Why does my computer lost sound

Open the Activities overview and start typing Sound. Under Volume Levels , check that your application is not muted. If your computer has external speakers, make sure that they are turned on and that the volume is turned up.

This socket is usually light green in color. Some sound cards can switch between the socket they use for output to the speakers and the socket for input from a microphone, for instance. Try connecting the speaker cable to a different audio socket on your computer.

A final thing to check is that the audio cable is securely plugged into the back of the speakers. Some speakers have more than one input, too. Some of these are capable of outputting sound and some are not, so you should check that you have the correct sound device selected. This might involve some trial-and-error to choose the right one.

Under Output , change the Profile settings for the selected device and play a sound to see if it works. You might need to go through the list and try each profile. If that does not work, you might want to try doing the same for any other devices that are listed.

Your sound card may not have been detected properly probably because the drivers for the card are not installed. You may need to install the drivers for the card manually. Below, we cover quick and easy solutions to fix your sound on Windows 10 when it's not working. First, you should get the most obvious fix out of the way.

If you have no sound on your computer, double-check to make sure that you haven't muted the audio. Click the Volume icon at the bottom-right corner of your computer to check the master volume; make sure it's not muted or set at an extremely low level. After this, right-click on the same icon and choose Open Volume mixer to see the current volume level for all apps playing audio. Turn these up as needed, confirming that they aren't muted by mistake. Be sure to check the volume level of any active apps, games, video players, or similar too.

Even if you have both the master and browser volume levels turned up, a muted YouTube video will still produce no sound. On a related note, close any audio-heavy apps you aren't actively using. Some programs can take control of your audio device, so you won't hear anything from other devices. For example, while using Bluetooth headphones, being in a Discord call can prevent you from hearing audio from other apps.

Before moving on, it's also wise to restart your computer at this point. Your sound issue could be temporary, perhaps due to a pending update that has locked audio output. If you have more than one audio output connected to your computer, it's possible that Windows is playing sound through the wrong device. To change the device being used for playback, click the Volume icon again. Above the volume slider, you'll see the name of the current device, if you have more than one enabled.

Click this, then select the option that you want to use from the list. This is just a quick switcher, so it might not show all available devices.

To see a full list of audio devices connected to your PC, right-click the Volume icon and choose Open Sound settings. On this page, click Manage sound devices under the Choose your output device heading to see everything that's connected to your computer. Use the Test button for any of the available devices to play a quick tone. Check the Disabled section to make sure you haven't turned off the device you want to use. Click an option and hit Enabled to turn it back on, if needed. If you don't see the audio output you expect, or it doesn't work, continue on with the below steps.

Your speakers, headphones, or other device need further troubleshooting. Next, you should check the physical connections of all your audio devices, especially if your desired output didn't show up in the above menus. Make sure that all audio and power cables are firmly plugged into your computer, as well as into the device.

It's a good idea to unplug and reconnect everything, just to make sure there are no loose connections. Confirm that you have the audio cables plugged into the right ports. If any cable is frayed, excessively bent, or otherwise damaged, it might be unusable. You may have to jiggle it to get a good connection. If possible, consider replacing worn-out cables. See how to troubleshoot Bluetooth in Windows 10 for more help with wireless devices.

If you also use those Bluetooth headphones with your phone or something else, disconnect them from the other device first, then try connecting them to your Windows PC again. Trying to play audio from your computer to your Bluetooth headphones won't work when those headphones are currently connected to your phone.

Finally, try disconnecting all audio devices from your PC except for the one you want to use, in case there's something interfering with another device. Before you go further, it's worth running the built-in audio troubleshooter. This allows Windows 10 to identify and fix issues on its own—sometimes. These Windows troubleshooters don't always fix the problem, but it's worth a shot before you dive in deeper.

Follow the instructions, and hopefully Windows will correct the problem automatically. This requires time and computer skills. Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct driver for your computer.

Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers. Or click Update All to automatically download and install all the latest correct drivers that is missing or outdated This requires the Pro version.

You will be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All. To fix no sound on computer, you can try the troubleshooter in Windows to troubleshoot the sound issue and automatically fix it. To do so, follow the steps below:.

Windows is a very old technology. Now that we have the internet, fast connection speeds, free cloud storage, and endless web apps like Gmail, Google Docs, Slack, Facebook, Dropbox and Spotify , the entire Windows way of doing things — with locally installed programs and local file storage — is totally outdated. Why is that a problem? Plus the way Windows manages installed software and hardware has always been a problem.

For most people, the simplest way to solve Windows problems is to ditch Windows altogether, and switch to a faster, more reliable, more secure, easier to use and cheaper operating system…. Google ChromeOS. ChromeOS feels much like Windows, but instead of installing heaps of programs to email, chat, browse the internet, write documents, do school presentations, create spreadsheets, and whatever else you normally do on a computer, you use web apps.

These are the four easy solutions to fix no sound on computer. If you have any questions, feel free to comment below and we will see what more we can do to help. Lillian is a technical writer and a tech enthusiast who loves to share technical tips and solutions to computer problems.