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This article will show you how to Fix ‘No Speakers or Headphones are Plugged in’ issue. There are no headphones or speakers plugged in. When Windows can’t find any connected audio devices in the system, it gives a warning. This means that even if you plug in an audio output device, your device won’t make any sound.
The mistake can be caused by a number of things, but the most common ones are broken hardware, old audio drivers, and settings that were not set up correctly. This error can also happen if the system files that are needed to find the audio devices are corrupted or the loaded audio peripheral is no longer supported.
A typical complaint about Windows 11/10 is that it doesn’t recognize audio devices that are plugged into it. This is followed by an error that says “No speakers or headphones are plugged in,” even though they are. Some users say that this problem started after they updated their PCs, but it could also be caused by other things. No matter what caused the problem, this guide will show you how to get sound back on your PC.
Ways to Fix ‘No Speakers or Headphones are Plugged in’ issue
Perform an Audio Device Driver Rollback
If a Windows or driver update broke your audio device, you can do a driver rollback to reload the last known good driver. In Windows, you can roll back a driver by using the Device Manager.
Follow our guide on how to roll back a driver in Windows to roll back a driver for an audio device. Your audio drivers are probably in the part of Device Manager called Sound, video, and game controllers.
Uninstall the Audio Device and Driver
This mistake can happen on Windows when there are short-term problems with the audio device driver. To fix the problem, go to Device Manager and remove the audio device and its driver. After you restart, Windows will fix the problem by reinstalling the driver on its own.
- Press Win + X to open the WinX menu.
- Click on Device Manager from the context menu.
- In Device Manager, expand the Sound, video, and game controllers section.
- Right-click on your audio device, like Realtek Audio.
- Select Attempt to remove the driver for this device option in the Uninstall Device dialog.
- Click Uninstall to remove the device.
- Once uninstalled, restart your PC. Windows will automatically install the necessary drivers for your audio device.
Add Network Service and Local Services to the Local Administrator Group
Adding Network service and Local Services to the Local Administrator Group is another way to fix this error. Network Service and Local Service are accounts that come with the service control manager that are already set up. You should be able to fix the sound problem on your Windows PC by adding these accounts to the Local Administrator Group.
Note that the Windows Home version doesn’t have Local Users and Groups. Home users, on the other hand, can use Command Prompt to add Network Service and Local Service to the local administrator group. To use Local Users and Groups to add Network Service and Local Services to the Local Administrator Group:
- Press Win + X to open the WinX Menu.
- Click on Computer Management.
- In Computer Management, click on Local User and Groups.
- In the right pane, double-click on Groups to view all the local accounts.
- Select and right-click on the Administrators account and select Properties.
- Click the Add button in the Administrator Properties dialog.
- Next, type network service and click Check Names. It should change the object name to NETWORK SERVICE.
- Click OK to add network service to the local user group.
- In the Administrator Properties dialog, you’ll see NT Authority\Network Service added as the member.
- Click the Add button again and repeat the steps to add Local Services to the group as well.
- Once done, click Apply and OK to save the changes.
Using the Command Prompt, you can add Local Network and Local Services to the local administrator group if you have the Windows Home version. Here’s what you need to do.
- Press the Win key and type cmd.
- Right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
- In the Command Prompt window, type the following to add “local service” to the Local Group Administrator:
net localgroup Administrators /add localservice
- Next, type the following command to add “network service” to the Local Group Administrator account:
net localgroup Administrators /add networkservice
- If both the commands are executed successfully, type exit and press Enter to close Command Prompt.
- Restart your PC and check if the error is resolved.
Run the Windows Audio Troubleshooter
You can use the built-in audio troubleshooter on Windows to fix sound problems. It looks for common audio problems on your Windows machine and tries to fix them on its own. For the troubleshooter to work:
- Press Win + I to open Settings.
- In the System tab, scroll down and click on Troubleshoot.
- Next, click on Other troubleshooters.
- Click the Run button for Playing Audio. It will check your audio service status and prompt you to select your audio device.
- Select your device speaker and click Next.
- Click NO, Do not open Audio Enhancements in the Turn off Sound Effects and Enhancements dialog.
- Apply any recommended fixes and check for any improvements.
Manually Reinstall the Audio Device Driver
If the automatic reinstall doesn’t work, check to see if the maker of your computer or your audio device has a stable driver version. On a laptop, go to the website of the company that made the computer and grab the latest audio drivers. On a desktop computer, you can get the latest drivers for your sound card from the website of the company that made it.
Causes of Speakers or Headphones Plugged in Error
You need a gadget that can output audio if you want to hear music, videos, and other sounds on your computer. It could be headphones, speakers, or earbuds. But you often run into a problem: Windows 11/10 doesn’t see your audio device.
On the computer’s desktop, there is an icon for the volume and a red X next to it. This means something is wrong with your computer. That is, your machine is not making any sounds that you can hear. When you put your mouse cursor on the icon, it says “No speakers or headphones are plugged in.”
This mistake could be caused by broken speakers or headphones, a disabled audio card, an old audio driver, or something else. This problem can’t be fixed by putting the gadget to sleep or unplugging and plugging it back in. But you can easily fix the problem by using the steps below.