Laptop Audio Not Working

We’re going to show you some tried and tested solutions to use when you find audio not working on your Windows.

Solution 

- Check Volume

It’s possible that you may have accidentally muted the volume on your laptop either by striking the mute button or clicking the speaker icon on the Windows taskbar. 

To check your volume, tap the mute button or the Add Volume button on your laptop’s keyboard, or click the speaker icon on the lower right side of the taskbar and unmute or turn up the volume.

If you plug in external speakers, turn on and turn up the volume. If you hear a ding sound but you still don’t get the audio you want, check the app you’re trying to use and unmute it or turn up the volume.

- Try Using Headphones

If your laptop’s built-in speakers aren’t working, try plugging in your headphones or using external speakers. If you get audio through external audio devices, the problem may be with your laptop’s speakers. 

Alternatively, if you have a USB headset or headphones, try to plug it in and check if you get any audio as these bypass the default audio driver, and can pinpoint where the problem could be.

- Change Audio Devices

If you’ve plugged in a USB audio device or you’re connecting to an external HDMI monitor that has no speakers, Windows may direct the audio to the wrong output device, making you think the audio isn’t working on your laptop.

1. To resolve this, go to the Windows taskbar and right-click the speaker icon, select Open Sound Settings and enter audio preferences. In the Output section, click Manage Sound Devices.

2. Select the Output device and click the Test button.  Try for each of the audio devices you see until you hear audio.

 

- Check Your Connections

Check connections like your headphone, speakers, jacks, and plugs for any loose cables or cords and ensure they’re plugged in, and into the correct jack for multiple jacks. If you have speakers and headphones both plugged in, unplug one of them and see if that helps.

- Run Audio Troubleshooter

Windows audio troubleshooter can help automatically fix audio problems on your laptop. To do this, click Start > Settings > System > Sound and select Troubleshoot. 

Alternatively, type audio troubleshooter in the search box on the taskbar, click Fix and find problems with playing sound, and then click Next.

Choose the device you want to troubleshoot and follow the instructions to complete the process.

 

- Check For Windows Updates

1. Right-click the Windows icon.

2. Select Settings.

3. Select Update & Security.

4. If you see the Updates are available status, click Install now. Click on the updates you’d like installed, and then select Install.

Reboot your laptop and check if audio is working. If the status shows You’re up to date, try the next solution.

- Check Sound Settings

Besides checking whether your speakers are muted or the volume is turned up, you can check to ensure your devices aren’t disabled. To do this, click Start > Settings > System > Sound. Select your device and then click Device Properties for your input and output devices.

Uncheck the Disable checkbox for your devices and check if the audio works again.  

- Update Audio Driver

Outdated or malfunctioning drivers can also cause audio and other hardware problems. Check that your audio driver is updated, and if not, update it. You can also uninstall it and it’ll automatically reinstall on your computer, use the generic Windows audio driver or try and roll back the audio driver.

To update your audio driver, right-click Start > Device Manager.

Expand the Sound, video and game controllers category. 

Right-click your sound card or audio device, and click Update Driver.

Click Search automatically for updated driver software.

Windows will search for a new driver. If not, check the device manufacturer’s website to download an updated audio driver.

If updating the audio driver didn’t help, uninstall it and restart your PC to reinstall the driver. To do this, go to Device Manager > Sound, video, and game controllers and right-click your audio device or sound card. Select Uninstall device.

Click Delete the driver software for this device box, and select Uninstall. Reboot your laptop.

Note: If you see a yellow exclamation mark next to your sound card or audio device, it means you need to find and reinstall the audio driver.

- Try Different Audio Formats

To do this, open Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound.

Click the Playback tab, and right-click Default Device > Properties.

 

 

 

Under the Advanced tab, go to Default Format, change the setting, and click OK. 

• If the laptop still does not work, contact support by email and fill in the below details with the findings to check the warranty
  1. First and last name.
  2. Phone number.
  3. Shipping address (Cannot be a P.O. box).
  4. A copy of the proof of purchase/receipt. (Name of the Store/Date of purchase with year/ Brand name or Product description).
  5. A close-up photo of the manufacturer's label on the unit showing a clear view of the Gateway nameplate with the serial and model number of the device.
  6. A few pictures of the issue.

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