Welcome back, in today’s video I’ll be showing you how to fix headphones that aren’t
working on a Windows 11 PC or laptop.
You can follow the methods for any sound output device as well headphones, such as speakers
or a headset.
You can also use the methods for wireless headphones, although you will be able to skip
some of them as they won’t be necessary.
Of course, there is always the chance that the problem is caused by physical damage to
your headphones, if after trying all of the methods you think this is the case then I
would recommend contacting the manufacturer or checking the device warranty.
Remember to leave a like and feel free to subscribe if the video helps, let’s get
into the methods.
The first thing to focus on is the connection.
A common cause for headphones not working is connecting them to the wrong port.
Check that you are not using the microphone port by accident.
If you use USB, then make sure the port is compatible such as with USB 2 and 3, although
this is unlikely to be an issue.
I would recommend trying as many ports as possible if you can in order to rule out this
being the cause.
Also ensure that the device is fully inserted into the port and that the port or connectors
aren’t broken or blocked by dust or debris.
The next thing to do is try your headphones on another device if you can, such as a different
PC or your phone.
This will help rule out that the issue is with the headphones.
If your headphones don’t work on a separate device, it’s likely that there is physical
damage.
If your headphones work normally on your other device, then the problem is likely caused
by something within Windows, so that’s what we’ll focus on next.
Within Windows 11, the first thing we can do is make sure your headphones are enabled
and that they are set as the default sound output device.
We can do this in two different ways.
The first way is via the main settings page.
You can get there a number of ways, but we’ll be searching for it in the search bar.
In the settings, go to the system settings from the options on the left although you
should be already in there by default.
In the system settings, click on the option called sound.
Within the sound settings, find the section called output.
It should be right at the top.
Under here, it should say something like choose where to play sound.
Below this, you should see the list of headphones or sound output devices connected to your
PC.
If you have multiple, select the one you want to use by checking the box to the left of
its name.
If you don’t see your device here, scroll down and click on all sound devices.
Now find your device from the output section, click on it and then choose allow on the next
page.
It should now appear back in the output section of the main sound settings page.
The second way to do this is the traditional method via the control panel.
You can get there by searching for it in the search bar.
In the control panel, click on hardware and sound.
Now click on sound and it should open a separate window.
In the new window, first go to the playback tab.
You should see all of the headphones, speakers and other output devices in here.
If you don’t see your device in here, right click on an option and choose show disabled
and show disconnected devices.
To enable your headphones in here, right click on them and then click on enable.
You can set it as the default sound output device in here too with the button at the
bottom of the window.
If you weren’t able to find your headphones in the previous two methods, then there is
likely something wrong with the connection, but feel free to continue with the methods
as they could help.
Remember that your headphones could be called something generic, so check for any devices
on the list that could be them, such as high definition audio.
We’ll now move on to trying to update the device drivers.
There’s a chance that the correct drivers aren’t installed, and we can check for any
driver updates too.
To do this, we need to go to the device manager.
You can get there by searching for it in the search bar.
In the device manager, look for the section called audio inputs and outputs and double
click on it to expand it, it should be near the top.
In here, look for the headphones or the sound device you want to update the drivers for.
Double click on its name to bring up the properties window.
Now go to the driver tab, which should be the second option.
In here, find where it says update driver and click on that if you can.
Now choose the automatic option, which should be the top option of the two available.
If there are any drivers that Windows finds, it should install them automatically.
However, it might say that the best drivers are up to date.
If a recent driver update caused your headphones to stop working, then you can rollback that
driver update as well from here.
The next method is to try running the troubleshooter to try and see if Windows can find any possible
problems with sound or our headphones.
To do this, go to the main settings page by searching for it and then in the settings,
click on system from the options on the left side, but again you should be in here by default.
In the system settings, click on troubleshoot and then on the next page, choose other trouble-shooters.
Now click on run next to the playing audio troubleshooter and choose the device you want
to use and allow Windows to look for any possible problems.
Next, think back to when the issue started appearing.
There is a chance that a software change or hardware change caused the problem.
This could be some new audio software or a new component.
If you are certain that one of these changes caused the problem, then you could revert
them or research how this will have affected your device and what you can do to work around
it.
The next method to hopefully fix your headphones is a Windows update.
This can help solve any minor issues caused by the operating system or with things like
compatibility, as there could be updated drivers on the update.
To update your PC to the latest version of Windows 11, first go to the main settings
page.
Again, you can get here by searching for it.
In the settings, click on Windows update from the options on the left side.
In here, simply click on check for updates and install any that appear.
Remember to save any work before updating.
If for some reason Windows won’t update, click the card onscreen now to watch my video
showing you how to fix Windows updates that aren’t working.
Next, I would recommend making sure that your headphones don’t need any additional set
up in order to work correctly.
Some headphones might need software, such as drivers from the manufacturer’s website.
Other headphones could need a power supply or a different connection type.
All of this information should be on the manufacturer’s website so have a look on there to make sure
you aren’t missing anything.
If your headphones don’t work in certain apps but do in others, this would most likely
indicate that the settings in the app itself aren’t set up correctly for your headphones.
Have a look in the sound or audio settings to see if you can set it to use your headphones.
A quick restart of your PC could also help if you haven’t tried this already.
Just make sure you have any work saved before doing this.
Unfortunately, those are all the tips I have.
If you think the problem is physical with either your headphones or sound output device,
then check the warranty or see if there are any repair options by contacting the manufacturer.
As always, I will keep the description updated with any new solutions I find and if any of
you find a fix in the future then it would be great if you could return to the video
and post it in the comments to help others.
Click the card on screen now to watch a video of mine showing you ten easy ways you can
speed up your Windows PC.
Those methods should work on nearly all versions of Windows.
Help support the channel by visiting the store – the link is in the description and at
the end of the video.
If you have any questions, then let me know in the comments below and if you did find
today’s video helpful remember to leave a like and feel free to subscribe for more
tips in the future.
Be sure to stick around to see some of my other videos that you might be interested
in.
Thanks so much for watching and I will see you in another video!