Audio plays a critical role in our experiences when using Windows. Whether listening to music, movies or communicating with family and friends over Skype, your choice of audio output might be different depending on the type of computer you own. However, if you are facing Audio issues, then in this post, we will learn how to reinstall audio device in Windows 11 and Windows 10.
What Causes an Audio Device Issue?
Nothing is more frustrating when your computer doesn’t work as you’d like it to. When the icon of your sound on your computer shows a red cross symbol, it means that your audio device isn’t working. The main reason you are seeing the No Audio Output Device is installed error in Windows 11/10 and having a sound issue is due to outdated, corrupt, broken (that could have been caused by a Windows update), or missing sound drivers.
How To Reinstall Audio Device Windows 11/10
There are three steps that you can follow to fix the No Audio Output Device is installed error:
- Manually uninstall and reinstall the device driver
- Re-enable the device
- Automatically update your audio device drivers
You will need admin permission to execute the steps.
1] Manually Uninstall and Reinstall Reinstall Audio Device in Windows
Installing an audio device on Windows 11/10 manually is easy as it doesn’t require any technical expertise to resolve the issue.
Uninstall the Device Driver
Win+X > Device Manager > Expand Sound, video, and game controllers > Click on Audio Device > Uninstall. This process will uninstall the device driver from your device.
Restart your computer. Windows will automatically reinstall the audio driver. It may install the latest correct driver and hence may solve your problem.
(If restarting doesn’t install the drivers on its own, try following the method below)
Reinstall the device driver
If you have successfully uninstalled the audio drivers, you can go to your system’s manufacturer (OEM) website and search for your sound card’s specific DRIVER. Download it and install it manually.
2] Re-enable the Audio Device
Your audio device can become disabled automatically if you’re installing certain software. Therefore it’s essential to check if the audio device is disabled. To do that, follow these steps:
Press Windows Key + X > Choose Device Manager > Expand the Sound, video, and game controllers category > Right-click on Audio Device > Click Enable from the menu.
If the device is already enabled or the sound, video, and game controller options are missing, follow the steps below.
- In the device manager, click on the Action menu and select Add legacy hardware (In case you only see one Help option in the Action menu, make sure you have chosen anything from the device list tree)
- Click Next to start the Add hardware wizard.
- Click on the Select Search for and install hardware automatically (Recommended) option.
- If the wizard fails to find any new hardware, click on Next.
- From the list of hardware, select the sound, video, and game controller and click Next.
- You will be prompted to select the model and manufacturer for your sound device, select it and click Next.
- If the installation is complete, you can now see a sound, video, and game controller option in the device manager window. Follow the steps mentioned before you to enable them.
3] Automatically Update Your Audio Device Drivers
Now that you have uninstalled the sound driver, maybe your windows now can’t install the driver again on its own after a restart. In that case, it’s time to download the latest version of the driver from the right place. You can either manually download from the first method mentioned above and install or let the Windows Update service download and install the driver.
The most appropriate method to reinstall the audio device on your Windows 11/10 computer is the Windows Update process. To do this, you can follow the steps given below:
- Open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update
- Look for a link—View optional updates under the update button.
- In the next Windows, expand the Driver Updates. It may have a list of updates available. You can choose to install if you are facing an issue manually.
Windows PC will automatically download and install or suggest the latest version of the sound driver.
Here are some of the steps that may help you to reinstall an audio device on a Windows PC. I hope this post will solve all your problems related to an audio issue.
How Do I Reinstall My Sound Driver in Windows?
One way to reinstall the sound driver in your windows machine is to download and install it from the official OEM website.
- First, to uninstall the current driver, right-click on the start menu and go to the Device Manager.
- In the Device Manager, locate Sound, video and game controllers.
- Find the sound driver, right-click on it and then select uninstall.
- To do this, visit the official website for your sound card, and search for the audio driver based on the device model and windows version.
- Once downloaded, install it like standard software.
How Do I Change the Default Audio Output Device?
There are two methods to do it:
- You can access the sound settings on the desktop by right-clicking the speaker icon and choosing Sound Settings.
- Select the audio device under Output and Choose here to play sound options to set the default sound output for all Windows applications and Windows.
- Changes become effective immediately when they are applied.
It can also be done following the below method:
- Click on the sound icon on the taskbar to open quick settings.
- Click on the arrow icon located beside the volume slider.
- You will see a list of all audio output devices that have been detected. You can choose the sound output device you want to be the default for Windows and apps here.