No Sound on Windows: How to Get Audio Back
Get your machine's audio back when it suddenly stops working, step by step.
No sound comes out of your PC at all. Before suspecting the speakers, check these steps in order — they fix most cases.
- Click the volume icon in the taskbar → confirm it is not muted or at minimum.
- Right-click the volume icon → "Troubleshoot sound problems" → let Windows diagnose it automatically.
- Settings → System → Sound → confirm the correct output device is selected (easy to get wrong after plugging in headphones and then unplugging them).
- Device Manager → "Audio inputs and outputs" → right-click → "Update driver".
Tip: if the problem started right after connecting another device (a monitor with speakers, Bluetooth headphones), it is very likely Windows switched the default output device without you noticing — check step 3 first.
If sound does come out but distorted instead of absent, that is a different problem — covered in this other guide.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the sound disappear after connecting headphones?
Windows can switch the default output device when you unplug the headphones, without automatically switching back to the speakers. Check the selected output device in Settings → Sound.
Do I need to reinstall Windows if there's no sound?
Almost never — the automatic sound troubleshooter and updating the audio driver fix the vast majority of cases without needing to go that far.