Audio inputs and outputs” or “Audio, video, and game controllers” in Device Manager.
- Right-click on your playback device and select “Update driver.”
- Then follow the instructions provided by the Windows wizard.
